Ok, I've hit that point! I feel a little behind on everything. We've had quite the juggle this month with one car in the shop and one specific-very-positive-but-exhausting life-changing news. I'm ashamed to admit, I've had trouble over the past two weeks contacting every customer after each order, and after Paypal multi-order shipping has been non-operational on the only computer in the house hooked up properly with a printer - oy! Expect hand-written addresses until our rocky Paypal situation improves, or until I give in and switch back to Endicia.

Resolution: No update this weekend.
Further resolution: Early bedtime!

Being overwhelmed with good business is a blessing, but I need to make sure that I can keep up with it properly before slipping into bad business.

As for MDSW prep - you have no idea how excited I am to meet up with new and returning customers, play with fiber in public, and hang "Please pet the Batts!" signs all through my booth. I'll be in the Lower Corral, space 21 again. That's way out past the Main Exhibition hall, so if it's raining, wear galoshes and bring a raincoat! I'll still be there! And now, I'm signing off for tea, feedback catch-up, and more carding! Tomorrow, instead of the usual Sunday night update I'll be finally creating my new portal/portfolio website and whipping out dozens of ClassicBatts and Garden Compost batts for Maryland Sheep and Wool.

yarn parade

My original goal of 100 skeins of handspun was probably lofty. I've got a third of that goal, but progress ground to a halt after I ran dry on inspiration. I'm taking a week or two off from spinning to card, dye, and label what I've got.

This week's update was a huge success! I can't believe that I don't have a single oz. of wool left in the shop. Fortunately, I've got a bump and a half of Merino, just waiting to be dyed - so there's more to come in a couple of weeks. I'll add a few things this weekend, but after that, the next larger update will be on 3/11.

MDSW progress

I spent most of last week tinkering with dyes and planning colorways for Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May. Here's one of the products I've been working on : Ply Packs!

 

 A Ply Pack is a selection of 4-6 pieces of dyed top on semi-luxury bases like Merino/tencel, BFL/silk, Merino/silk, and Merino/bamboo. These cute packages nearly sold out last year at the festival, so I made sure to create quadruple the supply. I like to chain-ply these in random stripe lengths, but I found that most customers made self-striping or two-ply yarns.

My to-do list is daunting and I find myself getting distracted with fresh fleeces - baby BFL, baby Finn, Cormo X Merino, Moorit Merino, Huacaya alpaca.. I'm drowning in a delicious buffet of fine raw woolies! The wash process for me is finally streamlined - divide the fleece into 1.5 - 2 lb. chunks, soak, hot wash w/Dawn, rinse, rinse, hot wash w/Dawn, rinse, rinse - DYE! Most of my fleeces need the two hot washes since they're extra greasy fine wools, though some like the baby BFL can be polished off in just a couple of hours. Here's that baby BFL all dyed up in one of my favorite colors:

At least I'll have some happy farm-fresh fibers in my Maryland batts! It's been a goal of mine to make a slow switch to using about 30% (or more) fibers from small and/or local farmers, and this year I'm finally making progress on that goal. Of course, it's crazy-expensive to use wool from scratch - with a Merino fleece, up to half of the fleece can be lanolin, so if I'm paying $15/lb, that quickly turns into $30, not to mention all of the time it takes to skirt, wash, and pick out VM. Still, there's something really satisfying about starting with raw earthy wool and transforming it into something that's just as soft as the commercial top, but has a crimpy kinky texture and is filled with life.

I'm just going to put this out there - I'm always willing to trade finished product for high quality fleeces with low VM. My faves include anything with a lower 20's micron count, kid or yearling mohair, huacaya alpaca, and staple lengths that aren't shorter than 3".

Aaand, I better log off and finish sorting through pictures for the 2nd half of this week's update. I've got a tiny discount available (Code: HOBTEN) celebrating 6 years of selling on Etsy.

Back in the saddle

Well, we're finally swinging back into our normal routines with frequent trips to the park during this unusually warm weather. I've had the opportunity to  process fleeces outdoors and hang my wool in the sun to dry - something usually impossible in January. Ing is happy to have a chance to run amok in the backyard, though I wish she'd wear boots instead of ruby slippers. She is also finally tolerating a little bit of studio time, helping me package and sort fiber along with weighing every little ball of fiber that she can reach.

I'm in full-swing production mode for Maryland Sheep & Wool with a lofty goal of bringing along 100 yarns. So far, I'm 1/5 of the way there, and have already claimed two yarns for keepsies. This week, I'll start painting tops, beginning with BFL/silk and Merino/tencel. Tops were a quick-seller last year, perhaps because they're hanging outside of the packaging, begging to be squeezed and petted. I'm planning on hanging rovings this year too, though I fear they'll be mangled since they're more delicate. If so, I'll be coming home with a huge personal stash! I'll also be bringing along 150-200 ArtBatts, and am eager to start tinkering with display ideas. A 10x15 tent is huge, and I'll probably go through about 150 lbs. of wool to flesh, er, fluff it out!

Over the weekend, I unleashed a huge update which has mostly vanished, the bulk of it shipping yesterday with a few remaining pieces going out today. My next update will probably be this weekend, and will be smaller - perhaps a dozen ArtBatts and a dozen Classic sets? I'm working on my HobbledeCLUB and ArtBatt subscriptions, so we'll see!

a little update

To say "things have been chaotic" may be an understatement, though all is ultimately going well over here. This month, we've collectively made nearly a dozen trips to the doctors for a secession of illnesses and accidents. I alone have had the flu, then a stomach virus, then a sinus infection, and accidentally splashed bleach in my eye. Poor Ing has suffered the flu, the virus, and now a double-ear infection. I'm guessing it's the season-for-sharing, since half of Ing's classmates were out with various illnesses this month. I'm also supposing I shouldn't have co-slept with Ing when she felt terrible, but sometimes the only thing that will comfort a sad tot is a night of snuggles, and I wouldn't have changed a thing, except perhaps with the bleach incident- but that's a whole 'nother embarrassing story.

It goes without saying, not a lot of work has been happening! Ing's daycare attendance has been dismal since she's felt so poorly, and I haven't felt like spending time in the studio while feeling rotten. I had planned a Sunday update, but with only a handful of rovings, I decided to postpone instead and do absolutely nothing for several days. Resting over the weekend has helped Ing heal, and I should be on the mend by mid-week, which means a possible mid-week tiny update and a very large weekend one. I did manage to dye up an entire bump of Merino wool during the eye of the storm, and I have several fresh new colorways planned for Classic Batts, but to be perfectly honest, I'm waiting until I don't feel like such a Typhoid Mary.

brand new year

It's a brand new year and I feel so refreshed after a long vacation. I wish I wouldn't have ended vacation with the flu, but I'm learning to accept the rotten fact that this hermetic lifestyle leaves me prone to catching everything that my daughter brings home from school.

I just sent out the options for the ArtBatt January installment with the theme Cake Walk, and I'm really excited to hear back from my subscribers on which of the cakes they'd like to have batted-up.

This weekend, I'll also be working on the HobbledeCLUBs, and everything ships out on 1/9. I have capped both clubs at 10 subscribers each at any given time, so that I can not only ship within the first two weeks of each month, but so that I can also really put the extra time into making sure the Clubs are extra special. In previous years, I bit off more than I could chew with subscriptions. Never again!

My next update, originally scheduled for 1/7, will probably have to be postponed until 1/10 due to this flu-bug. I lost out on all three of my work days this week since my kiddo was ill. Most likely, it will be a small update: ClassicBatts, a handful of Rovings, a small set of ArtBatts, a few tinies, and dyed silk hankies. I realize I have postponed updates time and time again, and I can't decide whether I should just announce them on the day they're going to occur, or continue to try and plan specific dates and accept that 25% of the time, I'll have to re-schedule. Suggestions/preferences?

one more week!

I had a great shop update this weekend, but must apologize to newsletter subscribers- I hit save instead of send and didn't realize until this morning. I am so sorry. I did post about it on my Facebook page, so I highly recommend following that (I update it most frequently) if you're looking for shop update news and more.

I've got one more update before Christmas on 12/23 scheduled, but after that- Christmas Vacation!!! I'll be *away* from woolyworking from 12/24-1/2, and will resume carding in the new year. My shop will still be shop-able and fiber will ship out within 2-3 business days as usual, but my carders will be off-line and my dyepots dormant for about a week and a half.

Next year, I'm going to be doing something a little different- just once. I'm going to have an update consisting of earthy/subtle/natural colors only. Of course, my naturally colored fibers are limited, so I'll be dyeing various shades of soft browns, charcoals, blacks, reds, greens, and very gentle floral tones. This update will probably be the first one of 2012. It's a challenge to myself to try something out of my usual palette, though I know I'll return to brights and saturated hues quickly afterwards.

In other news, my little Ingrid turned two this month. All of the cliche phrases fit- she's the light of my life, my little ray of sunshine, and my reason for chugging along when life throws me rough spots. I can't imagine how my life existed without her, and I feel so lucky to have an opportunity to be a Mum.

I'd also like to wish you all a very Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, and a Fabulous New Year! May all of your winter days be filled with the warmth of love and the joy of drama-free family get-togethers. Thank you all for being my friends, family, "co-workers," and inspirations.