Then came a huge leap of faith for me. I decided to spin enough yarn to make it a kit and sell that yarn kit at fiber fests. This takes a LOT of yarn and so I knew the price would be expensive. It terrified me to actually put the first one out for sale. I even lowered the price because I was so sure no one would buy it. And I sold that first kit in the first five minutes of the show. I was nearly crying and I'm sure the woman who bought it from me thought I was being very silly. smile. Well in the last 7 years, I have sold MANY MANY of these kits. Most in this same color way or at least similar. The fiber is hand dyed and then I spin the braids so there will always be variations. The current fiber batch I have is a brighter version, the blues more blue and less teal. And I've come to a decision, this is the last year I am making kits for The Cowl. (that is what I call it, THE Cowl, my girls and friends now exactly WHICH Cowl I'm talking about when I say THE Cowl)
With the encouragement of the success of selling kits for THE Cowl, I have several kits that are doing great. Some big, some small. I have a blanket kit, scarf kits and this year I will have two new shawls with kits available. Well one for sure, I'm still knitting the Spiraling Cables Triangle below. But hope to have it as a kit in the future.
But I finished Color Morph and have the fiber ready and next in line to make a kit for that one. This should be finished by FiberPalooza in Winterset, Iowa on March 25th.
But back to where I started, this will be the last year for The Cowl kit, it is going to be retired. I have one kit done and fiber for another one and that is it folks. So if you have seen it in my booth and were tempted, this is the year to bite. I'm incredibly grateful to the power of The Cowl and the confidence it gave me. And the willingness of so many people to buy this kit from me. It showed me that people do value a unique product and are willing to buy it. Thank you.
And briefly on another note, if you would like to learn how to spin yarn yourself, I am teaching a beginners spinning class at the Marine Mills Folk School on May 20th. Registration for the class is open now by going to the website of the school using the link above. I would love to pass on my joy of spinning to others. If you have questions, just let me know. Also, if you are looking for an amazing array of classes, this is the place to go, fiber related, wood carving, cooking, painting, welding, learn how to play bridge, you name it, the school has a class for it. Plus they have several free community events as well. It is a wonderful asset to the area. I hope to see you there!
]]>So Saturday arrived, I had a great helper, Beth, who brought 3 of her wheels, two were provided by the school and we were off! I brought 8 ounces of fiber for each person, all the accessories, carders, combs, winders, and niddy noddys and we started working. By the end of the day, all five students left with a skein of yarn they made by themselves. It was such a fun day!
One of my desires for the next few years is to push myself into trying and doing things outside my comfort zone. I took a basket making class (at Marine Mills!) and love the result. I realized it had been a really long time since I actually learned something really new to me. And I had fun. It was good to try something that stretched me. It was hard but so rewarding too.
I'm listening to a good audio book while I spin in the evening. It is called The Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini. It is very good and a detailed look at things leading up to World War II in Germany. Jennifer Chiaverini is one of my favorite authors. I'm working my way through her Elm Creek Quilt series as well. So if you are looking for good books, either to read or listen to, check her out. And as I am always looking for good things to read, let me know in the comments some of your favorite reads!
Margo has found her favorite spot at night while I'm knitting or spinning, snoozing away snuggled into a soft blanket!
]]>For me, January is filled with making plans, setting up schedules, and shows. And I think I have the bulk of my show schedule figured out for 2023. I'm looking at 7 shows this year. That is a good number for me. Much more than that is very stressful. I always want to have a good selection of my handspun yarns at my shows, but that is a challenge. So I try and balance my shows with what I realistically think I can spin.
This is Angry Nancy, feisty name for a gorgeous yarn.
I just finalized my show schedule for 2023, I have seven shows this year. Follow my posts, Facebook (KnittingMyWayHome), and Instagram (@knittingmywayhome) and you can see where I am. The first one isn't until the end of March, Heartland FiberPalooza in Winterset, Iowa. Then there is a slight break until Mothers Day Weekend in May, Shepherd's Harvest at the Lake Elmo Fairgrounds. I will post others as the get closest but because I'm so excited, I will tell you I am going to be at Estes Park in Colorado in June! New show for me and I'm very excited.
This winter is proving to be a very snowy one in Minnesota. I live in the Twin Cities and we are within a couple inches of our YEARLY snow fall amount already. Oh boy. The snowbanks are very tall right now. Taking my dog Margo out for a walk and it is like walking down a tunnel as the banks are over her head! But I will admit the snow is pretty. And being that I work remotely and don't have to commute every day makes it much easier.
I'm currently working on new shawl called Spiraling Cables Triangle by Stephen West. I love it. As my yarn is a thinner weight than what the pattern calls for I'm just continuing to knit as I need it much bigger. Not a huge chore though, I love my yarn! Come to a show and you will see it as a new sample in my booth!
In any event, must keep spinning!
]]>For most people when they see a new pattern/project they want to work on, they do a couple things, check their stash or head to their local yarn shop and get the yarn needed, head home and in pretty short order you can be knitting your next perfect thing. My process may be a bit different than most. When I see a project I want to do, I too check my stash, but most likely it means looking through my fiber braids stash first. Then if I'm lucky, I can start spinning. Days later, I can maybe start knitting. If the project takes some serious yardage, I usually have to order the perfect fiber braids from one of the many favorite fiber artists I buy from. Whoo hoo! There it is, perfect color, perfect base, and even more precious, the amount I estimate I will need to spin the required yardage. And oh ya, because it is handspun, just a wee bit more as insurance because I don't know about you, but playing yarn chicken with the last precious bit of your yarn when it is handspun and no more fiber available? Ya that is stressful. Fiber ordered and shortly later, arrives. If all things are in order, you have empty bobbins and you start spinning. Days later (how many depends on how much yarn is needed) you finish spinning and now, FINALLY you can start knitting. But you have to fit in that knitting along with the usual amount of spinning you need in order to build up your finished yarn inventory, for the online shop or the next in person fiber fest. Then there is your regular life. I have a regular job during the day. Meaning my spinning and hopefully knitting is relegated to evenings and weekends. Ahh the frustration of so few hours being allocated to your favorite things.
This time of year is so much fun for me though. Because all my fiber fests for the year are done. My first fiber fest of 2023 is not until the end of March. So I have MONTHS available to spin (and knit). Absolutely sheer joy my friends.
So my next project that I am spinning for is this. This is called Spiraling Cables Triangle by Stephen West. I have the most perfect medly of blues/rusts/maroons that will be a perfect varigeated yarn for the back ground. I should have that finished in a couple days (again if the yardage works out). So I check and how in the world do I not have any white fiber! sigh. So I ordered fiber last night (hi Greenwood Fibers! It's me again) and hopefully it will arrive this week right as I'm finished spinning the blues. So if I'm really lucky, maybe early next week I will get to start knitting this lovely shawl. How I love shawls. Stay tuned!
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One of the was I am embracing slow fashion includes wearing my knitted things more. I have several shawls that previously I would only use as samples for my booth when I'm vending at various fiber festivals. Well that is a silly use of my lovely things, that I spent hours spinning the yarn for and then knitting them. So I am wearing them more and more. And enjoying them in a way that they are meant to be used.
I also bought a new book on my trip to Dallas. It is called Slow Knitting, a journey from sheep to skein to stitch. Author is Hannah Thiessen. I'm taking my time reading through this book. It covers creating a slow wardrobe along with how to source your fiber and yarn ethically and sustainably. I already know and like several of the companies it discusses including Bare Naked Wools, Brooklyn Tweed and Woolfolk among others.
I found the book at Half Price Books which means it was previously owned. And that owner underlined thoughts that I enjoyed seeing. Sentences like "reevaluate what we consume, what we make" "the time spent making an object is just as important as the object itself." I've been thinking along those lines myself. I scheduled more fiber festivals this year than I ever did before COVID. Which means I worked really really hard for the last six months to keep spinning and trying to knit just one more sample (hello Color Morph) But that starts to taint my love for spinning in particular. I miss knitting. But I had to keep spinning as I kept selling (yay!) because I had more festivals coming up. So when is enough enough. Something I am working on. But I am really working on embracing slow fashion, slow everything in my life. I need to learn to enjoy what is right in front of me. Not the mindset of once I get this done, I can then do that. And so on and so on. But pause, focus on this singular step, enjoy it, breath and let the next step come in its own time.
]]>For the first time this year I was doing an event solo. I admit I was nervous about it. But with kind neighbors I can usually manage slipping out of my booth during quieter times when I need to. I have a cart that I use to haul things from my car into the building which makes things much easier.
At this show, I was provided one table so I only needed to bring one of my own. I came with 3 huge bags of fiber and yarn, 1 tote of samples, 3 mannequins, 3 glass heads, baskets, and other display items.
I get the tables positioned how I like it, usually in a L type format, which leaves one side open for me to sit and spin while the front is open so multiple people can walk in and see my yarns and fiber. I then start with tablecloths, next a lot of the samples are pulled out of the tote and layered on top of the tables. I start putting fiber usually on one table and yarn on the other to make it easier for shoppers. But this time I had kits and fiber on one table while the rest of the yarn is on its own table.
This table had the kits and fiber on it. I had kits for Aeria which is the shawl using short rows to make leaves, the Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, the Rams and Yowes blanket and Evenstar shawl.
I use wire baskets mainly to display my yarns. They make it simple for people to touch and feel everything. It is fun to keep switching out and rearranging as the day goes by, making sure the yarn is front and center!
It takes me a couple hours from start to finish to get things how I like it. Then I go to the hotel and collapse! When I arrive for the morning of the first day, I usually take a hard look at everything again and then often rearrange things one more time! Every spot is different, what worked last time, may not this time. It is a true puzzle sometimes getting everything just right. I still get nervous at every show. Hoping I have what people are looking for, or what they didn't yet know they were looking for. smile. And I stay nervous until I make my first sale! Then my insides calm down.
The event was so much fun. The weather changed dramatically over night from setup to the morning of the event, we went from 97 degrees to 67! I wore my Nightshift shawl both days as I was actually cold! (Nightshift is the shawl in the last picture) Nightshift is my shawl of many colors.
After two long days of wonderful conversations with new and old friends, it is time to do it all over again, but in reverse. I admit packing up is MUCH faster than setting up. With a partner, I can be packed up and in the car heading home in about 20 minutes. On my own it took about 45 minutes, but I was heading out before 5 and got home around 8:30. Tired but a good tired. Until next year Fargo!
And next up is NCFF in Watertown, South Dakota, September 17th and 18th and then DFW in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas! I will be there September 23-25th. Oh man I can't wait!
]]>Last night I finished plying the last two skeins for a yarn kit for Evenstar. I was initially worried that I would not have enough yardage without spinning more fiber, which thankfully I have, but seriously, how long can I spin grey when I have a wall of orange, purple, blue, yellow, cream, strawberry pink, peach, brown, magenta, teal, brown, turquoise, and so on and so on and so on staring at me. I have BFL, Merino, Silks, blends, Polwarth, YAK and more. I think you see the point, I am craving color right now! But here is the finished yarn ready for someone to create their own Evenstar. 1,700 yards of a gorgeous silk merino blend which makes such a beautiful drapey yarn.
Which means tonight, I am spinning a beautiful pink and brown braid into a gradient skein. Because at the same time I have been spinning for my Evenstar kit I started knitting for my Color Morph shawl. It is stunning. The best part is having talented friends. I was able to send a picture of the finished shawl from the designer's (Heather Boos) project page and asked my friend to recreate the colors into braids for me to spin. . My friend, Ginny, of FatCatKnits, sent me beautiful braids of BFL fiber that she dyed. Is this not PERFECT?
I started spinning them up, keeping the pink and brown in a gradient and the blue/grey/cream into a blended neutral. Here is a progress shot. I am nearly to the half way point. It is a relaxing knit and I'm enjoying it. That is the hardest thing for me, I love spinning but man I miss knitting too. There just aren't enough hours in the day.I'm excited that I've reached the pink yarn now, it makes it fun.
My next fiber show is in a couple weeks in Fargo, I will have the completed Evenstar Kit there as well as however far Color Morph is if it is not done. I do have more fiber to make a kit for Color Morph but doubt that will be done by August 6 & 7th at the Fiber Arts Festival in Fargo. I will be in the Hartl Building, Red River Valley Fairgrounds, stop by and say hi! Mention this blog post and get 10% off any purchase.
Take care friends. Must keep spinning!
]]>And for those who think that fiber events are boring and low key, let me fill you in on a few details from last Saturday's event. 3 Kittens had their annual knitting retreat last weekend. I was lined up to vend for a couple hours during their evening knit and chat time. I decided since it was only for a couple hours I didn't need to bring my whole booth set up. Two hours right? Saturday during the day, I loaded up the car, decided what to bring and waited for Anna. The two of us headed about half way to the event from my house for dinner at a favorite restaurant. We had plenty of time before we needed to be at the hotel to set up, so we wandered through a nearby Trader Joe's. Who doesn't want to wander through Trader Joe's! There is always something you need and didn't know how much you needed it. After meandering our way through and picking up just essentials (sparkling raspberry lemonade anyone?), we headed to the hotel. We arrive with about an hour and 15 minutes to get set up before it was time for the attendees to come into the room. I start unpacking the car and realize to my horror that I had not brought my tub of samples. For those of you who don't know the intricacies of having a booth at an event like this, let me explain. I sell my handspun yarn. In my booth, I sell my yarn and fiber for others to spin into yarn. But I also have lots of things I've knit with my yarn to show how it works up. I make yarn kits for some of my more popular samples (Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, Rams and Yowes Blanket, Leftie). But I do not sell those samples. Just the yarn. Having samples really makes a booth pop I think. People find my booth because of my Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, it has become part of my booth identity in a way. And here I am, 45 minutes one way from home where ALL of my samples are. In a tub that I walked by to get to the garage and into my car. I walked past it multiple times while loading up the car, yet somehow did not ask myself, oh look, I should put that in the car. Yup, still there, need to put it in soon. Oh I will put it in last, I'm not bringing everything (two hour show and all), so it will slide in at the back. and boom that is how I arrived to be standing in a parking lot, before an event, with NO samples. Thank heavens I had my YARN at least.
I try and figure out what to do. We are too far away to go back and still be set up before the attendees come. We toyed with the idea of one staying, setting up, the other racing home, grabbing it and racing back, I frantically call my other daughter, but she is not at home and can't get there and to us in time either. I'm nearly crying in frustration. I'm just so mad at myself. But we went in and started setting up. Anna made up a slide show on my iPad of all my yarny pictures. I have a lot, I probably have more pictures of my yarn and booth set ups than I have of my girls and dog combined. While sparse looking to my eyes, it still looks nice. We keep reminding ourselves, it is just a two hour show. A two hour show. Yes Gilligan's Island theme was coursing through my brain and we know how that ended up right?
The attendees started coming in and I held my breath. Trying to not think of what could have been, what SHOULD have been. Instead I sat at my table behind all my pretty skeins of yarn. No samples, no wheel. I usually have my wheel at all my fiber shows and spin during the day. It is a true education for people. Even avid knitters/crocheters may have never seen how the yarn they use daily is actually made. And for novice people it is a true eye opener. But that is for another post. So there we sit. And the first woman came over and in the blink of an eye, chose 3 skeins and bam we were off to the races. And at the end of two hours, I was shedding tears of joy. It was a GREAT event! Like really really good.
The next day I was going through the night with my daughter Emily and she simply replied, "see mom, your yarn can stand on its own". And that is what I need to remember, my samples add fun and brightness and color to my booth. But bottom line is, my yarn can stand on its own. And that is pretty special.
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Each day part of the challenge is that you take a picture to record your journey. That became the hardest part of the challenge! Those 100 pictures are more pictures of me than in the last 8 years! I TAKE pictures, I'm not IN pictures. That is another story that needs changing. But I moved along. Pulling out cardigans, wearing silk scarves for the first time (and loving them), styling it in ways I would not have considered before. I wore tights most of the time and even here in MN I was warm and toasty through our long cold winter, in a DRESS.
People warned of feeling burned out around the 40 day mark. I never did. To me it felt no different than wearing a pair of blue jeans with a different top every day. It rekindled my love of dresses. Much more comfortable than pants. And I looked way more pulled together in my dress then in my more common lounge wear! Wool is amazing, stain resistant, odor resistant, no wrinkles, and have I mentioned I have a dog? A dog who sheds? Who sheds A LOT? Ya, the dog hair never stuck either. Because I was going to wear it all the time, I took good care of it. Out came the full aprons when I was cooking. (ok and when I was eating, I spill a lot too) Some people rarely washed it. I would hang it up in an extra room, under a slow moving ceiling fan to get plenty of ventilation all night. I washed my dress about every two weeks. Not because I noticed an issue, but because I thought I surely SHOULD be washing it! I got more compliments wearing "the" dress than I've gotten in a long time.
The purpose is to remind ourselves we don't always need more. That spending money on a quality item is much better long term then buying 5 cheap things that wear out easily and get tossed in the landfills. I'm a knitter and spinner. I'm all about slow fashion. And I've moved from the how cheap can I get it box to I will save and buy a really good item that will last me for years. I may have to save to do it, but in the long run, I am really saving more than money. At the end of my 100 days, I sent away for my coupon and turned around and bought a dark coraly pink sleeveless dress for summer. It is a wonderful addition to my wardrobe. I continue to pair it down. I won't ever have a capsule wardrobe, but I will work towards getting rid of over 50% of what I currently have. And I don't think I will miss it. What about you? Can you do a 100 challenge? Let me know!
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