Sunday Suds & Stuff

 

The latest cashmere sweater thrift purchase was washed today.  Castille soap is safe for wool, and the concentrate I have is scented with mint.  After we are done with product in plastic containers, I try to clean and save rather than recycle.  We do a lot of decanting -- I pour product out of labeled packaging and into decorative dispensers that don't have labels.  Recycling takes up resources and creates waste products too. If I can re-use the bottles rather than putting them back in the disposal chain, I will.  For the sweater, I used castile soap (concentrate plus water) along with a squirt of dog product -- a shampoo plus conditioner formula.  

The sweater was soaped and rinsed twice, then I did a final soak with water and white vinegar.  To rinse it all out, I emptied and refilled the bucket probably ten times.  Since you shouldn't wring cashmere, I pressed out as much water as possible using the side of the bucket.  Then I wrapped it in a towel and pressed out the rest. Wet cashmere can be stretched by hand, which I always do.  It's drying on the rack downstairs now. I did spritz it with a little bit of a 50/50 water/vodka spray.  I also have an odor eliminator spray that I used very sparingly.  It has a hint of that thrift store smell, but that will be gone with the next wash and is a small price to pay for getting the piece for three bucks. There are no holes and pilling in the piece - which is wonderful!

The brown paper that is used for packaging is always worth saving.  I am not a good seamstress and mostly make things up as I go along. The paper was free, and I had an oversized top. I decided to make a paper pattern from it. My plan is to use old sheets and cotton material for a nightshirt.  We'll see how that goes!  The top is for the young lady I am outfitting and has been washed and is now in the dryer.  The pattern size is large, but this piece is made from a stretch material, and I don't plan to use stretch fabric. If it's too big, I can cut it down.

I grind my own alternative flours.  My Vitamix has the horsepower needed to do the job. You can buy a canister specifically for flour, but I don't bother. I just do small batches.  Chickpea flour has been a staple in our house. It works great in breads, breading, and pancakes.  It adds an extra amount of protein and fiber that white flour lacks and is lighter than whole wheat.  The highest protein pea is found in the green ones.   A large ball jar takes one and three quarters of a bag.  Since I had a quarter of a bag each of green and chickpeas, I made a jar of mixed pea flour. 

While going through the cabinet looking for any partial bags of legumes, I found three partial bags of chips as well as some leftover focaccia.  The Mister has been advised that no new bags or boxes for snacking are to be opened, until this stash is consumed. I hate food waste and none of this is stale!

Still on my to-do list, is a fresh batch of red sauce.  The remaining hamburger from last night will be crumbled in to make a meat sauce. While I had planned to make chili, there was a bag of frozen Rana cheese ravioli in the freezer.  We'll have that with a side of romaine/orange salad.

With everything slated to become more expensive, I am going to be sure not to waste anything -- and make as much as I can from scratch.  Sunday is not a day off from frugality!  If tariffs are going to affect you, what will you be doing to cope?