Coming or Going?
By admin | July 19, 2009
Lately, I am not sure which.
So we all know that there are only two weeks until Sock Summit right? (Two weeks before I have to pack up the car and leave, anyway). Anyone else panicking yet? Yep, that would be me, right here in the back row, Panicking with a capital P.
Part of it is my own fault, because I decided to move the yarn shop this month. Bad timing, but I had several customers complain to me recently that every time they stopped in during the week, whether it was noon, 2 pm, 3 pm, or whatever, the shop was closed. Hello, I have given up all but one Saturday since January to be there, even though I work full time, but between 2 owners and an unknown number of teen-age nieces who want pocket money, none of whom have other jobs, they can’t staff that place a measly 30 hours during the week? Add to that dirty child footprints on the brand new leather chairs that I bought just to be at that place, candy wrappers and even sticky old candy stuck in my yarn, and an increasing number of what I will politely call “book keeping errors” (remarkably, all in their favor) it just had to happen.
So now I am at what will have to be the yarn shop’s final resting place. As in, if this doesn’t work, I am giving up and keeping all the yarn for me (well, I might share some of it with friends, ha ha).
But it should work! I am now in a lovely studio space with plenty of room and its all mine. Brian has been a dear, helping with getting it painted and moved. Last Sunday, while I was at the San Luis Valley Folk Art and Fiber Festival (wonderful, wonderful, kudos to Crystal and Laura (links to their blogs SOME DAY), who put it together and made it an awesome, vendor friendly event, thanks so much!) he moved most everything the 3/4 block to the new spot. When I stopped in after the festival to drop off what need to stay there, I saw this.
Well, that doesn’t begin to convey the mess that was that room. I laughed out loud when I opened the door, because it looked like Aladin’s cave, only with yarn instead of treasure. But, its getting sorted out, and this last Saturday I had my first customers, even though I did not even have a sign out yet.
What knitting? I started the Cats and Mice Blanket weeks ago. I HAD to work on a Fair Isle project, it was simply imperative to my rapidly-slipping-away sanity.
Hmmpff, I see that you can’t really make out the details in the photo, but its a really great pattern, easy to memorize and the colors are predictably divine. Yay, Alice Starmore. I was rifling through my stash of Hebridean 2ply and I probably have enough for a second one if I substitute Kittiwake for Solan Goose. I had originally planned this for Addi’s birthday. Once I started it, I saw that the colors and design are probably too sophisticated for a 7-year-old’s sensibilities. She’s really into pink, purple and yellow; and though adults would readily recognize the cats and mice in the pattern, they might be a little subtle for a kid to focus in on. So then I had the bright idea to give it to Addi’s mom, my sister, for her birthday, because she uses those colors in her home. Except that by the end of June it became apparent that wasn’t happening either (Dawn’s birthday was last week.) Christmas, anyone? Even I ought to be able to finish it by then.
So I have been dyeing yarn, lots of yarn. I might post photos, but probably not until Sock Summit. I alternate between being very excited and wondering what in the heck I was thinking, because I am afraid that I am totally going to be out of my league at this thing. My goal is to have at least 400 skeins of hand dyed sock yarn to take. Plus lots of needles, books, some lovely spindles and accessories from Brandywine Woodworking (link in a previous post - go check them out. They were at the recent festival too and I love them even more now than last time), and maybe even a spinning wheel if it fits in the car. I have no idea what is enough or too much or what, but I suppose I will find out. Lucky for me, neat friend Joanna from Crestone is going to be there and we are sharing a hotel room and she has even said she would watch the booth for me when she has time. It makes me so happy that I will actually know someone there!
But, I do need to slow down before something stupid(er) happens. This morning, when I was on about the 3rd dye pot of the day, I reached for the tongs to stir some dye into a skein. They were sitting halfway on the front burner, which I had accidentally turned on, instead of the back burner that I had meant to turn on for the dye pot that was sitting on it. This I rudely discovered when my hand scrabbled against the burner element to grasp the tongs, burning the tips of my fingers enough so that there are now no fingerprints on two of them. After screeching to waken the dead (or at least the dog) I realized that if I did not stir that dye in NOW, the skein would be messed up, so I grabbed the tongs with my other, as yet unburnt hand. Of course those would be the steel tongs that had been sitting on the burner, and which were hot enough to make a sizzling noise on my skin during the brief time I held them, screeching so that I likely woke the neighbor’s dog. Ouch.
Oh well, guess that will learm me. Despite all that, this evening I am feeling better about “where I am” with the various preparations for SS09, the studio/shop, and life in general. Let’s see if I am still saying that next weekend!
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One down, 3 or 4 to go
By admin | June 2, 2009
The Pagosa Springs Fiber Festival was really nice. I did better than last year, and had fun to boot. That’s not to say I was not wiped out by the time I got home! Its a lot easier when Brian goes along and helps does most of the physical work. He didn’t go this time because when we got back from the England trip, we noticed that the dog was really worn out after being at the kennel. She is getting older and I think is not up to having to be away from her house and sleeping somewhere strange. Actually, I think she probably sits on her kennel there and barks at the other dogs the entire time and probably hardly sleeps or eats. For days after we were back she just laid around and had very little energy. It really worried me and I don’t want to subject her to that again if its possible not to, so he stayed home with her.
Here was my booth.
I would have liked to have had a rug, but forgot to get one and really did not have room in the truck. The bed of the truck was piled so high that it was actually comical. Can you believe that I got all that in a Ford Ranger with a step side (narrower bed)? And in case anyone wants to know - gridwall is a pain to put up.
I was next to the same cool people as last year - Skein Train. They have roving from their California Red sheep, and I can’t wait to spin mine (on my new double treadle Matchless, yahoo!)
My loot (I was very restrained this year):
The Nostepinne is incredible. It was made by Brandywine Woodworking.
They are off the grid, and they have the most beautiful spinning tools I have ever seen. Cute kids too. I also traded some dye for several skeins of beautiful hand dyed yarn. I have misplaced the vendor’s card, but I think friend C has one and I will post a link shortly if I can. I can tell you that they are from Arkansas, and very cool people.
My other neighbors in the tent:
I love alpacas.
My poncho even got a blue ribbon!
Next up is the SLV Folk Arts and Fiber Festival in July. I also found out that I am number 1 on the vendor waiting list for the Taos Wool Festival, and should find out this month if anyone is canceling. And Brian is getting more and more stuff put up on the web site, though no yarn yet (soon).
I swear, there are not enough hours in the day for everything we want to do . . . Is it Friday yet?
Happy knitting!
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