So Full of Soapy Goodness!

We're back!  I've been crazy busy in the Chateau Badeau workshop working on and developing our new company Chateau Badeau Maison du Savon!  It's been a lot of work, but man, it's been worth it!

I'm still knitting away and I have a couple of patterns that I'm working on to publish.  You'll still find GREAT patterns here like the Lapland Throw, the Ooh-La-Leggings and the Pauper's Gloves. 

To introduce everybody to Chateau Badeau Maison du Savon, we're having a little contest where you can win $100 worth of hand-crafted artisan soap.  Just swing by our Facebook page and like us (be sure to private message me on Facebook so that I can enter you in the contest!) and share our page for a second entry into the contest.

Visit Us on Facebook!

Happy knitting and Happy soaping up!

Lapland Throw

Lapland Lap Throw

After the warmest September on record (!) it's finally fall here on the wet coast....yay! In celebration of all yarns chunky, all leaves crunchy, and all light dappled... I give you the Lapland Throw recipe. I call it a recipe because I'm hoping that no two throws will look alike and that you spice it up as you wish making colour changes at your whim or none at all!

The following pattern repeat will give you a throw of 6 squares across.  You will be working with multiples of 10+2 if you're looking to change that up. Just continue until your throw is as long as you would like it to be. Mine ended up being 17 squares in length (64.5" long and 26.5 " wide).

I used:

1 ball of Briggs & Little Country Roving - black
4 balls of Briggs & Little Country Roving - brown
US 11 needles (I always use circular)


Loosely cast on 62 stitches

Knit 1 row (RS)
Purl 1 row

PATTERN

Row 1 (RS): K
Row 2: P
Row 3: k2, *p8, k2; rep from *
Row 4: p2, *k8, p2; rep from *
Row 5: k2, *p2, k4, p2, k2; rep from *
Row 6: p2, *k2, p4, k2, p2; rep from *
Rows 7 and 9: Rep Row 5
Rows 8 and 10: Rep Row 6
Row 11: Rep Row 3
Row 12: Rep Row 4
Row 13: Rep Row 1
Row 14: Rep Row 2

Once you've achieved your desired length, on the final row of squares omit rows 13 and 14 and bind of loosely.

Stay warm!
XOXOXOX

 

Goodbye Salt Spring Strings!

As you may have noticed Salt Spring Strings is now Chateau Badeau! 

It was a long time coming but I moved off of the Salty Rock and have come back home to the big city (Vancouver).  It's good to be home!

I won't be writing any patterns for a few months since I'm in school taking applied psychology and my creative juices are flowing into that right now.   That being said, I will still be posting recipes for food, drink and soap!

Soooooo, Christmas is coming (yes it is!) and I want to make it easy for you to get to the patterns that are already on this blog so here they are:

 Ooh-La-Leggings

 Pauper's Picnic

Pauper's Gloves

Man Handled

Happy warm and wonderful winter everyone and peace on your heads!

xoxo Felix-Marie

Hello Spring!

Yes....Yes it's true.  I've done what all good Salt Springers do on the salty rock and have hidden away through the winter....well you KNOW that's not possibly true :0)

It's been a busy winter for sure!  The knitting classes at Stitches were a HUGE success!  The plan was to offer 1, six week session but they were so popular that turned into 5, six week sessions....yay me!  I was so impressed with how well everyone did in the classes.  I started off by offering beginning classes but ended up doing intermediate classes as well where we worked on the Summer Flies Shawlette.  Beautiful results ensued!

I've also been very physically active through the winter.....I JOINED ROLLER DERBY!!!

 

Yup...loved being "Fresh Meat"!  It was outrageously hard at first but the Salt Spring Island derby girls, "The Committed" were amazing!

And I've gotten going on my yearly supply of soap and bathbombs.  Just a few more batches and I'm done for the year.

So there you have it folks :0)  I'll be coming back at you in a couple of weeks with a tasty pattern for you to try!

Peace on your beautiful heads!

Ooh-La-Leggings!

I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Blog Nation.

It's fall....YAY!!!! Time to wear all things knit and show off your wares!  In keeping with that I have a great new pattern for you that's quick and easy and shows that you can keep a little surprise up your sleeve....ahem...skirt ;0)  Are ya ready?  OK....

Ooh-La-Leggings!!!

 

 Oh, such a nice conservative girl in her stripy leggings and comfy sweater....BUT WAIT!

 Surprise!!!! Saucy! 

So here's the recipe:

Finished size:  OSFA

Yarn: Approx. 600 metres (I have long legs) or sock-weight yarn.  I used 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Sock #269

Needles: a set of size 3mm double pointed needles

Notions: 

·      1 stitch markers

·      1 tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge:  Don't worry too much as you're going to try them as you go.

Let’s get crackalackin’!

So we're working with two pattern repeats.

Pattern 'A' as follows:

• round 1: *YO, SSK, P2* to end of round
• rounds 2, 3 and 4: *K2, P2* to end of round
• round 5: *K2tog, YO, P2* to end of round
• round 6, 7 and 8: *K2, P2* to end of round

 Pattern 'B' (increase) as follows:

• round 1: *YO, SSK, P2* to end of round
• rounds 2, 3 and 4: *K2, P2* to end of round
• round 5: *K2tog, YO, P2* to end of round
• round 6 and 7: *K2, P2* to end of round
• round 8: KFB 4 times then *K2, P2*  to end of round 

Regardless of what size you are you are going to cast on 56 stitches and do 7 rows of k2, p2 rib.

Then you're going to commence with the eyelet rib lace according to how your leg is shaped.  The following picture indicates where i did my increases:

Written out that looked like:

• Cast on 56 stitches and join in the round
• k2, p2 rib for 7 rounds
• Pattern A 5 times
• Pattern B 4 times
• Pattern A 9 times
• Pattern B 3 times
• Pattern A 3 times 
• Pattern B 1 time
• k2, p2 rib for 7 rounds
• bind off loosely

 

Don't worry....you can try it on as you go!  And of course it's smooth sailing for the second one (unless your legs are vastly different!).

Finish up with 7 more rows of k2, p2 rib....bind off loosely and  le viola!  Yer done!

FYI....I got this FABULOUS!!!!!!! garter belt from I C France on ebay for less than $20 and i heart it real bad!

Have fun and peace on your heads!

Felix-Marie

 

Knitting Classes at Stitches!

If you've always wanted to learn how to knit...(ok not always but recently because all of the cool kids are doin'  it) now's the time! I will be teaching Beginner's and Intermediate knitting classes at Stitches on Rainbow Road.

In the Beginner's class folks will learn how to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. We will work on a simple project and learn how to recognize and fix common knitting mistakes....hey...we all make 'em!

A couple of ideas for what you can make in the Beginner's class:

This fabulous sleeve/shawl is made with straight knitting....no purling!  It's as easy as it gets and is wonderfully elegant. (Warning:  If you throw this in the back of your car for the summer in an unshapely wad, it WILL look a little wrinkly but none the worse for wear ;0)

Or perhaps....

This cute bolero was knit on really big needles with one skein of Rasta Malabrigo.  It's pretty much instant knitification!

In the Intermediate class we will hone your knitting techniques.  You can take this opportunity to learn how to knit much, much faster with the Continental (aka European) style of knitting.  We'll also work on more complex stitch patterns and knitting patterns.  A great opportunity to learn how to do a raglan sweater, a Maja shawl or perhaps getting started on lace with something like the Summer Flies shawlette. 

I encourage each student to get in touch with me and we can chat about projects and what you need help with so that I can prepare and make sure that you get the most out of the class.

Classes are:  October 6, 20, 27 and November 3, 2012

For more information please feel free to contact me directly or just head on over to Stitches and sign up!

Happy Knitting Everyone!

The Winner AND Ginger Beer

Holy cats!  Is it the 15th already???  So I've entered some numbers into the random number generator and  the winner is......(drum-roll)...... Summerific!  Congratulations on winning the Salt Spring Strings Dying of Boredom contest!!!!! 

Summerific, I will be contacting you through Ravelry to get your address and ship out your skein of Malibrigo  Rasta and iDye.  Just head on over to the Stitches web site to choose your colour of iDye and let me know what you have chosen.

And now, as promised....GINGER BEER!

Traditionally ginger beer is a lemony, minty, fizzy drink.  But I like mine the way I like my life....SPICY!   (OK. My life isn't that spicy but I can dream can't I?) I use cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg to give this bevvy a ginger cookie taste and it's the yum!  The other up side of this recipe is that it makes a WICKED cocktail when you add ice and Gin.  Hello Gin & Ginger!

So here's what you need to make 4.5 litres:

• a large stainless steel pot
• a 5 litre mason jar
• 9 or10 16 0z mason jars
• strainers
• a food processor
• 4 litres of H2O
• 3 cups of ginger run through the food processor
• 3.25 cups of sugar
• 5 grams of wine yeast
• 1 Tbsp whole cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

• In your pot your going to put the water and heat it to a boil.

• Turn of the element and add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Congratulations!  You've just made a simple syrup.

• Add your ginger and the spices and stir.

• Now you're going to let this sit, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches body temperature.  When you poke a finger in it should not be hot.  If it's too hot it will kill the yeast.  If it's too cool it will not activate the yeast.  If you don't mind the mess, you can always pour a spoonful on your wrist.  If it's body temperature you won't really feel the liquid touching your skin.

  

• Next you're going to add the wine yeast.  Crazy Cat is displaying the wine yeast that I use.  I get it in the homemade boozy section of my grocery store.  You can add regular yeast but your finished product will have a yeastier flavour. 

• Now you're going to pour your concoction into your 5 litre jar and let it rest for  a couple of days.  This is where the yeast is going to do it's thing and belch and fart until your ginger beer gets a little fizzy.  Here Crazy Cat and Freaky Fido guard the concoction.....no peeking!

• OK!  Next you're going to strain your mixture two times!  Once through a large sieve to get rid of all of the big chunkyness and then...

• ...through cheesecloth into your smaller mason jars.  Jars that are just the right size for holding a Gin and Ginger.

And Viola!  Tower O' Ginger Beer!

At this point I put the whole batch in the fridge for a day to let it get really fizzy.  When you open a jar a pretty strong yeasty smell will come off of it but that dissipates in about 2 seconds.  This is very slightly alcoholic and will become more so the longer you let it sit.  How much more?  Your guess is as good as mine! Sounds like a good experiment to me!


Enjoy everybody and....


Peace on Your Heads!


Felix-Marie