spicy

I canned 60+ jars of salsa yesterday, and looking at my counter smothered in filled pint jars of perfectly sealed spiciness makes me so proud!  I have a loose recipe that I alter every year, and this year, I think my batch came out really tasty and chock full of jalapenos.  I also made two chipotle batches and one black bean + corn recipe (which isn't as spicy as I like- but it has a good smokey sweet flavor).

This past week made up for my missing week of lazy home-bound vacation.  I purposefully delayed ordering wool (partly hoping for a good deal which was promised but not delivered soon enough) in order to lounge about and knit and spin, but now I'm ready to get hopping again with "wool weather" only a couple of months away.

I had purchased some lovely Creatively Dyed roving at MDSW, and finally started spinning some.  In fact, I loved it SO MUCH, I had to order more.  I like how her rovings come in 8 oz. braids, and I adore the bases.

I spun the roving on the left (a freebie from her!) and plan on plying it with some of my own fiber- maybe a muted burgundy, and I'm half-way through spinning the pink merino/tencel roving on the right, which will be fingering weight and is destined for a weaving project.  The whopping pound of orange lusciousness is still untouched, but I hope to get started on it soon.  I want to spin a DK or light worsted weight yarn to knit into a hooded poncho for Ingrid. 

On a final note- I'm working on a new product:  super smooth batts intended for sock or lace knitting.  I'm going to be using my beastie Supercard machine to double card these, and plan on making them multi-tonal 50/50 merino and some other silky fiber (tussah, bamboo, soysilk, tencel- whatever). My problem is that I can't think up a clever name!  Next week, I'm planning on digging into my ravelry fan club for suggestions, and whomever thinks of the product name that will be used will receive 4 oz. of the new batts.

back

I'm back from vacation in Utah.  I didn't get very many photos since I was wrangling a baby (she was a very good traveler, I must add).  Originally, I planned on taking another week off from work when I got home, but soon realized that I was antsy to work.  So I did.  And I had an update on Wednesday, though not much is left in the shop from it.

While I was gone, I finished my Travelling Woman shawl, started a baby blanket (which I just finished a couple of days ago), and bought some new knitting needles.  Here's proof that I've been knitttting:

I need to block my Wool Leaves baby blanket and weave in the ends, but I'm totally happy-dancing over the fact that I started and completed two knitting projects within a month.

Pause.  I better knock on wood before typing the next bit.

Suddenly, things feel "in order."  I know I've complained and moaned about a colicky cranky baby, juggling household duties, and my business, but somehow things have straightened out recently.  I don't know if it's because Ingrid has turned a corner and is now the world's HAPPIEST baby, or if it's because my husband suddenly took on more householdy chores, or possibly the fact that I've finally given my brain something paradoxically challenging and relaxing to focus on, but I feel magically better. 


Now, all I have to do is light a fire underneath my business expansion plans and get things rolling.  Realistically, I'm aiming for the revamp to be complete by the end of September or early October.