some great new products

One of the most exciting things about being the owner of The Purple Sock ( well, besides opening all the boxes of fabulous yarns when they arrive!), is finding new and different items for the shop.

I particularly love finding small local business, run by women, who share a passion for creating lovely things...and this brings me to the two new businesses that I want to showcase today....

Donna Light, owner of Cedar Point Soaps of Waubaushene, and I, go back a long way....to the days when I was a soap-maker as well, and we would run into each other at local craft fairs and Farmer's Markets. But since opening The Purple Sock, my soap making days are no more, so I am thrilled to now carry Donna's incredible handmade soaps. Oven baked and inspired by the earth and forest, her soaps lather beautifully and the aromas of them will make your bath or shower a wonderful experience! Donna, with her Metis background has chosen some wonderful names for her soaps, and the packaging is simply that - simple...no plastic, no excess wrapping, just a plain and simple band of paper which lets the soap shine on its' own. Sweetgrass, cedar, winterberry, cranberry, Bay Rum, all the sensuous smells of the season are here..come by and breath deeply..you will be glad you did. And, at just $4.95 a bar, they make a nice treat for that someone special in your life ( including YOU!)

The other new item in the shop ( which is selling so quickly that I am on my third order!) is from "The Woodlot" in Meaford Ontario. Aptly called "Firewood Artistry", Jessie's design flair is just what is needed to top off your latest sweater or shawl. The buttons, shawl pins and toggles are just stunning. Reclaimed timber and fallen trees are cut and polished and finished with tung oil and beeswax to create these one-of-a-kind buttons. With the bark still on, and the grain highlighted, these are pieces that will catch your eye ( and everyone else's!) when you wear your latest scarf, shawl or sweater. We first found Jessie at The Knitters Fair in Kitchener this fall where the people at her booth were three deep, so it's easy to see that her commitment to "giving old wood new life" is something worth sharing! Come on in and see her work, starting at just $6.00 dollars for a whole card of buttons...you won't be disappointed.