Red, White & (sometimes) Blue!

As many of you know, Eucalan is a Canadian family-owned & operated company. In fact, we manufacture Eucalan not too far from our home base in Paris, Ontario! Each year, we look forward to celebrating Canada Day, and today we’d like to share a few of our favourite ideas from Pinterest to make July 1 extra-special:

The It Works for Bobbi Blog has some lovely free printables to spruce up any Canada Day celebration! 

Mason jar crafts are simple, chic, and affordable, and it doesn’t get any easier than this pretty centerpiece idea from the Love Create Celebrate blog!

Last but not least, we can’t get enough of these quinessentially Canadian recipes from Canadian Living.

No party is complete without dessert, and these Raspberry Cheesecake Popsicles from the Novice Chef blog sound both festive AND delicious!

For our American friends due south, we know that July is also a time to celebrate, and we’ve been getting inspired by some of these Fourth of July finds over on Pinterest:

Red, white & blue cocktails will keep things festive, and here are four great recipes to try courtesy of the Punchbowl blog!

Make your lawn the centerpiece of your outdoor decor with this fast & easy idea for painted lawn stars from the Concrete Cottage blog.

Give summer strawberries a patriotic makeover with this easy DIY idea from The Sister’s Cafe blog.

 

This subtle manicure idea is festive, yet sophisticated (or, if you’ll pardon the pun – polished!). There are plenty more DIY ideas inspired by July 4th here on Buzzfeed, too!

Click here to follow all of our boards on Pinterest. We wish all of our friends and fans a happy & safe holiday!

Superwash vs. Hand Wash

For our crafty fans, there is often a lively debate between advocates of superwash vs. hand wash yarns, and Laura Parkinson’s recent article in the July issue of Knitting Magazine has inspired us to revisit the topic on today’s blog post. Her article offers a balanced list of pros and cons to take into consideration before your next trip to the LYS – and of course, we also appreciate the Eucalan mention!

Yarny politics aside, there is plenty of room for both in the wonderful world of yarn crafts, and Eucalan is actually an ideal way to care for both! Proponents of hand wash only yarns cite the natural, unprocessed (or less processed) nature of the fibres as a big plus, and we couldn’t agree more – a lofty wool or a rustic blend of natural fibres can be quite delightful. However, folks who are pressed for time might appreciate the machine washable fibres available on the market, from superwash wools (which have been chemically treated to have the barbs removed to avoid felting) to synthetic fibres such as acrylics and tencel – and even some natural fibres which can be machine washed and dried such as linen and qiviut. Wash and wear can be equally satisfying!

No matter where you land on the spectrum, using a specially formulated wash such as Eucalan will keep your finished project looking its best for years to come. Here’s how to protect your investment:

Hand Wash:
Our no-rinse formula will save time and water while also reducing the chances of accidental felting while washing. Choose Lavender or Eucalyptus for the added benefit of repelling moths naturally.

1. Add Eucalan to basin.
2. Fill basin with tepid water (room temperature water, not hot and not cold)
3. Insert article to be washed and soak for 15 min. (minimum).
4. Squeeze article gently to incorporate water and soap through fibres.
5. Pull article out of water and gently squeeze out excess water. Do not twist or wring.
6. Follow drying instructions located here.

Machine Wash:
All five of our natural scents are enriched with lanolin to naturally condition fibres, keeping static away and softening your garment with each wash. Our biodegradable and eco-friendly formula can be used in washing machines – even those marked HE!

Front Load Machine:

1. Select Rinse and Spin or Hand Wash/Delicate cycle. Cold or tepid water.
2. Add Eucalan** to fabric softener drawer.
3. Load articles into machine and start cycle.
4. Follow drying instructions located here.

Top Load Machine:

1. Add Eucalan** to machine.
2. Select gentle cycle and add cold or tepid water.
3. Stop machine. Add articles.
4. Allow to soak 15 min. (minimum).
5. Gently squeeze articles to incorporate soap and water through fibres.
6. Spin water out.
7. Follow drying instructions located here.

*Use 5mL/1 tsp per 4L/1G of water (more for heavily soiled items)

**Use 15-30mL/1-2 Tbsp. per load (adjust amount based on size of load)

Click here for more laundry lessons on eucalan.com!