After a 7 year hiatus, I'm getting back into canning. I didn't bring all my supplies when we moved to New Mexico so I just ordered a new canning pot and supplies and lots of books on home preserving. I have to go to the local hardware store and grab some jars. Currently my plans are to can some peaches in light syrup, a blueberry-lime marmalade DH likes, a tomatillo green salsa (recipe HERE), pickled beets and some plain old raspberry jam. I was thinking about doing some jams with chile peppers but most of the people on my jam gift list are not that adventurous and we don't eat that much jam. Canning, like knitting, gives me lots of great gifts to present to friends and family. I have already decided to do only homemade gifts this year for Christmas.
My current spinning project involves a popular angora rabbit named Hank. Hank is so popular that apparently he even has a line of notecards with his picture on them for Wild Fibers magazine and his antics are often chronicled by his bunny caretaker, Anne, on her blog.
Peaches obviously finds Hank quite attractive so I thought I'd get some of THIS fiber - a mixture of Hank and some gorgeous alpaca. My plan is to spin up the Hank fiber then make a pair of gloves or mittens with a small amount of Peaches' fur spun up for the trim.
From top to bottom, Hank/alpaca fiber, Hank skeins, Peaches' skeins spun on my Tracy Eicheim spindle purchased at Taos Wool Festival, and at bottom right Peaches' fur knit up into a fuzzy swatch. I'm not totally sure these two colors go together but I'll figure out a way to make it work. Hank & Peaches would want it that way.
