With our tiny family complete, I want to be sure I enjoy every little pinch of time with my sweet baby boy. I'm still planning on full-time woolywork, as I've posted before, my family uses my little business's income for our everyday living expenses like groceries, medical care, etc. We're still digging out of the financial hole left by years of my husband's unemployment, but I'm starting to see the other side of this ditch and am optimistic that by the end of 2013, we'll be closer to our family's financial goals. Miles away still, yes, but closer is good enough for now, and I have to be content with the speed of this process.
So, in my year of soaking up Little Bear's infancy, I've decided on the following tiny changes for Hobbledehoy that will probably end after 2013, but are necessary for time management this year. There will be no subscription clubs, special/custom orders, collaborations, or vending events other than Maryland Sheep and Wool. There will be trades (I LOVE trading on a small scale with fellow fiber artists!), the opportunity for customers to reserve or hold items - or notification if I make something similar to what they were hoping for, and there will be an amazing display of fibery goodness available at Maryland Sheep and Wool. I'm sure that fellow parents will understand, and if you are a fiber artist who does take custom order or creates spectacular subscription clubs, please let me know if you'd like to be on a list that I provide to my customers seeking those items. I've always referred customers to other fiber artists when I'm unable to fill a request, and will continue to do so this year.
Whew.
It feels so heavy to type out what I'm unable to do this year, and who knows, things may change towards the end of this year, but I'm happily consumed with keeping batty production flowing for MDS&W, my shop, and spending time with my family. Also, Bear has a classic case of colic - 3 hours of nightly screaming. Three. hours. I've read Happiest Baby on the Block and have tried everything. He'll outgrow it, I'm sure, but it's pretty rough right now.
On an exciting note, I am honored to have been asked by Natalie Redding of Namaste Farms to participate in one of her BlogTalk interviews! Please tune in tomorrow (Thursday) at 9pm EST to hear me chat with her and Kimberly McAlindin. I'm a tiny pinch nervous as I've never been interviewed live before, but I'm anxious to gush about batts, one of my favorite topics in the whole world. Plus, it's exciting to speak with the purveyor of such luxury fleeces! I seriously need to get my hands on some of her lovely fiber, soon! I'm a long-time admirer of her beautiful fiber, sadly from afar.
Eeep, one last piece of news, I invested in a Louet Classic Drumcarder! I'm in LOVE with it's appetite for textured fibers and it's output of high-contrast fluffnormous batts. Update scheduled for Friday, my indoor photography equipment hasn't arrived yet and my outdoor photoshoot is covered in ice and snow. Brrr! This update will be 100% ArtBatt.
