Weekly Affirmation: Sneaky Soakbox

Every Thursday we post a comment, tweet, email or secret message we’ve received from one of our Soakworthy customers (stores, fans, consumers, friends). Sometimes, on a rough day, it’s really helpful to read an inspiring message from someone in our community. Someone who appreciates what we do. Someone who is as passionate about Soak as we are. We appreciate all the love that comes our way. Really we do.

We found this little post about Soakboxes in a forum a few weeks ago. Thanks Laurette!

“I got to wander Carytown which is one of my favorite areas, and visit the yarn store. I got some super soft yummy Malabrigo yarn to make mitts and a head band with, and while it was being wound, David was a sneaky sneak and bought me a SoakBox, which is a set of yarn, pattern, nail pollish, hand lotion, and knit wear wash that all match up. I’d wanted the one he got me FOREVER. http://www.soakwash.com/soakboxes.html He got me the Lace Kelly one. I was so excited and the ladies at the store kept saying that he’s a real keeper.”

Soakbox Knit-A-Long: Roundup!

Over the next few weeks we are running a knit-a-long for the four patterns in our Soakboxes. We will be posting detailed information on each of the patterns as well as fun things you can do with your Soakboxes for yourself, as a gift and as a group. You can order a kit from us directly, just click on the link on the right, or you can ask for it by name from your local yarn store. May your hands be soft, fibers fresh and nails match your knits!

We have been running this knit-a-long for a few weeks now, so we thought it was high time that we checked in to see how you were doing. We looked around on Ravelry and found some great examples of Soakboxes out in the wild. Don’t forget to post your photos and link your projects, maybe we will pick yours next time. How is your Soakbox knitting going?

It may have been a totally coincidence, but we love how maniacknitter was able to match her needle and the yarn for her Lace Kellys as well!

She posted such a great shot of the thumb increases.

mlfrench‘s photo of her Clark Cable‘s show off the colour so well. It is such a great deep red. And I love the texture of the seed stitch in the middle of the diamonds.

krazyknittingal got her Cuff Au Lait Soakbox at Rhinebeck. Looks like she picked up a Jennie the Potter mug as well. What a cozy picture!

Soak Holiday Gift Guide

Lately we have been talking so much about Soakboxes, the rest of our Soak family started to feel left out! Keeping in the theme of last weeks knit-a-long post about Soakbox gift ideas, we thought it would be fun to talk about some other great Soak themed gifts.

Of course there is the gift of our regular Soak bottles. We already know how much those who knit, sew, crochet and quilt love our wash. It is also a great gift for non-crafters who appreciate fine clothes and lingerie. I will be giving a bottle to my uncle this year, as he accidentally felted a scarf I knit for my cousin a few years ago. No excuses now!

All four of our scents come in 14 oz and 3 oz bottles. The large size is great for a dedicated crafter, while the 3 oz size is perfect for travellers or to try out a new scent.

As a bonus for the holidays we are making a gift pack of our 3 oz Soak and Handmaid bottles. The pack will have one bottle of  each in one scent, all tied up with a pretty bow. We are calling them twosomes! You can find the twosome option for each scent under the Soakbox category on the website.

My favourite gift for this year is probably going to be the Minisoaks. I plan on slipping one into everyone’s stocking. They are also a great addition to a handmade or delicate care gift. We put so much care and time into making these gifts, it makes sense to give the gift of good garment care as well! The packs of 12 or 50 assorted minisoaks are great for mixing and matching.

We also have sample sizes of our cucumber Heel. It would make a great addition to a pair of socks.

Our Labels of Love would also make a great stocking stuffer for a maker in your life. However, they might come in handy to put on your handmade item before you give it away. Having the care instructions written on the label means that your precious gifts have a better chance of not getting thrown in the machine by an unsuspecting relative. Each pack includes 12 care labels and 4 sayings.  

I grabbed a little bit of extra yarn we had lying around and made this cute little pack. You could easily wrap it up both up as an easy hostess gift.

We love the bright colours of our Carrie and Phil bins. They work perfectly for washing out delicates with Soak, but they also make for great storage. The bright colours would fit right in as a toy bin in a kids room, great for hats and mitts by the door, or to hold your yarn and fabric stash. The handles mean that they are easy to move from room to room. Great for crafters and kids on the go!

We just released a new design of our Stick and Soak Temporary Tattoos. We got great feedback about what you liked and didn’t like about the tattoos, and then made them even better.

What is on your list of gifts to give and receive?

Soakbox Knit-A-Long: Warehouse Tour

Over the next few weeks we are running a knit-a-long for the four patterns in our Soakboxes. We will be posting detailed information on each of the patterns as well as fun things you can do with your Soakboxes for yourself, as a gift and as a group. You can order a kit from us directly, just click on the link on the right, or you can ask for it by name from your local yarn store. May your hands be soft, fibers fresh and nails match your knits!

So we have shown you all how we developed the Soakboxes, and how to knit them, but what about the in between? We thought we would show you how the individual boxes get made.

The magic all happens in the warehouse behind our offices. Cameron is our box packing expert. He packs all the orders that go out to our retail shops and online customers. The lower half of the shelves on both sides of the aisles hold skids of Soak, Handmaid and Heel. The boxes are packed on the middle tables, then placed on the dolly to wait to be picked up and sent off to their destinations.

First we have to get the yarn from Lorna’s Laces. These four boxes hold enough yarn to make around 800 Soakboxes!

When we build the boxes we make lots of these little packs of the bottles first. Then they all get put together into the bigger box with the yarn and pattern.

Most of our Soakboxes are shipped out to shops, so lots of our kits get packaged right up into boxes of 12. We keep some aside to ship to customers as well. These boxes are all awaiting their new homes.

Which one will you be taking home?

Weekly Affirmation: Soaked Tears

Every Thursday we post a comment, tweet, email or secret message we’ve received from one of our Soakworthy customers (stores, fans, consumers, friends). Sometimes, on a rough day, it’s really helpful to read an inspiring message from someone in our community. Someone who appreciates what we do. Someone who is as passionate about Soak as we are. We appreciate all the love that comes our way. Really we do.

I found this comment from Christina last week. So glad to hear that no more tears were spilled!

I took a silk blouse to the dry cleaners to be cleaned — I had cried on it and there were tear stains. It came back to me neatly pressed, but with traces of the tear stains. I dipped the affected portion in the Soak solution, and it removed the tear stains without damaging the blouse. I was very nervous about cleaning silk like this, but it turned out well. I will definitely try this on other things in the future.