That's it!
I'm officially dubbing this my Summer of Making. It's like I couldn't get much of anything made during the school year, so I'm trying to really make up for it now.
And on top of these things, I'm giving serious thought to starting a podcast, something I've been thinking about for a few years now but have put off due to lack of nice equipment. I think I'm just going to get started, and let my motivation to buy a better mic and a decent mixer just ramp up accordingly, until I find myself with a decent recording mic. Just a general life blog with a very heavy balance of fiber-related stuff, maybe a few reviews, and a bit of how my life is going. We'll see. Wondering, frankly, if anyone would want to listen, but a local friend just began hers with essentially the same equipment that I have, so at this point it's just time to pay for a bit of LibSyn's space and do it.The hens are about to go entirely into the freezer - the past two days have gotten all of three eggs because the shits are eating them as soon as they're freaking made. I'm replacing them with juveniles I'm going to buy from McMurray hatchery, I think, that way, they're healthy and strong already, very close to laying age, and past the time where I really feel a need to be available pretty much 24/7 to monitor them like I did with this batch. I was hoping to keep some of these but the habit's just spread through the whole flock. Fortunately, we have a local custom butcher, so I should be able to keep the nice saddle and tail feathers. So get them in the freezer, clean the coop and equipment and spray it down with bleach (to try to prevent cross-contamination issues), and then get the new flock in. Then wait for eggs. Oy.
- I spun up about a half-ounce of silk/superwash merino today.
- I knit on a new shawl I really like and is totally potato-chip (can't knit just one row/stripe).
- I finished up dyeing the Jacob 2-ply that Roz bought for me a year? ago. It's still drying but is so ready to be toe-up knit stockings for SCA events. Came out beautiful red that the dark bits in the Jacob treated with love and the lights bits, affection.
- I'm about to cast on for Kate Davies's O W L S sweater. It turns out that I have exactly the yarn called for the yarn juuuust shy of the yardage I need but that's okay because I can either go find another couple of skeins online (Black Welsh breed of Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky). And? I got the yarn on steep discount. This'll be awesome.
- I've also got enough to make one for Meg and one for Rose, in a differentyarn of the same size.
- Yesterday, we picked up our first CSA basket of a half-bushel. Plus some other little things.
- Yesterday I also picked the beets I picked up (a pint), plus two quarts of cauliflower with turmeric in for pretty color. Next week, I'm getting even more beets, pickling those, and then I'll use the product to pickle hard boiled eggs.
- And quite possibly take for Pennsic, which is looking like something that's totally going to happen, even if it's just me, which would actually kind of suck. We'll have a better idea as it gets closer to the end of online pre-registration.
- I also made a polenta/grits/thingy with the braised beet greens, chevre, and shredded Parmesan. It was lovely, and I will eat more of it.
- Tomorrow, I'm ironing down the seam allowance on the body of the smock and sewing that down in the middle of whatever else I get up to, which will likely be cooking - the season's first summer squash are in the basket and I've a real hankering for fried squash. Nice and narrow and crispy-dark and cornbreaded, just like I like.
And on top of these things, I'm giving serious thought to starting a podcast, something I've been thinking about for a few years now but have put off due to lack of nice equipment. I think I'm just going to get started, and let my motivation to buy a better mic and a decent mixer just ramp up accordingly, until I find myself with a decent recording mic. Just a general life blog with a very heavy balance of fiber-related stuff, maybe a few reviews, and a bit of how my life is going. We'll see. Wondering, frankly, if anyone would want to listen, but a local friend just began hers with essentially the same equipment that I have, so at this point it's just time to pay for a bit of LibSyn's space and do it.The hens are about to go entirely into the freezer - the past two days have gotten all of three eggs because the shits are eating them as soon as they're freaking made. I'm replacing them with juveniles I'm going to buy from McMurray hatchery, I think, that way, they're healthy and strong already, very close to laying age, and past the time where I really feel a need to be available pretty much 24/7 to monitor them like I did with this batch. I was hoping to keep some of these but the habit's just spread through the whole flock. Fortunately, we have a local custom butcher, so I should be able to keep the nice saddle and tail feathers. So get them in the freezer, clean the coop and equipment and spray it down with bleach (to try to prevent cross-contamination issues), and then get the new flock in. Then wait for eggs. Oy.