Making soap

My dear friend Annie and I made a batch of soap on Sunday afternoon. In case you're not familiar with how the process goes, it's something like this:
- Melt big globs of carefully measured smooth white greasy Crisco and some dingy brown Crisco that has been used to make french fries in a huge canning pot on the stove.
- Very carefully mix very carefully measured lye and water in another container so as to avoid permanent damage from fumes and splashes.
- Wait for the two to come to the same temperature (works better if you have thermometers that work, apparently).
- Very slowly add the lye mix to the grease. Pretend to be concerned about the other person getting splashed.
- Have your best friend stir slowly for two hours. (Just kidding, Annie!)
- Pour into a mould and tuck it in to keep it warm for a few days.
Then you should have perfect soap!
We actually had a great time and so far it looks as though the soap will turn out well. We usually hand-mill the soap, meaning we make a big batch that's unscented and has nothing else added, then we grate it, melt it again, and add the colours, scents, etc. in small batches. We were planning how we're going to package it all for Christmas gifts and such - I can't wait until it's all ready!