I adore Stephanie Klose, and I have for a long time (so much so that we’re vacationing together soon!). She’s a knitter extraordinaire, and a Brooklyn-based writer and editor. You’ve seen her Best in Show Craftsy’s 2014 Silvermine knitted wedding dress, right? Oh, you should see it now, if you haven’t:
Let’s kvell for a moment. Linen/cashmere, people. Her own design.
Okay. Whew. *wipes brow* I will never get over that dress.
Her side hustle is makin’ soap, and she’s just as good at soap as she is at everything else she does.
Schoon Soap. Now, there are a lot of soap makers out there, and I’m a scent-fiend. I have one of those dog noses (which makes it very hard o live with dogs, I’m telling you). Scents are hugely important to me.
And basically, I never ever ever want to live a life without her Herkimer soap. It’s spicy and clovey and completely wonderful. (Clove, cinnamon leaf, rosemary, eucalyptus, and citrusy, earthy litsea cubeba.) I love ALL her soaps, but this one has become essential to my day.
And she’s doing a giveaway AND a discount code for us!
1. Hey, Stephanie, in life, what’s your very favorite smell?
As if I could narrow it down to one—there are SO MANY smells I love. 🙂 Some of my favorites, like mulch or woodsmoke, don’t really lend themselves to soap, but some do, like cardamom and bergamot. And then there are plenty of scents I love that are perfect
for soap, but can only be achieved using synthetic fragrances (lilac and almond come to mind), so they aren’t a fit for Schoon.
2. Do you do all this boiling/making in your home? What’s your setup like?
I do all of it at home! Part of me likes the idea of a dedicated studio, but if I had to go somewhere else to do it, I’d be a lot less productive. I make the soap in our kitchen and use the guest room/office/amp storage room to cure the bars, wrap and label them, and store the wrapped soap. We also do all of the packing and shipping in there.
[YOUR HOUSE MUST SMELL SO DAMN GOOD.]3. We are going to Iceland together! What are you going to be knitting? And will you be wearing any Alabama Chanin while there?
I’m SO EXCITED about Iceland! I’m not sure yet what project(s) I’m going to bring to work on (something at least moderately interesting to keep me entertained on the flights and something simple for bus rides and so on while we’re there, I think), but I did spin and knit a sweater especially for the trip. The yarn is one ply of a variegated charcoal Gotland fleece I bought at Rhinebeck two years ago and one ply black commercial silk/merino top. The Gotland is pretty hairy and wild so the silk/merino is barely visible; it just gives the yarn a little weight and drape. The sweater itself is a completely plain stockinette raglan pullover that I think I’ll wear to death if I ever get the neckline right. I’ve redone it three times now, but I’m still not 100% happy with it.
I’m going to try to pack as little as I can get away with (something I imagine you’d approve of), but I do have an Alabama Chanin skirt in the works using an old wool jersey dress I felted. That might be just the ticket for dressing up in Iceland in late October. 🙂
ONE WINNER will win a four-pack of soaps of your choice.
TO ENTER:
Go here. Peruse her creations. Leave a comment with which four soaps you would prefer if you are the lucky winner! Winner will be drawn in two days, Saturday afternoon. (International entries okay.)
Get a bonus entry by joining her email list.
If you miss out on winning, or just can’t stand waiting, use the code SOAPAGOGO for 25% off, good till Oct 16, 2015.
And if you buy all her Herkimer, I will come to your house and get some because I can’t live without it.
- Winner has been drawn – congrats, JudithNYC! You’ve been emailed.
I absolutely adore scented things (soaps, lotions, candles), and am always excited to find new favorite products. I would choose Almond Milk & Oatmeal, Grapefruit & Bergamot, Herkimer, and Bay Rum & Vetiver (though, Lemongrass & Basil was in the running).
Also, I started knitting & crocheting with regularity (again) after reading the Cypress Hollow books (❤️ Eliza). The dress above is absolutely gorgeous. I stick with simple myself.
Before I go peruse, why Iceland? I am only asking because my sons have been taking me on annual trips (the beauty of being old) and when asked where I want to go next I blurted “Iceland”. I had never thought about visiting Iceland, don’t know where that came from.
I get to use my new last name!!!!!
My prefer smells would be Almond Milk & Oatmeal, Lemongrass Basil, Lavender Lemon and Olive Oil & Cocoa Butter.
I am so into trying new products and supporting homemade local products. Especially products that have less harmful chemicals.
Hope you are feeling better! <3
I am baaaaaaack. I would like to try all the soaps, but since you said four: grapefruit and bergamot, lemongrass basil, Rensselaer, and bay rum and vetiver for those wonderful sons. 🙂
Now off to look some more.
all of them. Seriously though, we have to choose? Ok, almond milk and oatmeal, herkimer, grapefruit and bergamot, and lavender lemon. Yummy.
Oooh, squee!! I am all about the homemade soap, and make it myself on occasion. It doesn’t stop me from buying an intriguingly scented soap made by someone else, though…
If I could make myself choose…I’d pick: Tioga, Herkimer (thieves’ oil is the BEST smell!), Bay Rum & Vetiver, and Grapefruit & Bergamot.
I also joined up on her mailing list!
I love homemade soap and I’d love to bathe with Bay Rum and Vetiver. Sounds divine!
Holy cow it was hard to pick!!! I think the top four choices are herkimer, almond milk & oatmeal, bay rum & vetiver, and Olive oil & cocoa butter..
And I joined her mailing list. 🙂
Almond milk and oatmeal
Grapefruit and Bergamot
Olive oil and cocoa butter
Lavender Lemon
Thanks for hostessing and sharing this soap company!
Hmm, choices. Almond Milk & Oatmeal, Lavender Eucalyptus, Lavender Lemon and Lemongrass Basil.
Oh, these are my kind of scents! Woodsy, spicy, deep – all my kind! I pick Rensselaer, Tioga, Herkimer, and Bay Rum & Vetiver. Yay!
You had me at the Herkimer! Back in the 70’s (yes, I am that old-60 soon) I used a clove soap I loved. It had bits of something in it to roughen it up.
In addition Lavender Lemon
Grapefruit & Bergamot
Almond Milk and Oatmeal
Strike a chord.
A fav scent my sister brings me from Australua is Lemon Mrytle.
Yum!
Grapefruit something
Lavender lemon
Lavender ecliptis mint
Lemongrass basil
And I signed up for the newsletter because there look yummy!
Oooh, so hard to choose! I think I’d go with Olive Oil & Cocoa Butter (my skin would be AMAZING), Rensselaer, Tioga, and Herkimer.
tyat dress is amazing!
The soaps look awesome too. It was hard to choose but if I won, I’d love Grapfruit and Bergamot, Herkimer, Lavender Lemon, and Tioga. I was sad there was nothing vanilla or coconuty. But there is cinnamon in the Herkimer! Sounds awesome.
Lavendar Lemon, Ulster, Renssalear, and Tioga. I adore handmade scented soaps. Thank you for this opportunity.
Lavender Eucalyptus, Rensselaer, Herkimer, and Lemongrass Basil all sound wonderful.
Oh my god, that dress is incredible! I’m in awe.
But soap! If I had to narrow it to 4, I’d go with Ulster, Herkimer, Lemongrass Basil, and Rennsaelar. So hard to choose!
That dress!
But soap. So hard to choose! I think I’ll go with Tioga, though.
i only wish i had a scratch and sniff screen on my laptop. sigh. i’d be happy to invite any or all of those lovely fragrances into my life. but four…that’s difficult…how about almond milk and oatmeal, lavender lemon, grapefruit and bergamot, and for all the allergic types in my life the pure – unscented. Thanks 🙂
Lavender Lemon! That sounds awesome. I’d also try the Herkimer since you speak so highly of it, as well as Rensselar, and Tioga. Thanks for introducing us to her!
schoon soap is the best. soap. ever!!! my day cannot start without lemongrass basil goodness. in fact–i need to stock up! love you lovely ladies!! xoxo, i
Almond milk and oatmeal, lavendar lemon, unscented, and tioga
My choices would be: Pure/Unscented, Tioga, Olive Oil & Cocoa Butter and Almond Milk & Oatmeal. Some of the other soaps intrigue me but I’m quite scent-sensitive (there’s nothing worse than having something that smells so nice but be unable to use it).
WWOOWW! Grapefruit/ Bergamot, Rensselaer, Lemongrass/Basil, and Herkimer would be my choice. They would be yummy!
Really hard to limit myself to four, but if I must, I’ll pick Olive Oil and Cocoa Butter, Almond Milk and Oatmeal, Bay Rum and Vetiver, and Pure/Unscented.
Off topic, I’m very jealous of your trip to Iceland and do hope you’ll post pictures.
Oh I do love handmade soaps– much kinder to my skin than the soaps with so many chemicals and artificial scents. Lavender is a favorite of mine, so if I were to be the lucky winner, I would choose lavender lemon, lavender eucalyptus, herkimer (a very intriguing scent combination), and pure unscented.
Thanks for the introduction to this soap company! And have a wonderful trip to Iceland. I will second the commenter who asked for pictures.
Lavender Lemon, Herkimer (sorry!), Ulster, Almond milk & Oatmeal
<3 soap!
So. What happened to my reply from last night?
Herkimer
Herkimer
Herkimer
Herkimer
And Grapefruit Bergamot
Lavender Lemon
Almond milk & Oatmeal
So hard to choose! But I think I’d love to try Almond milk & oatmeal, Grapefruit &Bergamot, Herkimer and Olive oil & cocoa butter. They all sound wonderful!
Stephanie is all sorts of awesome and her soaps are great. Time for me to buy some more!
Oh they all sound so lovely… It is so hard to pick just 4. But here it goes!! 🙂 Smell-o-vision would be nice!!
Grapefruit Bergamot
Lavender Lemon
Lemongrass and Basil
BAY RUM & VETIVER
So much yumminess! (Is that a word?) What lovely scent combinations! How about : Herkimer, Lavender Eucalyptus, Lavender Lemon & Lemongrass Basil?? Thanks for the chance to win these soaps. 🙂
Mmm … good soap. What’s not to love? Let’s see–the ones I’d most want to try? I love citrusy-smelling ones, so Lemon Lavender would be first, Lemongrass Basil (because, yum), Grapefruit Bergamot sounds intriguing, and then, how can you go wrong with Almond Milk and Oatmeal? They all sound great!
Ulster, Renssalear, and Tioga and Grapefruit Bergamot would be my top choices. I would love one with ylang ylang if she would consider it! I love real soap.
Grapefruit & Bergamot, Tioga, Herkimer, Bay Rum & Vetiver. Yum!
These sound remarkable! I’d try Herkimer, Almond Milk & Oatmeal, Bay Rum & Vetiver, and Rensselaer. Pick me, pick me!
That dress is astounding!! Quite beautiful and perfectly fitted.
My soap wishlist: olive oil & cocoa butter, lavender eucalyptus, lemongrass basil, and ulster. Thank you!!
Lemongrass basil,grapefruit&bergamot,rensallar,& tioga.
Wonderful combinations!
Oh my! So many lovelies. Herkimer
Oops, hit it too soon …herkimer sounds delicious, as does Ulster, Lemongrass Basil, and lavender lemon. Joining mailings now!
I may be too late, but, if not, I would choose Herkimer, Tioga, Ulster and Rensselaer. They all sound so unusual! I love handmade things and make many myself, but no soap as of yet.
I signed up for the newsletter, as well.
Thank you for the chance to win and the 25% off!
Hmmm, too late now for the drawing, but I see that my comment from yesterday (or was it Friday?) also has disappeared as I noticed someone else saying about hers… Oh well. I am very happy to know about this soap as I LOVE handmade soap without all those chemicals…
These soaps sound amazing! I want them all, but if forced to choose I’d go with Lavender Lemon, Lemongrass Basil, Ulster and Herkimer. The olive oil and cocoa butter is also super appealing. Thanks for the giveaway!
I WON! I WON! I WON!