A week ago seems like a month ago, so much has happened. We had beautiful weather for the annual Chadds Ford Historical Society pumpkin carve. Thousands of people came out to see the 60 or so pumpkins that different teams had carved on Thursday. There were some very clever and intricate designs as always. The Headless Horseman was one of them. Then, of course, we got socked with Sandy. We live in an area with lots of trees, so treefall is usually a big concern. We were fortunate: the only one that came down is far back in the woods, nowhere near the house. We did lose power for about 24 hours, but since we have a propane-powered generator that comes on automatically, it was pretty much a non-event. We had heat, refrigeration, hot water, and electricity for the computers and some other lights and outlets. We took a ride to see the flooding around the Brandywine. There were a couple of bridges that were covered, but we have had worse in other storms so we count ourselves lucky. We're still trying to reach some NYC relatives to check on them.
I got a nice surprise from Stephanie at SpaceCadet Creations. She posted a review of Crochet Scarves here. I used two of her yarns, Luna and Estella, for scarves in the book. It's nice to include some hand-dyed yarns along with the mass-produced fibers.
Another giftie that arrived for me recently was a bottle of Wrapture, my friend designer Kristin Omdahl's addition to the Eucalan line of no-rinse washes for woollens and delicates. It can be used in the washing machine or the sink; I chose the sink simply because I wasn't sure I would know how to stop the machine at the appropriate time and I was too lazy to read the manual.
Wrapture comes in a sweet little bottle with a round top like an olive (although I don't think Eucalan offers "martini" as one of their scents--yet!). I haven't used a no-rinse product before, and I was curious how it would work.Wrapture is jasmine-scented and contains lanolin. A tablespoon in a sinkful of tepid water (approx. 1 gallon) is all that was needed. The solution bubbled a bit, then I put in my Moonmist Shawl, squeezed it gently, and let it soak for about 20 minutes. After that, I squeezed out the liquid, resisting the temptation to rinse. Voila! Moonmist--coincidentally, also in SpaceCadet Luna silk/merino--is currently drying happily on a towel.
I recommend Wrapture to anyone who loves the smell of jasmine and wants a safe, no-rinse wash. Thanks, Kristin! Find out more about this product here.
