October 2022 - Coming Home to Eden

I started experimenting with candlemaking about 8 years ago. I absolutely love beeswax candles. As with most things I like, they are expensive to buy. If you know me at all, you know I love to make. I love the smell of beeswax. I love the beautiful warm glow the candles give off. I love that they clean the air while they burn. I love the beautiful natural golden color of the candles. I love the overall ambiance they give. I love the entire experience from the cleaning of the wax, to the burning of the candles. Every little bit. We drive about two hours away to get the beeswax. We usually buy a five gallon pail of raw honey at the same time. We typically go in with others to get that bulk price then I divide the honey. So technically, I enjoy this process from the trip to get the honey 😉 It is a pretty drive. I have ordered the beeswax through the mail as well. No beautiful drive, but lovely to receive the package just the same. The smell is just fantastic. If you are interested in making candles, I highly recommend buying from a local apiary rather than online if possible. It is way better than factory processed. On that note, the bigger the apiary, the better the pricing in my experience. If you have your own bees, even better. If a farm has 25 hives, they can’t offer bulk pricing on their goods. Why would they if they sell out of the smaller quantities at higher prices? So, when looking for good prices locally, look for a local beekeeper with a lot of hives.

I first tried dipping to make candles. I enjoyed the process but not that you had to have excess wax in a reservoir in order to dip. Since I do not have my own bees, I have to buy wax. For me this wasn’t very efficient. I then tried pouring into jars with wicks. They were okay, but didn’t burn great. Plus, then I had jars that needed to be boiled to get the wax off before I could reuse them. After that, I experimented with molds. I had a friend that had an old tin mold. That didn’t work so well for me. I had to boil the wax out as they would not release. I tried spraying the molds with oil. I set them in the freezer. I put them under hot water. I struggled with them so moved on. I really wanted them to be my fit! Next, I made my own molds out of PVC pipes. These worked okay for the first few times I used them. After that, wax started building up and they wouldn’t release. I finally ended up buying a flexible mold. This is more my speed. I can make candles for my family easily with beautiful results. The molds can be used over and over again. Eventually, I would like to experiment with making my own flexible molds, but for now, this momma needs some ease in her life!

The process is not too complicated. I buy wax as I mentioned previously. I clean the wax. I pour the candles. The set up stays on my counter until I have enough candles for the year. I put the set up away. I have an old non stick pan that I only keep for melting wax. A bonus to this is the incredible smell wafting through the house! Oh how I love the smell of beeswax! It just smells fantastic! Do be careful to not walk away if you have a small pan as I do pictured here with wax that is bigger than the pan. I hold them until they melt down enough to fit in the pan. I pour off through my ”filter” as it melts. You can burn the wax so you will want to keep an eye on it. You only want to melt it, not boil it. As soon as it melts, pour it through your filter. The filter sits on top of an old crock pot. I keep an old crockpot that has been retired from cooking. I also keep an old mesh strainer that sits directly on top of the crock. In the old strainer I place paper towels. I turn the crock on low so it is ready by adding heat to help the wax filter thorough the paper towel above it. Otherwise, it cools off before going through the paper towel and starts to solidify.

Cleaning Beeswax: My Method

Step 1: Prepare the crockpot. Turn on crockpot to the low setting and allow to warm. Put strainer on top. Place a paper towel on top of the strainer.

Step 2: Melt the ”dirty” wax in a pot on the stove top just to melting, no longer. Pour off melted wax through the filter.

Step 3: After the wax has filtered through (this can take a little while), using a ladle, fill molds.

At this point I will fill my candle molds too if I need them. Otherwise, I use my pound and ounce molds for ease of use later.

Once they cool, you can pop them out and they are ready to store until they are needed. These cool fairly quickly, especially the ounce mold. Now the wax is clean and ready for use. The wax I get is actually very clean looking, but I have learned that it must be filtered or the candles will not burn well.

Tips

Don’t eat yellow snow. You’re welcome 😉 No really…Cover your workspace! I am using a tiled counter with a couple of layers of packing paper on top. I save it when it comes with packages for covering surfaces for messy projects and paper mache. It is handy to have. Don’t work with wax on any porous surface. Cover well with something disposable. If using paper, know that it can still seep through. Cardboard would be good too. I always end up with wax where I don’t want it such as the stove top and floor. My best tool for this is a pampered chef stoneware scrapper. The type that come with stoneware when you buy it. It works well to scrape the wax off floors and counters. As for the stove top, heat it up, and wipe off with paper towels. Wax needs to be either melted and wiped up or scraped where you can not. Do not wear nice clothes. That avoiding working with porous surfaces applies to your clothing too 😉 I am not saying you should cover yourself in something non porous but dress in something that you don’t mind ruining…just in case.

I don’t recommend using anything that is used for food as it will get covered in wax and will need to be melted off. I do keep an old canner for melting wax off things. I don’t love having to do that. You can get some of the equipment from a thrift shop if you do not have something already that you could designate for wax. One thing I wouldn’t recommend buying used is this type of mold unless you know what you are doing. They could be damaged too easily. If I found them really cheap I might be willing to risk it.

Pouring into the Candle Molds

I use a pouring pitcher to melt and pour the clean wax when I am done with the cleaning process. It makes it easy to have the clean wax in one pound blocks for the candles. They fit nicely in the pitcher and melt quickly. You prepare your molds according to the manufactures directions. I have used an oil spray as a release before and now mostly do not. Temperatures do matter. The molds can not take too hot of wax or they will be damaged and not release the candles well. I used to take the melted wax temps until my second thermometer broke and I didn’t want to buy another. At the moment, I do not use a release and do not take temps but am careful to just melt the wax. As soon as it is melted, I pour. Using a pitcher helps melt evenly and pour without making as much of a mess as with a pan. I have two candle molds. A pillar and a taper. I only make candles for our own family and extended family and friends as gifts on occasion.

Here you can see inside the pilar mold. You can also see the slit on the side and the hole in the bottom where you pull the wick through.

Step 1: Prep the molds with wicking. Save yourself some time and be sure to get the proper wick for your mold. The manufacturer should have it listed. It is a big bummer when you go though the process and your candle doesn’t burn right. Clean your wax, use the right wick, you will be happier. To pull the wick through the mold, I use a wicking needle. My taper mold is 10” so it needs to be long enough to reach through. Once you pull your wick through, you leave it underneath and each time you pull out a candle, the wick is pulled up. It rethreads itself so you only need to thread it when you run out of wick. You pull the candle out, then snip off the tip about a quarter inch long. You have your wick ready for the next candle.

Step 2: Secure the molds. I place rubber bands around the molds to close the slits that are there for pulling out the candles.

Step 3: Secure the wick at the top so it is centered. I use a popsicle stick for my pillar and a skewer for my taper. I just set it on top of the mold and pull the wick over it and tape it to the side. This is another important step in ensuring a good burn afterwards. If it is off center, it will not burn evenly. This is easy to do, no worries.

Step 4: Pour the melted wax into the molds. Be sure to not let it get too hot. It would be wise to get a thermometer when you are getting started. After you pour, the wick will absorb some of the wax so you will need to top it off as needed.

Step 5: Wait! These need to be cooled well because they have wicks…if you try to pull them out too soon when the wax is soft, the wick will pull right out. I learned that the hard way 😉 Not the end of the world. Melt it down and do it again!

You can find links to all my molds below if you like the style.

I use the ounce blocks for lip balm and salves. I will probably make a short post about lip balm soon since I am out!

Here is a view of most of about five days of cleaning wax and candle making. I did put some away before taking this picture. I usually buy about 10# of wax at a time. It took me five days to work through cleaning that, plus pouring candles that I needed now. That is not sitting there and only doing this. That is on the side while homeschooling and cooking, etc. Next time I pull out my supplies, it will only be my candle molds and pitcher. Melt & pour. Easy peasy.

Dipped Leaves

I love making garlands from leaves. I still use and keep an atlas in our vehicle. The atlas doubles as a convenient leaf press 😉 When we are out and about and I see beautiful leaves, I put them in my atlas to straighten. Once dry, simply dip quickly in melted wax holding the stem. Hold over the melted wax until dripping stops and place aside. You could make singles as sun catchers and/or make a garland to keep beautiful fall colors around as long as you like!

I hope I have inspired you to make some beeswax candles and dip some leaves! I very much enjoy the experience and hope you will too! I have included some extra links for some books we enjoy on the subject as well as some beeswax crayons. Also, be sure to check out my book review on Bees: A Honeyed History written by Piotr Socha. Happy making!

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It is starting to cool off in upstate NY. It is only fall but it is time to break out the woolens around these parts! I love wool. If you are reading this and scratching just thinking about it, keep in mind, not all wool is created equal! There are many benefits to wool. It keeps you warm while still being breathable. It wicks away moisture so keeps you dry. It is naturally flame retardant. There are different types of wool. The softest are best for using against the skin. The courser types are fine as an outside layer. Felted wool is awesomely warm and keeps out the elements pretty well. So, let’s explore wool!

Wool doesn’t just come from sheep. Wool is a “blanket” term for animal fiber from sheep, goats, rabbits, camels, llamas, alpaca, bison, and yak! I have only had the luxury of working with sheep, rabbit, goat and alpaca wool. I would love to feel the other fibers! Maybe one day!

This goes with me just about everywhere when it gets cool out! I love it. My friend so kindly thought of me when she saw it at a garage sale. It was a couple of dollars. It is so beautiful and so warm. It is on my lap in the car or sitting around a fire or indoors when it is cool. I have worn it as a shawl and used it as a blanket. It is made of sheep’s wool. This is not super soft but it doesn’t matter as it is on the outside! You want the softest against your skin. On that note, I will first talk about base layers.

Base Layers

My husband works outside. He was the first to get a base layer of woolens. He loved them. A couple of years ago we went on a cool weather camping trip. That inspired me to get the rest of the family a base layer. My babies I have clothed in wool for the last 11 years. I cloth diapered my last two children and used wool covers. I crocheted many and bought some too. I made them sweaters and repurposed adult clothing into clothing for my children. I really enjoy working with wool. Silk and alpaca are lovely too for warmth. I will talk more about that in a bit. I purchased my husband’s base layers from Meriwool. They are merino woolens. Soft and warm. Nice fitting. I purchased mine and my childrens from Mama Owl. They have scrumptious colors and are incredibly soft made with merino and silk. The fit however was disappointing. They are limited in sizes and the tops were way too short for my liking. I have contacted the store owner to request more sizes and suggested lengthening the tops. They said they do not have the demand and were changing the tops length. I still wear them but not as often as my Meriwool. I had tried my husband’s top on one day and loved the fit. My daughter grew out of hers so I purchased Meriwool for her as well. She gets quite cold so I want her to be warm when outdoors for the cold months. She started wearing them for soccer, then just outside play. She wears them as pajamas all the time. Our family gets a lot of use out of these! They are not cheap but are worth it in my opinion. You only need one set per person and they can be handed down if cared for properly. You can hand wash or wash on the delicate cycle on cold and air dry. They are not difficult to care for. I used to hand wash all my woolens. I rarely do these days. They come out fine for me in the wash as described previously. We keep a rack near the pellet stove to dry them. That keeps moisture in the air if you use a wood stove or pellet stove to heat.

I like to be warm. I am not a big fan of synthetics. Wool is naturally flame retardant as I previously mentioned. When I think of synthetic fibers I think of napalm. Plastic…fleece pajamas or sheets or blankets…God forbid you have any of that on you and are in a fire. It is essentially like having melting plastic on your skin. I typically have a wool blanket in every bedroom. Not only are they warm, but if ever needed, you could cover and exit a fire with some protection. Win win. Sorry, that was a bit dark but it is true. I found a box of wool blankets at an estate sale for next to nothing. I look for wool clothing at the the thrift stores. Sometimes you can felt them to make things like mittens or slippers. I like to make jumpers or overalls for my littles. I tend to use softer woolens for the kids. You can make vests or coats after felting knits for little ones. You can make patchwork blankets as well. I like to get them as inexpensive as possible if I am going to cut them up. Some thrift shops have dollar days or bag sales. Some have different color tags that are half off. I gather to have a stash as I see them since finding things at a thrift store can be random one needs to frequent and look to find treasures.

Upcycles

Here are a couple of sweaters I repurposed into jumpers for my children. One is merino and one is cotton and angora. These were nothing too complicated to make. The purple one I cut off the sleeves and top part, added some elastic to cinch the waist and added the front and straps. I crocheted around it in wool to give a nice finish and unify. The striped one was similar. I cut off the arms and cinched the waist with a crocheted rope woven through. I gathered the sides a little and the front top. I again crocheted around to finish it nicely and unify. I love polka dots and pickets if you haven’t already noticed 😉

This overall was from an old wool sweater with holes in it I got for free at a thrift shop. The legs are made from the sleeves. I put them together with the waist band upside down and crocheted the top with either merino or angora. More polka dots 😉 I lanolized this and it doubled as a diaper cover for cloth diapering.

Here are some diaper covers I made from wool and lanolized them. I buy undyed wool at Knitpicks for these.

Here are some bought covers that we used. These are both merino and are lovely.

Here is that blanket again and more sheep and alpaca wool in my little ones sweater. My husband is not sure where this coat came from but it is wool. He thinks it might have been his father’s hunting coat. It is currently on my sewing table to be mended. I am thinking about adding a liner of some of those old wool sweaters I keep.

Custom Makes

Here are a couple pics of a custom sweater I made for my daughter. Alpaca for the main & sheep for the color work.

The first two rows here are custom sweaters for my children made from sheep wool. The bottom sweater is made from alpaca wool. I most often use alpaca or merino now with the exception of color work. I use finger weight palette yarn from Knitpicks for my color work. The bonnet of golden rod is also alpaca. The color is ”daisy” and is fingering weight.

Alpaca Cloud Fingering Weight Yarn

Bare Hare Merino & Angora Yarn

Palette Peruvian Highland Wool Yarn

Simply Alpaca Aran Yarn

Wool of the Andes Worsted Yarn

I don’t use patterns exactly…as in not a sweater or hat pattern. When I crochet I use basic patterns to get a desired look and shape as I go using whomever it is for to see how big it needs to be. These are the books I use in that way. I do on occasion use a regular pattern. I love these books. They have a visual pattern, a written pattern as well as a finished swatch image. These are great books. Some of my stitches and such have just come over time using various techniques in actual patterns. Everything I do is not in these books.

One more upcycle! A teddy bear made from an old woolen suit jacket. There are so many things you could make!

I hope this has you thinking warm thoughts! I am cold at this very moment. I am working on getting over sickness and am looking forward to my flannel night gown with my woolen leggings underneath right now! Plus a nice warm blanket over top. I have not yet made a woolen quilt but it is in my head for the future. I would like to make wool patchwork quilts for each bed in the cold months. I have more ”want to makes” than I probably could create in this lifetime but maybe just maybe I will get it done! I hope this has inspired you and will help you and yours be warm!

Beeswax Candle Making and More