A bit of excitement early last week as I finally, after waiting almost 5 years, obtained a drum carder. It is a used Louet Mark IV in good condition. The new ones are out of my budget I'm afraid, and those used carders for sale at a good price are always snatched up before I see them. But I got lucky!
This little fellow comes visit often while I sit spinning on the front "porch" (a 4' x 8' platform outside the front door).
It's been over a year since I made soap, so it felt really fun and exciting to whip up a batch Saturday morning. It's currently my favorite recipe:
2 oz. Castor oil
4 oz. Cocoa butter
4 oz. Coconut oil
12 oz. Olive oil
10 oz. Palm oil
4.3 oz. Lye
12 oz. Water
I did something different this time. It takes this mixture about 40 minutes to reach 'trace' so instead of sitting with a stirring spoon, I decided to employ my Kitchenaide mixer. I set it on its lowest speed with the mixer fixture in place and let it whir while I went about doing dishes and tidying up. A great time saver.
These just popped out of their molds after sitting in the freezer for (too?) long. I almost forgot about them as I went about cleaning in the bird's room. The bar on the upper right corner is testament to my struggle attempting to release them from the mold at room temperature. Straight from the freezer they pop right out! Now they sit for a few months to cure.
Once again, I will try, "lastly, but not least"... This cute and friendly guy also comes round to sate his appetite on the bird seeds.
Which reminds me of this interesting tidbit:
It may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more Catholic Churches than casinos there.
Not surprisingly, some worshippers at Sunday Services will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed. Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings.
The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery for sorting. Then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in.
This is done by the chip monks....
Have always admired your soap making abilities, Bernard. They are almost too lovely to use.
ReplyDeleteI bet that drum carder is going to get LOTS of use.