I’ve previously written on the advantages of felted soap and how to make it. The girls and I made dozens of bars several years ago. We made cute ones for gifts and covered much of the rest of our soap supply as well. We’ve barely made a dent in the stash.
However, not everyone has access to wool fibers. On the other hand, there are quite a few women (usually) who knit. And in my huge list of blog article suggestions was one about sharing a pattern for knitted soap socks/sacks and sweaters.
Before getting into the how, let’s address the why. It’s more important.
And the why is, because it makes the soap last so much longer, drastically reducing the waste. Instead of going through a bar of shower soap every two weeks, my bars last 4-9 months, depending on size. (It does not depend on how often I shower, because that is every day.)
An additional bonus is the built-in washcloth, which never gets stinky. (This is with using wool or alpaca. I suspect that cotton may get stinky.)
And the bonus-bonus that the soap isn’t slippery anymore. I rarely drop it.
All of this holds true with the felted soap I blogged about so long ago. But the felted soap is more involved, with carding the wool wrapping it around the soap, carefully putting it in a nylon, wetting, and lathering in hot water. Knitting a soap sock lets you pick it up and put it down whenever, watch tv or youtubes, or ride along in the car. And it lets you use up bits of yarn too small for any other projects.
Now there are two kinds of projects here. One is the soap sock or soap sack. It opens up to let you add soap slivers or a whole new bar. This should be made with cotton yarn so it doesn’t shrink. Links to patterns for soap socks/sacks are provided below.
The soap sweater is one-time use. I always make mine with wool because I do not want it to stink (the wet dog/sheep smell dissipates after 1-2 showers). Wool is antimicrobial, so there are no bacteria to grow and stink.
Because the sweater shrinks with usage right along with the soap, there’s no point to leaving it open. So I stitch it closed along the top.
Soap Sweater
Wool yarn, 1 set size 5 DPNs, a bar of soap
CO 24 using Judy’s Magic Cast On (Youtube video on how to do this, link below). 12 stitches on each needle.
Round 1: K1, K1f&b, K8, K1f&b, K2, K1f&b, K8, K1f&b, K1.
R2 – R26: K across.
R27: K1, K2tog, K8, K2tog, K2, K2tog, K8, K2tog, K1.
Bind off loosely and close opening with a 3-needle bind off.
Note. This pattern can be easily adapted to the size of your bar of soap. It doesn’t have to look beautiful, but yours will be gorgeous with just a little practice. It’s a practical little activity and can make a great small gift.
References:
Judy’s Magic Cast On https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9UaFgZ6Q0
https://theknittingspace.com/minimalist-knit-soap-sack/
https://www.shopalogoods.com/easy-knitted-soap-sack-a-free-pattern/
https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/knit-soap-sock-knitting-pattern-by-laura-ann?a_aid=04e08b73
https://zibelineknits.blogspot.com/2011/01/soap-sock-pattern.html
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