Sniffy goodness

As I mentioned last post, I have fallen under the spell of indie perfume oil. My collection of Possets and BPAL imps has grown just a little this week. I've sampled The Midsummer Muse more thoroughly and will definitely be getting a bottle of Guinevere. It is the perfect blend of flowers and sweetness. Her shop is worth a look just for the enchanting descriptions she provides for all her scents.

I also took the plunge and purchased a bunch of fragrance oils, base oil and bottles to try my hand at blending. There is precious little information available on the subject and I've received no response to my inquiries on boards I thought might have folks willing to talk. It appears that people are afraid to give up any secret that might take away from their piece of the pie. Ok fine, how hard can it be? Apparently not very. My first creation is a blend of pumpkin, peach, and other sweet smelling goodies. I've dubbed it Fuzzy Pumpkin and it is, if I don't say so myself, really good! I'm wearing it now and can't stop sniffing my wrist. I've blended up a few others and can see now I should have ordered way more bottles. This is going to be fun!

Lest you think I've forgotten about knitting, here's my next big project...Savannah from Dolce Handknits and 17 balls of Elann Superwash Bamboo. The yarn feels wonderful, so soft and just a bit of shine. I think this sweater will be beautiful in this yarn. I am going to be stern with myself and finish at least one of the 3 pair of socks I've got going and finish Milan before starting this one.

And spinning, I know I haven't had any spinning news in ages. That's because the yarn I'm spinning now (from a Hanks in the Hood Cozy Stripes batt) is being spun really fine. I hope to end up with a 3 ply sock yarn so I'm trying to spin as fine as I can. I even moved up to an 8.5 to 1 ratio, which is about as fast as I can handle at my level of experience. Cozy is the bobbin on the left.The other bobbin is a luscious merino/silk blend Jen did for me. It is a dream to spin. I told her I hope she kept the recipe because it's pretty much all I want to spin. Ever. Unfortunately I'm currently not allowed to spin do to problems with my right foot (tendonitis/plantar facsiitis). Doctor says no spinning till it's all cleared up. I have practiced spinning with just one foot from time to time in the past and might give it a try now that I HAVE to spin one footed. But the temps are in the 90s so spinning isn't really high on my list of things I want to do. And there is no way I can treadle fast enough to spin Cozy with just one foot. For now I'll concentrate on knitting. And perfuming!