Theresa posted a terrific pattern for a Lace Arrow Sachet yesterday on her blog, At the Still Point of a Turning World. That inspired me to start thinking of making Easter baskets. In previous years I've knit lacy facecloths and washcloths out of some sport weight or lighter yarn - usually a cotton and silk or cotton and linen blend, Euroflax linen, a naturally colored cotton, and even hemp and presented them in baskets for girlfriends with some other goodies. This year I think I'll make some hemp bath mitts to add to mine. Here are two other homemade goodies you can add to your baskets.





EASY BATH SALTS





Just mix 3/4 cup Epsom salts (found in the pharmacy section of your supermarket) with 1/4 cup sea salt and either some nice essential oils or one small perfume sample vial. You can also add dried lavender sprigs or rose petals and even one or two drops of food coloring if you like. Pour into an attractive container and include a gift tag saying to use about 1/4 cup salts per bath.





EASY SOAP BARS





First you need to find some fun containers for your soap bars. You can go to the craft store and buy some soap molds or look in the candy/cake decorating section of the hardware store for candy molds in shapes you like.You can also use the bottom of milk cartons or paper dixie cups or any similar container you have that might be cute. Just make sure to brush it with some vegetable oil beforehand.



Next find some plain unscented glycerin soap. I use Pure & Natural brand - even if the only glycerin soap you find is colored and scented it will still work. Cut up soap into about 1/2" pieces and put in a Pyrex container. Microwave on high in 30 second increments until completely melted. Now you can stir in food coloring, perfume, dried herb sprigs, small diced pieces of other colored soaps for a confetti look, essential oils (ask at the health food stores which oils are good for use near the skin and which ones are not), oatmeal or cornmeal for a scrubbing soap, flower petals, a small amount of strong herbal tea, small plastic toys for kid's soap, etc. The soap section of the crafts store will have some fun fragrances and colors for your creations. Pour in molds and let set until hardened. If you're using homemade containers like milk cartons or dixie cups, you'll probably need to rip off the carton to get the soap out. Use these soaps to fill Theresa's Lace Arrow Sachets or wrap in tissue paper or parchment paper and tie with ribbon. Voila! A neat gift to give with your handknit cloths.