HUGE happy CHANGES

Dear friends and customers and fiber-stalkers,
I have a few big announcements to make regarding changes to my business :)

1. I'm moving back to Etsy. I've enjoyed selling off of my own dot.com for a full year, but I've found that the changes Etsy has made to the listing process, order histories, conversation organizing, and tracking information are well worth the switch. Sure, I could implement them into my own site, but Etsy's large and growing customer base and glitch-free shopping carts are well worth the fees.

2. HobbledehoyFibers.com will still exist! It will morph into a portal for all things Hobbledehoy: news and events, customer creations (finally!), pattern suggestions, and a better integrated blog. These changes may take a while, so I'll update my customer base on the time line after I discuss my proposed changes with my programmer.

3. All shipping will include tracking. This is another change I've been meaning to do for a while, but Etsy's changes have made it much easier to keep organized, which has motivated me to make this change. Most of my long term customers know that I love to hand-write addresses on packages. I don't know why, but I get giddy cracking out my sharpie and hand-scrawling your names and addresses. It makes me feel more connected to you. Closer. More familiar. Friendlier. I realize, however, that it is much nicer for the customer (and me!) to know exactly where the package is, and when it has reached its destination-  so within a week, I will have made a full changeover to printed addresses and tracking OR hand-written packages and tracking manually entered into your Etsy order receipts.

4. A new return policy will be in effect. There has been a new buzz of conversation in fibery circles online about industry standards, and the main message that I have taken out of the discussion is that I am responsible for continually increasing the quality of my product as well as my knowledge of how best to use whatever products I create. Also, I have seen that through this discussion, many buyers have come forth claiming to be unsatisfied with fiber or handspun that they have received (though none name the sources). I hope that every customer is satisfied with what they receive from me, and so whether or not you begin spinning or swatching your fiber or yarn from me, you are still eligible for a refund if you are dissatisfied. Yes, the item may not be in its original condition, but if I have misrepresented what my product is or you are simply unsatisfied with the what you receive, I hope you feel comfortable contacting me so that I may resolve the issue for you satisfactorily. I have only ever received one return in the 5+ years I have been selling (the colors for a custom order needed tweaked), and the risk of losing useable product through returns is well worth gaining consumer confidence. I am not enacting any time period for returns, but it would be nice if I were notified as soon as reasonably possible.

I am excited about these changes! I know that many fiber artists aspire to jump off of Etsy onto their own sites, and I think it's a grand idea if they're going to spend the time and money using ad campaigns to maintain site visibility. I would be more than happy to share tips with anyone thinking about branching off onto their own dot.com. For me and my little corner of the wooly universe, however, Etsy's looking mighty cozy, and man of the features on their website are difficult to implement for someone who is programming impaired like myself.

ps. Shop update tonight, starting soon!

I always dread blogging after forgetting to do it for weeks. I think I got lost in the endless rainy days and a lingering ear and sinus infection (seriously, who still gets middle ear infections at my age?).

To be honest, there's not much to catch up on. I finished knitting the Haruni wedding shawl for my best friend (pics coming after I give it to her!), I've been working through a fun list of special orders, and I've been drumming drumming drumming, late into the night. I've really enjoyed working with more texture thanks to the Mad Batt'r, and have definitely fallen in love with lovely loose uncarded bamboo fluff.

Recently, I started spinning again! After the great felting disaster earlier this summer, I haven't wanted to touch my wheels. Thanks to a great queue of Netfix instant crap and a super supportive husband who urged me to try something artsy in order to get out of a funk (caused by rain and the eternal ear infection). I've now got 9 gorgeous new yarns to list, as soon as I can stay up past 9pm without face-planting into my keyboard.

I forgot to mention- my sweet toddler wakes up regularly at 4am! Oh woe! I'd be more frustrated, but our early mornings together are priceless. There's nothing sweeter than snuggling with a nearly two year old and discussing the differences between horses and ponies and then making blueberry pancakes together before the sun even rises. These poor sleeping habits however have sapped my usual work time of late nights, so I've been a little slow at a few things, especially planning updates.

So, there's a super-large update planned for tomorrow! It was postponed twice, but now is cemented. I'm starting tomorrow night and will continue it Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon if necessary. You can expect to find new ArtBatts, Rovings, ClassicBatts, RollyBatts, Tinies, and handspun!