Kat of All Trades

Okay, it hasn’t been quite one year, but I’m fast approaching the time when I switched to using homemade deodorant exclusively. After going through all four seasons with this mixture of four simple ingredients, I can safely say that this is the single most effective deodorant I’ve ever used. Though I still sweat when I wear it, it also blocks odors better than any antiperspirant I’ve tried – and I’ve tried a lot.

Let me backtrack. A while ago, I discovered Amy Karol’s deodorant recipe. I finally purchased all of the ingredients and made it last spring. It worked well, but I wasn’t in love. Due to the mixture of the shea butter, cocoa butter, and essential oils, the smell was a bit…odd*, though not strange enough to stop me from using it. The deciding factor that it wasn’t right for me was that it kept leaving white stains in the armpits of my black and charcoal shirts after I’d washed them. Since I wear mostly dark colors, that wasn’t going to fly.

Enter this recipe. It contains four easily purchased ingredients: coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot starch, and essential oil. One batch lasts me over four months; it doesn’t stain my clothing; and I don’t get any odor during the day. (I do reapply daily after I shower in the morning, as when I wake up, it’s a good idea.)

I have had a few friends try it and say that they’ve found it abrasive and/or irritating, though I’ve not really experienced this. I know that when I had some irritation with Amy Karol’s recipe, it was after I reapplied multiple times in one day, on a day that I’d shaved my armpits. In that instance, I washed my armpits and coated them with baby powder before heading to bed. It may be worth noting that I only shave my armpits about once a week, so my skin may be less sensitive.

In terms of essential oils, I use half grapefruit and half lavender; otherwise, I follow the amounts as written. I tried adding more coconut oil once and it was runny and generally not so great. After I mix the ingredients, I put them in a half-pint mason jar (a quarter-pint jar would probably be sufficient), chill the deodorant in the fridge for a few hours, and then store at room temperature. In the summer, it tends to separate with the heat, so I’ll mix it up again before applying.

If you’ve been curious to try homemade deodorant, there’s no time like the present! If you give it a go, I’d be curious to hear whether it worked for you.

*I used grapefruit and lavender rather than the orange and ylang ylang she recommended, so that may have been a contributing factor.

My internet friend Robyn loves overnight oats. I’d never heard of them before reading her blog, and after seeing all of her delicious posts, I was intrigued.

The problem is, I am pretty terrible at prepping food for the next day before I go to bed. Embarrassing confession: I’m one of those people who occasionally often falls asleep on the couch while reading or internetting, and then I’ll wake up, brush my teeth, and promptly settle into bed.

Morning is the time when I really shine.

Because I was so curious about the magic of overnight oats, I decided to see whether I could make them happen in the morning with delicious results. The answer: YES.

This has become my go-to weekend breakfast, as it’s substantially cheaper than cereal, more filling, and just as easy. I mix up the ingredients before I shower, and by the time I’m ready, my breakfast is waiting. Delicious food before heading out for the day is a good thing!

30 Minute Oats

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond milk (or whatever you prefer)
1 tbsp agave nectar*
1/4 cup slivered almonds*
1/4 cup berries (frozen from last summer!)*

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and place in refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes. Stir once more and enjoy!

*These are my standard ingredients, though I sometimes add in shredded coconut or nut butter. Inspired by Robyn, I may try them with cocoa powder soon.

Note: Picture taken prior to mixing to avoid photographing a bowl of mush!

I don’t recall where I first saw the pattern for the Storm cardigan by Kim Hargreaves; I only know that when I found it, I knew I needed to make it. Would I have changed my mind if I’d known how…interesting Rowan patterns can be? Probably not. I did, however, have to write out entire sections of the pattern where the pattern merely stated “complete to match other side.”

My notes – at least, the ones that I can figure out from when I first started knitting the pattern two years ago – are here. Hopefully they will help some other people feel like they can more easily complete this cute cardigan! I made the medium size (36″ bust), so the stitch counts in my notes reflect that. Also worth noting is that I didn’t follow any sort of counts for the chart per se; I did for the first row, and then based the placement of the other YOs and decs on that.

Pattern Notes

Under Right Front:
Where it says “Complete to match left front, reversing shaping, and ending with a RS row,” I did the following:

(RS row) K6, P2tog tbl, work in pattern, inc in last st (24 sts).
Work 1 row.
Inc 1 st at side edge on next 2 rows.
(RS) K6 for collar, work in patt, PM, CO 8 sts at side edge.
P to marker (armhole), patt to marker, K6.
K6, P2tog tbl, patt to marker, P8.
K8, patt, K6.
Work 4 rows.
Work dec near collar as marked (P2tog tbl)(29 sts.)
Work 5 rows, ending with a WS row.
PM at the armhole edge on the last row to indicate the shoulder line.
Work next WS row (K6, patt, P8).
Work RS row to last 6 sts and put last 6 sts on holder.
Inc 1 st (pfb) at neck edge on next row.
Work 1 row.
Inc 1 st at neck edge (pfb or kfb) on next 2 rows (26 sts).
Work 1 row.
Leave sts on needle to join fronts.

After Joining Fronts:
As I mentioned above, I didn’t really follow the counts on the chart as to where the YOs needed to be placed; I looked at where the YO was and then placed the next one according to where it was on the chart. This way, I was able to continue following that method onto the back, since that wasn’t charted.

Back Next Edging:
The pattern said to slip 8 sts from the needle where I had 6, so I slipped 6 and worked with those 6 sts. Rather than seaming two cast-off edges together, I worked each side of the collar to the middle of the back neck and then grafted them together. I think it was a much neater finish.

I hope that these notes are helpful for you if you’ve been puzzling your way through this pattern! Feel free to comment or email if you have any questions, and I’ll see if I can clarify.