Soak @ City of Craft
Posted: 12/12/2013 Filed under: Business, Craft | Tags: city of craft, handmade, kid icarus, soak, soak wash, the workroom, toronto Leave a commentIt’s holiday season and many of our local Soak retailers are promoting handmade holidays, local shopping events and a focus on shopping at small businesses. We’re super excited to be part of this great holiday theme. We’re local, we’re a small business and our products and philosophies promote both handmade gifts and those made with love.
One of our favourite local events is City of Craft. It’s this weekend! We were able to get a limited edition copy of the 2013 poster, which we’ll hang with pride at the office. It’s so lovely.
2013 city of craft poster
If you’re in Toronto, we invite you to visit the workroom at City of Craft. They’re stocked with Soakboxes, Soak, Flatter and gifts galore. If you can’t make it this weekend, you can also find Soak products at Kid Icarus (printers of the aforementioned 2013 hand-printed poster) and event sponsor, as well as the workroom itself, on Queen West. Another sponsor, the Ontario Crafts Council has Soak at their holiday pop-up shop gallery through the 24th.
If you’re farther away, visit any of our fine retailers this holiday season. Thank them for having a great business in your community. Happy holidays!
Weekly Affirmation: Soakworthy events
Posted: 11/10/2012 Filed under: SWmain | Tags: hand washing, Knitting, knitting and crochet blog week, marketing, Media, soak wash, yarn, yarn stash Leave a commentEvery 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.
From Lisette D & Danielle Bowen, Knitique, A Yarn Boutique, via email.
Dear Chris (she’s our Chief Soaksperson),
Thank you again to Soak for your donation of the Soak samples for our fund raising event for Louisa’s charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
Our event was an overwhelming success and we raised over $1, 400.00 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The attendee’s loved that their Louisa Harding hat kit came with a Soak sample!
Thank you again for your donation and thank you for being a company that cares.
It’s our pleasure. If you are a Soak retailer and you’ve got an event. We would be honoured to hear about it. Thanks Lisette!
How to Block a Knit Lace Scarf. Knitting and Crochet Blog week
Posted: 01/04/2011 Filed under: Design | Tags: 2ncbwDay5, blocking, Knitting, knitting and crochet blog week, soak wash 4 CommentsAuthor: Jacqueline
As part of the Knitting and Crochet blog week, they’ve encouraged us to try something a little different for April Fools.
Today’s assignment was to make a posting on our blog that was different from our typical day to day content. We’ve often had customers ask us for tips on how to block their finished projects, so we’ve decided to make a video to show the process of blocking a lace scarf. We’re new to this world of video so if you have some tips and tricks for beginners, please share!
Tidy mind, tidy stitches. Knitting and Crochet Blog Week
Posted: 30/03/2011 Filed under: Design | Tags: 2kcbwday3, carrie and phil, knitting and crochet blog week, organization, soak wash, yarn stash Leave a commentAuthor: Jacqueline
As business people in the yarn industry and avid crafters, we are often gifted yarn. Lots of yarn. Some we claim for our individual projects, some we gift again, but most we keep at the office, cued up in the land of imaginary projects and endless time, displayed for our enjoyment as decorative art.
Carrie is in charge of yarn organization. She is the master of style, protector of all pretty string, to borrow the phrase from Lorna’s Laces. Before Carrie, you see, yarn was scattered throughout the office, in boxes, in the warehouse, on shelves and under desks. It was chaos. There was no rhyme or reason to the piles, just yarn arriving and being abandoned amongst the magazines, bags and other samples.
Carrie gave the yarn status. She organized the stash by a full range of criteria. In one group is the Louet yarn, including our Creative Juices collection in Gems Merino. 
You can use this yarn, but only if you have a special project in mind. Another classification contains single skeins of delicious colours, exclusive samples and precious yardage earmarked for only the most exclusive projects. You have to ask Carrie really nicely to secure yarn from this stash. Guests who peruse our yarn stashes are steered away from this group. 
Then there’s the bin of yarns that, while lovely and vibrant, are misfits, random balls, samples and promotional pieces that seem to have appeared out of nowhere, but have chosen our office as their home.
Carrie loves all yarn. She provides safe havens for all of our stash, regardless of its past, present or future. She has also reduced the yarn clutter from the office library, from my office (in particular, as I didn’t used to part easily from my yarn) and from our minds. We are all confident that our yarn is better off thanks to Carrie’s presence at the office.
Like a good friend, Carrie also offered to help organize our home-based yarn stashes. Her wise ways are as useful in the office as they are in personal spaces, keeping our minds and homes clutter free so we can focus on our knitting.
Want your yarn (or other creative stuff) organized, at home or work? Invite Carrie over and your stash will never be the same. She can’t wait to meet you.
101 things to do with Soak | 038 Halloween costumes
Posted: 09/11/2010 Filed under: Craft, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, halloween costumes, hand washing, soak wash, soakwash, wash Leave a commentAuthor: Ngoc
Lions, goblins, princesses and super heroes. These are a few of the interesting characters that you may have seen roaming the streets a week and a half ago (or perhaps you were one of those interesting characters).
If your house is anything like mine, then you’ll have an endless supply of single sized chocolate bars, chips and jujubes. Discounted candy after Halloween gets me every time. I am also notorious for not taking down decorations once the occasion has passed (this is reinforced by the ‘Season’s Greetings’ banner that still hangs in my mom’s house from the time I wanted to decorate in Gr. 10. Let’s just say I’ve finished highschool… and University… and that banner still hangs. It’s a running joke now amongst my friends).
I digress, let’s get back to the topic at hand. If you have kids or you chose to dress up yourself, I’m sure you have a crumpled up costume either thrown into your laundry basket or in the corner of a room somewhere. It’s been a week and a half, it’s time to wash and put it away for either next year or to be donated to your local Goodwill shop for someone else to enjoy. Or maybe you have a toddler at home that loves being a princess or superman more than just 1 out of the 365 days of the year. Or perhaps, you had on a slightly risky costume (a mistress Claus? Wonder women?) that may be pleasing to your partner on days other than Halloween. Either way, it needs to be washed.
Many of the store-bought costumes aren’t made to the highest quality and may not survive a trip in your washing machine. A lot of the time you will see costumes with lace, satin, nylon, sequins and other fun materials, that need extra care. A nice gentle wash in Soak is exactly what your costume needs.
Washing your Halloween costume
- Check the label of your costume for care instructions. A general rule is, if it can get wet, then it can be wash with Soak.
- Make sure you take out any left over candy that may have found its way into the pockets. If your costume was battery powered, make sure you remove the batteries and the hardware.
- Fill up your sink with cool water, add some Soak.
- Put your costume in to soak for 15 mins.
- Give it a gentle squeeze to remove excess water. Roll in a towel to remove more excess water.
- And as always, hang or lay flat to dry.
I also made a Where’s Waldo costume this year. Can you do me a favour? If you have young kids in the house, can you ask them if they know who Waldo is? I walked by a boy who looked about 12 and he looked at me with zero recognition of who I was dressed up as. Do kids still look at Where’s Waldo books? Has Waldo gone the way of cassette tapes?
I love home-made costumes and would love to see your wonderful craftmanship. Send your photos to ngoc@soakwash.com.
101 things to do with Soak | 037 The walking cast
Posted: 26/10/2010 Filed under: health, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, cast, hand washing, soak wash, soakwash, wash Leave a commentAuthor: Ngoc
Our ankles have been having a bad summer here at the Soak office.
A few months ago, just as the weather was warming up, Chris showed up to work with a broken ankle. Since it is illegal to drive with a cast, Jacqueline graciously acted as Chris’s chauffeur, driving her to and from work, and on small errands for a good 2 months.
Chris was just absolutely ecstatic when the 2 months was up, and she could walk around in her walking cast without crutches, and drive herself wherever her heart desired. Jacqueline’s duties as a chauffeur were finally over. But as luck (or bad luck?) would have it, shortly after, Jacqueline limped into our office with a defeated look and tells us that she too has broken her ankle.
Crafty Jacqueline decided to spruce up her cast with racing stripes, and pretty fabric straps.
She had thought that when Chris said, “I owe you one for driving me” that her favor would be repaid in the form of a delicious meal. Never would she have guessed that her favor would be repaid in the form of a chauffeur. How ironic.
Now whenever we have visitors to the office and they hear our ankle stories, they always look at me and jokingly say “looks like your next”, where I then let out a very nervous laugh and quickly look around for some wood to knock on.
If you’ve ever worn one of these walking casts, then you will be familiar with that indescribable odor that builds up after wearing one of these. Imagine walking around all day with your leg wrapped in foam, in the middle of the summer. Needless to say, the cast is often drenched in sweat by the days end. Luckily for Jacqueline and Chris, (and for me too!), we work in an office where Soak is readily available.
How to: wash your walking cast.
The foam in the walking cast is hand-washable, and you can wipe down the hard exterior shell with a gentle detergent. It is best to do it in the evening before you go to bed so the cast has time to dry overnight.
- Remove the foam piece from the exterior.
- Fill a basin/sink with water and some Soak.
- Leave the foam in to Soak for about 15 mins. Give it a dunk every once in a while if it is floating.
- Gently squeeze out the excess water, then press between a towel to absorb the rest of the excess water.
- Hang to dry or lay flat on a drying rack.
- Take a soft cloth, dip it in some water and Soak and gently wipe the hard shell of the cast.
If you find yourself in the situation where you have to wear one of these, I wish you luck and hope that you recover quickly!
How to: Block a hat
Posted: 21/10/2010 Filed under: videos | Tags: blocking, hand washing, how to, Jacqueline Sava, Knitting, soak wash, soakwash, Video, wash 2 CommentsWe were tweeted by one of our friendly customers who had just finished knitting her very first hat and had no idea how to block it. We thought that answering her question would be a great way to start off what we hope to be a series of helpful videos about caring for the items you cherish most.
If you have any questions, requests or suggestions for videos, we’d love to hear them! Send your thoughts to ngoc@soakwash.com.
101 things to do with Soak | 036 Hand wraps and bag gloves
Posted: 19/10/2010 Filed under: health, Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, hand washing, soak wash, soakwash, wash Leave a commentThis week’s story is submitted by my friend Benson. He gets his weekly workout by sparring and working his punching bag.
He uses hand wraps and training gloves that he has admitted to not having washed since he bought them over a year ago. They’re at the point where he’s about ready to retire them so he figured he might as well try washing them with Soak. The gloves were still in really good condition but your hand sweats in them during a work out, and after a year of sweating, they have developed quite a distinct odor.
Make sure you read the washing instructions to see if it is ok to wet your gloves before attempting to wash your gloves.
Fill your sink with warm water and add some Soak. Put in your hand wraps and gloves. The gloves will likely float so give them a dunk and swish them around every now and then.
Leave to soak for about 15 mins. Squeeze gently to remove most of the excess water. Benson chose to hang his to dry but you can also lay them flat on a hanging rack.
There was still a faint lingering scent left in the gloves, though it was a significant improvement. Keeping your gloves clean will help prevent the build up of bacteria and germs that can develop in warm moist material.
Thanks for the story and the photos Benson!
Do you have a unique use for Soak? Send me your fun stories along with some photos and we’ll feature it on our blog!
101 things to do with Soak | 035 Sand Socks
Posted: 12/10/2010 Filed under: Uses for Soak | Tags: 101, hand washing, sand socks, soak wash, soakwash, sports, volleyball, wash 1 CommentAuthor: Ngoc
One of my favourite locations in Toronto (and there are many!) is Ashbridges bay. The park is constantly filled with people jogging, biking, having bbqs, relaxing on the sand and playing beach volleyball.
Volleyball is the only sport that I am not completely terrible in. I’ve played court vball for years and I thought I’d try my hand at beach volleyball this year. I joined a random team for a tournament and quickly learned that although the concept was the same, my ability to move quickly and smoothly on sand needed a lot of work. I played for a team that was supporting Senhoa, a non-profit organization.
Senhoa supports victims of human trafficking by providing income-generating opportunities, social reintegration and programs for self-empowerment.
Many of the friends I met wore sand socks when they played. I never understood why they were necessary until I found myself playing at noon, in the middle of the summer. The sand became so hot that it would leave you with little blisters on the bottom of your feet.
You can imagine after a day of running, jumping and just sweating due to the heat, that these socks would need a good cleaning after every use. Sand socks are made of a neoprene and lycra material (similar to the materials in a wetsuit) and cannot be thrown into the washing machine. I was a little grossed out when my friends told me that they couldn’t be bothered to hand wash their socks every time and that one of them actually hadn’t wshed their socks all summer. I took his word for it when he told me that they smelled really bad. Instead I gave him some mini-soaks and begged him to give Soak a try.
The following photos were sent to me from my ecstatic male friend who washed his sand socks with great success, and is now searching around his house for other fun things that he can soak.
Dirty sand socks.
Add one mini-soak packet.
Leave to soak for 15 mins.
Good as new and ready for the next game.
New from Soak | Heel- foot cream for feet worthy of hand-knit socks.
Posted: 07/10/2010 Filed under: Business, Craft, Design, Knitting | Tags: Foot cream, Heel, soak wash, soakwash Leave a commentOur unique combination of ingredients restores the skin and soothes tired feet. Cucumber extract, Vitamin E and the soothing powers of menthol work together to form a luxuriously rich treat for sock worthy feet. Go ahead. Indulge.
Not a knitter? Heel– is perfect for all feet. Whether you are walking the mall in search of holiday gifts or treating your feet after a run, Heel is for you.
We’ve launched this great product with a few of our favorite knitting friends. If you are part of the Loopy Ewe sock club, you were treated to the first batch of peppermint infused foot cream.
We were proud to launch Heel with the Loopy Ewe.
Jimmybeanswool.com devotee? Get a customized tub of soothing scentless with menthol to match the Lorna’s Lace limited edition yarn Goblin. We’ll feature a new limited edition tub each month. There’s also a lovely basic Jimmybeanswool.com batch as well.
Soak is also new to JBW. Check out the two-packs on their site.
Along with our scentless Heel, you can also choose from our delicate and cooling cucumer or rich and soothing spearmint.
These delectable treats can also be customized! With a minimum order of 24 units, we can customize the label to your heart’s content. Got a sock club, we can make a label for you. Are you a yarn retailer looking for special holiday gifts for your top customers, Heel is perfect. Knitting retreat? Yoga store? Shoe shop? Even if you have a great group of lucky friends (showers, bridal parties or charity runs) we can personalize Heel for you.
Email us for a quote and conversation on custom designs.
Another brilliant creation by the experts at Soak Wash Inc. Like Soak, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
soakworthy.com 