Cinnamon Leaf

Oh, it's a lovely scent. Like a green leafy cinnamon. And it holds the scent so well, unlike many other natural essential oils that fade over time. I will make soap every night this week. I melt silk fibers into the lye solution before combining it with the oils. It adds protein to the soap and helps it set up faster. I would love to spin this stuff. Kim does a fabulous silk-angora yarn, dyed with Kool-Aid a silvery icy blue. It's stunning. I forgot I was down a big pyrex bowl (it exploded in the microwave when I was melting beeswax, remember?) and am making it in a rectangular baking dish. Very awkward, but have to deal with it. I'm a real creature of habit and have been making soap the same way for over 15 years. Oh, will I sleep tonight. I'm running up that sleep deficit again, getting ready for Rhinebeck. Matt was sick last night and faded on the sofa as soon as he came home from work. After two hours of chores I didn't have much left for soapmaking and sewed instead. He was able to help me tonight so I got started on soap earlier. Still won't be done until 11 and will bed down then. I got a lovely mohair fleece picked last night and tonight before chores. It was matted together but the seven inch long locks pulled apart for me. It's very time-consuming to pull those locks apart, but better to do it before washing and boiling in the dye pot. I have many of those matted fleeces which will be a good project for snowed-in nights this winter. I love combining fibers - they all have their own unique characteristics which make the roving interesting. I find plain, one fiber roving boring, but that's me. Back to my Cinnamon Leaf. School is going better than I anticipated, but it's dangerous feeling confident and relieved this early in the year. We'll see...