Last Thursday we arrived on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, after 8500 miles of driving through 30 states. It’s been a pretty amazing trip, but — surprise, surprise — I can’t wait to get back to having my own kitchen, a sewing table, and my craft supplies out of the moving boxes. And a place to write some blog posts would be nice, too.

I’ve been on the road for two and a half months. That time has left my blog a little neglected, but it’s given me a lot of time to get excited about new projects. Here’s some of the things I’d like to try out, just as soon as I find the time and space.

A quicker no-knead bread

I started baking bread back in college, when my roommate Mal taught me the famous New York Times no-knead bread recipe. It’s been my standby for years. But while we were staying with family friends in San Luis Obispo, they taught me another no-knead recipe that rises in just four hours; my old standby took 21 hours–we had to start it the night before we wanted it. Plus, one batch makes at least two loaves, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to use a more interesting mix of flours and still get a good rise. Exciting, right? So stay tuned for that.

Pepper jelly

This was another amazing find in San Luis Obispo, and unfortunately we didn’t get a picture or a recipe. You’ll just have to trust me that this jelly was absolutely amazing. And if anyone out there has a recipe they love for pepper jelly, please pass it my way.

A loosely-upholstered sofa

Ok, this one is definitely a pipe dream, as I have zero experience building furniture. On the other hand, now that I’m living near my very talented woodworker brother and his crafty friends, I might have a shot at ti. I saw this sofa in Dwell and it got me thinking about how to put together a simple version of this. It’s a bit of a long shot, maybe, but super exciting.

A new bag project

I also spent some time over the last couple weeks daydreaming up a new pattern for a messenger-style bag. I don’t really need any new bags, but I had so much fun creating the last one that I’m eager to try it again. Hopefully that will be coming up soon.

Here’s hoping I can make progress on these in the next few weeks! Thanks for sticking with me as I get set up and back into the swing of regular updates.