I've been discussing laundry options with Shirley via email and she says that washing soda is not recommended for use with silk or wool. So if you make your own laundry detergent, don't put silk or wool items in the wash.

I hand wash all my knitted items (along with some special shirts and a beaded sweater) with Ecover dishwashing liquid. I was reading Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping a Home by Cheryl Mendelson and she said that anything that is gentle enough to put your hands in can work for hand-washing. I started using Ecover dishwashing liquid and was pleasantly surprised with the results. It is cheaper than Eucalan and it gets our knit socks much cleaner.

Late last night I had a bit of a scare. All of a sudden I heard these odd bumping noises in one of the bottom kitchen cabinets. I debated whether or not to wake up DH but decided against it. I slowly opened the cabinet where the noises were coming from, standing as far away as possible.

And I discovered the culprit.