Hello snow!

While we're not exactly trapped indoors over the recent snowfall, we are buried under an avalanche of projects.  Here's what's been happening at the HobbledeBarn:

- Ingrid just celebrated her first birthday last week!  I baked a cat cake and threw a party for her which was hosted by her paternal grandparents.  It was a small party, just close family, since I think it's best not to overwhelm a one-year-old.

-We're officially changing our shipping methods over our holiday vacation so that we can have the mailman pick up our packages.  We're a one-car family, so I've really struggled to get out of the house more than twice a week for shipping.  The reason I haven't switched sooner is a bit complex- I don't get out of the house often, so I actually enjoy my trips to our small town post office.  Also, we live down a long lane that's off of a busy street- so leaving my packages near the mailbox is not an option.  Our mailman/woman varies frequently, so I'll be making an appointment with the local postmaster to discuss options.

-I have accomplished next-to-nothing for my shops :(  Between my lack of spare time now that T is working two jobs and the fussiness of a teething toddler... oh, and add on a whopper of a cold that sank it's teeth into me a few weeks ago but just won't give up.. I'm in bed around 9pm every night and asleep less than a minute later.  Don't take this as a complaint- I love motherhood and I'm thrilled that my husband has two jobs that he enjoys.  I miss working though, and will be up and running a bit more smoothly after February (that's when Iggy starts part-time daycare).  I will be offering up a small shop update this weekend, the last of the year's, along with the January HobbledeCLUB.

-I didn't make it into MDS&W this year.  They offered me a slot on the waiting list, but I decided that I'll take a pass and either try again next year, or focus on a new product line for HobbledehoyFibers.com.

-I'm going on vacation... a mental vacation!  I'm so excited to have a much needed holiday.  Even though multiple days can pass between carding sessions, I'm still looking forward to a break in which the fiber arts will be on a back burner while I can prepare for the new year and where Hobbledehoy will be going from there.  My vacation officially starts on December 21st and will last until January 2nd.  Everything ordered will be shipped by then, including anything ordered during my small shop update this weekend.

The last bit of news is extremely sad.  My dear Huxley (my English angora) died on December 1st.  I'm incredibly heart-broken.  He was such a sweet lap bunny and fibery companion.  The week he died, I had trouble keeping my head on straight, and I'm still having trouble not crying when I see my stash of angora fiber.

I won't lie.  The juggling act this year was rough.  This was my baby-year, and believe me, when given the choice between working or snuggling my little lovebug, I picked my lovebug every time... sometimes to my shop's detriment. Shipping was unorganized, communications were slow (have you ever tried to type out an email while a crawling baby was climbing up your lap while swatting at a crotchety cat who still possessed claws? haha!)  To prepare for 2011, some things are going to have to change.  Either:  a) Hobbledehoy Fibers will officially go part-time and downsize or b) the product lines will be augmented by un-dyed fibers and some limited edition batt colorways each month.  I have always been a little too transparent with my business plans, but hey- I'm hoping that my struggles/experiments/successes will be useful to other small crafting businesses out there.

As a final note, I want to thank all of my amazing returning and new customers and fiber-friends.  The community of support and sharing has kept me optimistic about Hobbledehoy.  I love you all, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a belated but Happy Hanukkah, and a New Year full of good things to come!

stuffed!

This weekend's packages have been stuffed and shipped, Thanksgiving feast has been nibbled and re-heated into oblivion, and this new rainy week has me busy indoors with carding December HobbledeClubs, Gemmy batts, and fresh novelty batts for a shop update over the weekend.

I had the lucky opportunity over the holiday weekend to re-connect with a childhood friend (military brats- you know how rare that chance can be!)  She and her daughter stayed at my parents house a few miles away, so I spent most of the weekend visiting, cooking, shopping, and trying to keep Ingrid from over-loving my parents' skittish cats.  Thankfully, the weather has been decent, so I've been dragging Ig outside frequently to burn off energy and stave off cabin fever.

 

Next week- the little one celebrates her first birthday!  I'm making her a kittycat cake and have already ordered (and received) cat decorations, since she seems to be a budding cat-lady.  We're keeping the party small - just grandparents and my sister.  I can't believe it's been nearly year since I brought a teenytiny 5 lb. bundle home from the hospital (actually, that anniversary is Christmas Eve, since preemie Ig spent two weeks in the hospital after she was born).

Well, stay tuned for another post announcing that the update has happened.  I'm through with planning specific dates for updates, since motherhood has taught me to expect the unexpected and to keep plans absurdly flexible.

sweet tooth

I've been eating healthier for the past few months and have lost nearly 20 lbs (goodbye baby weight!) but I'm craving sweets again, in case you haven't noticed by the names of some recent batty additions, such as Cranberry Jelly, Sprinkles, Pumpkin pie, and Fruit Nougat.  In fact, I devoured an entire Alpine Milk Rittersport right before tonight's update.  Yum!  I'm sure I'll easily burn off those calories now that Iggy is a blur of speed now that she has a little shopping cart to lean on as she "runs" through the house, placing anything she can reach into the basket.  Ohmy!

I finally had a chance tonight to update my Etsy shop, and while I was at it, I added more novelty batts to hobbledehoyfibers.com, reduced the price of luxury batts to $6/oz., added a 10% discount code to both sites (go visit the sites to see what it is!), and uploaded a spinning service option at Hobbledehoyfibers.com.

Whew!

When Iggy is in bed tonight, I've got even more to add- a small but delicious assortment of handspuns, which will be available at hobbledehoyfibers.com.  Gift Certificates will also be available soon, definitely by the end of the week.

Aaand, I'm planning an exciting give-away for Black Friday!  Details about that will be coming soon :)

edit:  handspuns are not going up tonight after all.  I have a grumpy little one, probably working on a couple more teeth tonight.

new fluff

I'm finally accepting that finding time to work is going to be a feat that only a time-bending superhero can manage.  That said, here I am, attempting to update my shop at the not-so-late hour of 9:30 pm while falling asleep into a mug of coffee.

I just finished listing a few gorgeous batt sets into the shop, and am planning on uploading the rest after a re-shoot (deep cherry reds are so difficult to capture accurately).  This weekend, I have medium-ish plans to do a spin-a-thon to fill out my stock of yarns for the holidays.  That means:

coming soon to the new site (!!!)
-more yarn
-spinning service listing
-gift certificates

Also, my Etsy shop will receive a small re-fresher, complete with a small assortment of new batts.

Off topic- I just got the most amazing little gift today - my little one said "I yuv" to me and gave me a hug when I pulled her out of her crib this morning.  Warm fuzzies!

an update on updates

I'm working on a tiny update.

Scratch that.


I have been working on a tiny tiny update for a week and a half, and all I have created is the following:
-three sets of batts
-one 5 skein special order
-one new Shuffle handspun


I'm hopehopehoping to accomplish more tonight for a more medium-sized update tomorrow, but my little one has been sick and teething and time is slippery.


This juggling act isn't going so well, and you know how it goes - baby comes first!

short on time but not on projects

Happyhappy news-- my sweet husband finally found a job after applying for HUNDREDS of jobs, most offering minimum wage to high school grads.  He lost his job when the bookstore he worked for downsized severely, closing nearly half of their stores nation-wide.  The new job is good news for our little family, but finding time to work now will be even more difficult for me.

I don't know if any fiber-working moms out there have found a way to integrate drum carding time with child-care time -- it just doesn't mesh!  My studio is 100% baby dangerous, so all of the wool magic happens with a) baby hangs out with Daddy, or b) baby is sleeping.  Hello, late night tea-fueled drum carding sessions!

Well, last week I did have ample time to crank out some fiber - both hand-pulled roving and novelty batts.  You can find it in my new shop!

 And as if business + baby weren't enough to keep me on my toes 24/7, I started a new lace project (I swear, complicated knitting is keeping me sane), though after knitting the first 20 rows, I'm thinking of frogging it out and starting a new pattern ("Limestone" by The Fickle Knitter) that I just splurged on yesterday.  My new miPattern Saver from slippedstitchstudios arrived, and it's the most genius knitting accessory I've ever purchased, and is definitely my second pair of hands during this new lace project.

 

 Love love love it!  Though, I should have bought some of the magnet guides... perhaps this weekend I'll order a set.

As a quick end-note to an over-long post, I just have to share Ingrid's latest hand-knit digs.

The hat is Pumpkinhaus's Gnome hat (knit with my handspun, a 50/50 tencel/merino blend), the shirt is Brandy Fortune's "Country Kiddie" pattern (knit with Zauberball yarn), and the shrug is The Shizknit's "Confection" pattern (knit using The Plucky Knitter's worsted Merino yarn).

Wow, the past few days have been a fuzzy blur!  I haven't spent too as much time as I had hoped with my carder, but I've still had plenty of businessy things to do as well as the usual ho-hum chores that were neglected during the launch (ahem, laundry).  Today, however, I did finally have a chance to drum up some novelty batts and roving which will be uploaded into the new shop tomorrow.

I'm really tickled though to have been blogged about once again by a knitter I admire- M. Sartin of M. Sartin Design.  I love her chunky cowls, and can't imagine anything cozier during these chilly days.

My husband and I are preparing to weather-proof this old barn for winter since we've got a little munchkin to keep warm.  Other than sealing up the windows and throwing down a few extra rugs (we're on the third floor of an otherwise empty barn), we're open to suggestions!  The heat is officially on... sometimes.