101 things to do with Soak | 030 Phil in the garden
Posted: 07/09/2010 Filed under: Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, gardening, phil 2 CommentsAuthor: Ngoc
Ted, our friendly office handyman/tech guy made a trip to Leamington, Ontario last week and brought us back some delicious Ontario grown tomatoes. Leamington is known as the tomato capital of Canada, and for good reason.
He said that you couldn’t drive 500 meters without seeing someone selling tomatoes on the side of the road. He pulled over and opened the trunk to look for a bag to hold the tomatoes and instead found a handy-dandy Phil which did the job perfectly! As I was biting into a perfectly ripe tomato, I thought about other ways that Phil and Carrie could help in the garden. Here’s what I came up with.
- Watering buckets. They both hold a lot of water and their handles and bevelled edges make pouring a cinch.
- Fill them up with soil or fertilizer. Just give them a rinse in water and leave upside-down to dry once you’re done.
- Use them to hold your fruits and vegetables while harvesting.
- Throw your weeds in them when weeding to make for an easier clean up.
Carrie and Phil (along with Jacqueline) will be at the KW knitter’s fair this Friday if you are in the area and would like to invite them to your home!
101 things to do with Soak | 027 Carrie and Phil. Cottage companions.
Posted: 17/08/2010 Filed under: Uncategorized, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, carrie, hand washing, phil, soak wash, soakwash, wash 2 CommentsAuthor: Ngoc
Every year, my friend’s family graciously opens up their house for our annual weekend reunion. They’ve been building this beautiful cottage for the past five years and we’re all very lucky to be able to catch up in such a relaxing and beautiful place. We’ve been going once a year since high school and it’s an annual trip that is eagerly anticipated by all. It’s the one time of the year where I get to see my friends that have moved away for work.
Carrie and Phil happened to be in my car so I decided to leave them out on the dock to see how my friends would use them. I snapped a few photos of them in action.
Phil holding some cottage essentials: dry towels, a good book, sunscreen and a pair of binoculars. We were lucky enough to spot a beautiful loon and haron while we relaxed on the water.
Carrie flipped upside down made a great foot rest.
The water was beautiful and we spent a lot of time hanging out on the floating dock. We kept sending one person in to grab drinks and snacks but with only two hands, you can only carry so many at a time. This is when Phil jumped in and graciously helped out. We were able to pile a bunch of drinks and chips in him and float him across the water! Once he made it to the floating dock, we used him to throw our garbage in so they wouldn’t fall into the water. How handy!
All in all, it was a very successful weekend with my new cottage companions, Carrie and Phil. Can’t wait to do it all again next year.
101 things to do with Soak | 017 Soaking corn for the BBQ
Posted: 01/06/2010 Filed under: Food, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, phil, Soak corn, soakwash, summer 1 CommentAuthor: Ngoc
I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t enjoy a backyard barbeque. With temperatures averaging about 25 degrees last weekend in Toronto, having a barbeque seemed like the only reasonable option for dinner.
During the summers while I was in university, my friends and I would live on barbequed food. We’d switch between chicken and beef depending on what was on sale at the market, but the one constant was the corn. We learned that soaking your corn in water for at least 30 mins prior to throwing them on the grill helped keep the corn moist and help prevent the kernals from burning.
- Left the sink free to wash other vegetables.
- Was able to soak 10 cobs at once.
- Could be kept outside near the BBQ which made it easy to throw the cobs on as soon as the meat was finished cooking.
- I didn’t have to carry the soaking wet corn from my sink to my backyard. This means no water dripping around the house.
- After soaking, the water can be used to water your plants instead of just going down the drain.
Once on the grill, the husk will darken and burn. Don’t worry, since you soaked the corn, the kernels inside should be steaming without burning. Turn the cobs periodically for even cooking. Once cooked, remove from the grill and let sit for 10 mins before peeling back the husk and silk. I know it’s hard to wait but the corn will be very hot right off the BBQ. I like to twist the husk into a nice handle to avoid holding on to the steaming hot cob. Now dress with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
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101 things to do with Soak | 009 Phil becomes a cat bed
Posted: 06/04/2010 Filed under: Uncategorized, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, phil Leave a commentAuthor: Ngoc
Everyone here at the office loves Phil. We use him to soak our hand washables, and store our dirty lingerie. We plan on taking him with us to the park to use as an ice bucket, or to wash the sand off our feet at the end of a beach trip.
We never even considered that we’d have to share him with our furry friends. One of our customers, Katherine, sent us her story about how Phil has now become property of her beloved Winnie Fat Cat.
Winnie Fat Cat in all her 14 years of wisdom knows a stylish bed when she sees one. She thinks of Phil as hers and no one would dare to argue otherwise. One day, Katherine heard Winnie Fat Cat calling out loudly. When she went to investigate the situation, she learned that the reason for Winnie’s cries were due to the fact that Phil had been rotated and pushed into a corner so that the handles were no longer accessible. Now why would this be a situation you ask? Well the textured handles on Phil that were designed for easier carrying, are also perfect for scratching your face against if you are a cat. After moving Phil so the handles faced outwards, Winnie quieted down and began to scratch her face. What a character she is.
Thanks Winnie Fat Cat and Katherine for the story and the great photos!
Would you like to surprise your furry family member with a new bed? Phil is now available for purchase at soakwash.com.
It’s Friday and I’m bagged. Week 4: Bag as friend. Bag as family.
Posted: 12/02/2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bags, carrie, Jacqueline Sava, phil Leave a commentAuthor: Jacqueline
Grab a coffee or tea and join us each Friday, to learn how these Soak worthy bags came to be. Are you bagged? Send us your favorite bag. If we feature it here, we’ll send you a Soak gift pack, in a pretty bag, of course!
Meet Carrie and Phil. The newest members of the Soak family.
Carrie is a fun-loving multi-tasker. She is as happy carrying towels to the beach and toys to the park as she is keeping your yarn stash and other neat stuff, tidy at home.
Carrie has quickly become the favorite bag of choice for travelling knitters, companies hosting retreats and swimwear shops preparing for spring. Her bright personality and durable structure make her an immediate success on both a functional and emotional level. She has displaced baskets, soft bags and the occasional tote in many wardrobes, living rooms, playrooms and closets.
Carrie, in a smaller, daintier version, made a brief appearance at The National Needle Arts tradeshow, playing host to a limited edition Soak worthy kit inspired by everything Ravelry. The kit included one of our newest patterns, yarn and a bottle of Unleash. A limited number of these kits are still available; email us, for details if you’d like to purchase one.
Phil is bright and indispensable. Phil loves protecting hand-washables from the rest of the laundry and relieving the sink of its duties by providing a safe haven for soaking. Phil, while not the most adventurous traveler, prefers the ‘stay at home’ life, shifting from bag to wash basin to storage basin on demand. He also occasionally provides a squishy and safe home for the kitties (usually with sweaters as pillows). Phil meets hand-washing with enthusiasm, and has truly become a close member of the household. Phil is eager to meet the summer sun (we live in Canada after all) so he can migrate to the cottage, filled with ice and drinks at the beach, or keeping snacks and treats sand-free.
While Phil and Carrie slowly make their way to stores near you, you can always call or email us to order them (both for yourself or for your shop). Like all great bags, once you get your hands on them, you’ll never let them go.
soakworthy.com 