What are you working on this week?
In ceramics, we're still playing around with the raku kiln, I'm working on some custom order ceramics, and am also playing around with some decal ideas on some bowls I've had sitting around. Yes, I said "play" twice, in regards to work! This is one of those weeks when I'm feeling extraordinarily lucky to be able to do what I do, and play for work.
Speaking of play, I'm also back to ... well, not the drawing board, exactly, but the... refinement board, with the jumbo butter dish. My dimensions were good but not quite enough to allow for shrinkage in the firing (plus I wasn't happy with my base of the dish at all) so I've made it a little bit longer and am working on a new base. I'll have photos next week!
One more thing about ceramics - remember the vegetable markers that I made ... was that just this time last year? I'm getting ready to make some herb markers, in time for your Spring gardening. I'd love suggestions on what to make -- I mean, I have a list, but I'm always happy to hear more, just to check against my list. So if there's an herb you always plant, tell me about it!
In soap, I just announced a new soap fragrance coming into the shop in March, Wild Mint & Ivy. If you like Sweetgrass, or Sage & Lemongrass, you're going to love this one! It has base notes of patchouli and moss, is balanced with a bit of citrus and lavender (so my lavender and citrus allergic people, I'm sorry, but this one isn't for you), but all you really smell is the green, green notes of ivy, spearmint, peppermint, and everything fresh and green. Did I mention green? I've been asked for a kudzu fragrance - impossibly hard to track down! - and I'm hoping this will be a good substitute for people looking for that. I have some samples to give away, to the next handful of people who order something to be shipped right away -- I started off with 22 samples at the beginning of the week and have 11 left! I'll definitely be putting this one in the herbal guest set (the next follow-up to the redesignment of my guest sets, which started off with the earthy set released a couple of weeks ago).
Oh! And if you signed up for A Year of Soap, and opted for Herbal for the first four months (and I hope all y'all have gotten your soap already because if not, spoilers!) I sent you Wild Mint & Ivy as your selection. I'd love to hear what you think about it!
In yarn, I've got February's yarn club in the mail, am still waiting (but not panicking, nope, not me) for the rest of March's base yarn to get here so I can finish dyeing that up... I'm eyeing my skein of Sweet Baby James in Yolen for a pair of fingerless gloves... and since it's already too warm to wear my Irish Butter hat, I'm eyeing a skein of that for a pair of socks, as well. I give most of the socks I make away, but just wore out a pair so could use some for myself.
And I'm working on some stitch markers! I'm not going fast on them - I started because I've got a few custom orders, and those come first, and then I'm working on the rest here and there when I have a few spare minutes during the day. I should have them all done by the end of next week, though!
That's it for me... what about y'all? What are you working on this week?