The First Organic Soap and Hemp Face Cloth Promo in the Mail!

Good Afternoon,

My morning was spent typing and revising and printing.  My first promo package went out to the mail on it's way to Massachussets. 

My brother has a salon in Bradford, Salon DKS, just in case you get out that way, and he has agreed to carry my beautiful Petal Face Cloths and Organic Soap. 

The first photo is of course, the Petal Face Cloth, which is hand knit  from hemp fiber.  It is a renewable resource, a natural exfoliate, antimicrobial and biodegradable. The second is a photo of some of the actual samples that I ordered.  These are the 1 oz bars and they are available in a 4 oz size as well.  For those who are fragrance sensitive, there is also a 4 oz bar of unscented soap, also organic.

The colors of these soaps are so vivid and the different essential oils in the bars brings back memories of the 1970s.  Here is one....walking around Woodstock, NY and browsing the shops.  They all had that wonderful aroma of essential oils.  It could have been incense, candles, or soap,  and probably a combination of all.  But just now when I had them out on the table to photograph, I took a free ride back a couple of decades.

I have a couple of more promo packages to get out, and I will definitely share with you the outcomes.  If any of you who follow my blog are interested, drop me a  comment below, or email me, dee@youandmeknit.com, or catch me on Face Book. 

Have a great rest of the afternoon and stay cool.  Hot and humid with the possibility of T Storms.

Happy Knitting!



The Difference Between Natural and "Natural"

Good Morning,

I am going to back pedal for today because I received a newsletter in my email today that I believe is an important read.  Not just for me, but for anyone who is looking for all natural products involving skin care.  This came to me from Botanie Soap, http://botaniesoap.com, the company that I am using for my organic soap.

Maybe it is just me that is so un-informed, but there is information here that I wasn't aware of.  I hope you find this as interesting as I do.

The problem with the term "natural" is that there are no official definitions for it. Believe it or not, the only standards for defining a product as natural are voluntary ones, and a company is free to make up its own. In other words, in the world of soap and skin care, companies can call their products "natural" regardless of what's in them. We know, it's crazy. But it's true. You can't just trust what it says on a product's packaging, and you can't assume a product is truly natural just because it is sold at a natural products store.

The highest and truest standard for "natural" is organic certification, and we'll address this concept in the next newsletter. For many soap and skin care companies, though, "natural" is a more attainable standard. Whole Foods has developed its own "Premium Body Care" standard to define "natural." Two organizations, the Natural Products Association and the Natural Ingredients Resource Council, also offer strong standards for "natural."

For example, the Whole Foods Premium Body Care standard forbids the use of synthetic fragrances in skin care products. However, the use of synthetic fragrances is common in "natural" soaps and skin care. How can you, the consumer, tell the difference? The following terms refer to synthetic fragrance: "fragrance", "fragrance oils", "perfume", "parfum". If you see any of these on a label - even on a label that says "all natural" - you know the product has synthetic fragrances in it. By contrast, pure essential oils are the only truly natural scent ingredients. Also, be sure to read the ingredients panel on so called "fragrance free" or "unscented" soaps found in grocery stores. Some products, with names like "Unscented", "Fragrance Free", or "Sensitive Skin," have fragrance listed among their ingredients. Worse, some have clever ways to hide this, such as using ingredients like "Malto" as a "fragrance mask." Whole Foods has a helpful brochure that discusses this: PREMIUM BODY CARE

Fortunately, "natural" soaps are easy to understand. In our Newsletter coming in a few months, we'll be discussing the actual chemistry behind soap formulation and the technical names for ingredients you sometimes see on soap labels. Always, the highest standard for Natural is organic certification. For all the rest, here are four basic rules of thumb for determining whether a soap is natural:

• It is made from vegetable oils (if you see "tallow" or "tallowate" in the ingredients, this refers to animal fats)
• It is scented with essential oils only, or, if unscented, is truly unscented
• It contains no synthetic pigments, dyes, or preservatives
• SUMMARY: The ingredients sound like plant names!

A soap is either truly natural or it is not...."mostly" and "sort of" don't count!


 I hope you have enjoyed this and found the information helpful.  Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Knitting!

New Soap Descriptions and New Face Cloth Design

Good Afternoon,

I have finished the first Face Cloth with the new Hemp Yarn.  I threw it in the washer with a load of laundry, and then placed it flat and pinned it out.  I am so pleased with how it came out.  I am so

pleased with how it came out. I have a few more face clothes to design for the collection and they will be done fairly soon as they really don’t take much time to make.

The other piece of information that I would like to share is the Organic Soap Descriptions:

OATMEAL SPICE

 Gentle oatmeal, ground and whole, provides skin-healing exfoliation. Organic ground cloves give this soap a rich, spicy scent. Feel the difference in your skin with this gentle complexion bar good for the whole body.

                                                               LAVENDER

Treat yourself. This bar’s fragrance is pure lavender essential oil – a natural relaxant. We’ve added organic comfrey root to our proven base recipe for a bar that will soothe and hydrate your skin.

                                                            LEMONGRASS TEA
This bar’s fragrance is a complex blend of six essential oils, including citrus and herbs, and organic rosemary leaf. A very popular bar among both men and women.

THYME GARDEN
A gardener's and herb lover’s bar! Full of scents of thyme, rosemary, sage, and others. This bar makes any gardener or cook happy. Natural chlorophyll and organic cloves create a deep green color.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT
This soap is a true pleasure. Pink grapefruit essential oil is at once brilliant, deep, and refreshing, perfect for a shower or bath at any time of day or any season. Our favorite.

                                                                PATCHOULI

Patchouli lovers, here is your bar. We’ve scented this bar with deep, earthy patchouli essential oil while keeping the scent level mild. Organic orange peel provides a bold color and a hint of citrus fragrance. If you haven’t tried our patchouli bar, then it’s time to take the plunge.

PEPPERMINT LEAF
A blend of pure mint essential oils combines with organic peppermint leaf to create this invigorating soap. We added menthol for an extra zing of peppermint. Great for the morning shower.

BLOOD ORANGE BERGAMOT
A unique twist on citrus! Blood orange essential oil blends with the complexity of bergamot for a smooth, light, and citrusy bar.

MONTANA PRAIRIE
This soap is best described as open and fresh. A blend of sage, lemongrass, and spearmint essential oils resembles the open spaces here in Montana, and calendula petals provide homegrown beauty. This soap is popular with both men and women.

CITRUS LAVENDER
Orange essential oil, with hints of tangerine and lemon, provides a perfect citrusy blend. Lavender essential oil rounds it out. This soap will surprise you with its fragrance that is both bright and mellow.

                                                         FOREST TONIC

The elusive and slightly sweet scent of juniper berries enhances this woodsy bar, fresh as the outdoors. Ground juniper berries provide exfoliants.

SENSITIVE SKIN / UNSCENTED
Pure soap, plain and simple. This bar has no fragrance and no color. A perfect soap for people who prefer a gentle soap with a good lather in a fragrance-free alternative. Especially helpful for sensitive skin.

Gardener's Hand Soap

Gardener's Hand Soap is full of exfoliants - ground apricot kernels and coffee - to help clean the dirtiest hands. We've given this bar a bright, fresh lemon scent. We keep a bar at every sink all summer as well as in the gardening shed!

Shea Honey Oatmeal
This is a rich, moisturizing bar. We’ve loaded it with a perfect balance of shea butter, honey, and finely ground oatmeal to fit all skin types. As an unscented bar, it will sell very well with your sensitive skin customers.

I hope you enjoy reading about the new Soap and Face Clothes at http://youandmeknit.com.  As of yet, they have not been added to the website, but will be soon.  If there is interest in ordering, please contact me at:  dee@youandmeknit.com


Hope the rest of your day is wonderful, and whatever you need it to be and Happy Knitting.

Organic Soap and a Hemp Face Cloth

Good Afternoon,

I am preparing for a new adventure, Gift Baskets.  I have found a  wonderful source for organic herbal soaps and I received my sample order last Friday afternoon.  As I opened the box, I thought I had just stepped into one of those organic, herbal, essential oil, heavenly scented shops that makes you want to drop your troubles at the door before entering. You can find these wonderful soaps soon at http://youandmeknit.com, Salon DKS in Bradford MA, and at Hudson Valley Body Works in Kingston, NY, as well as Etsy, Craftsy, and Ravelry and Pinterest.

Each bar of soap that was opened was better than the last.  Now, I thought, what am I going to do to market these wonderful pieces of heaven. I had written in my 7/13 blog about my road trip to Mass to visit my brother.  I had knit a washcloth on my way in the car.  Better than cotton, I have ordered a cone of hemp knitting yarn, arriving any time now, to pair with these lovely soaps.  The hemp yarn will be knit into lovey face clothes soon as well and available at the above locations.  As soon as these are ready to go, I will post the links of the locations, but wanted to give everyone the heads up.


This past Friday evening, I began designing a face cloth to accompany the soap.  I can market the face cloth alone, paired with a soap, or a gift basket with several soaps and face clothes.  I have been searching for venues so when everything is packaged neat, tidy and beautiful, then it is a matter of hitting the pavement.

The possibilities are endless.  Collecting the names of spas, upscale hotels, salons, etc, will take some time, and then to knit for all will be another challenge to over come.  This is so exciting finally finding something so wonderful to share.  Now this can be added to the teaching, coaching, mentoring, contract knitting, etc., etc.

Time for me to get this out, but a bit of family news, my son and his girlfriend announced their engagement this afternoon.  The wedding is planned for June of 2014!  Another happy occasion to look forward to.

Have a great rest of the day and Happy Knitting