I survived the fair, and I survived thanksgiving… and while with hordes of family at TG, I managed to convince some of them (Yay Jen! Yay Mike! Yay Ali!) to try my little spinning kit instructions. So now I have some ideas of what must be changed to make them more understandable. Maybe once our knitting groups starts back up in the new year, I will bring them along and see if the knitters want to try them out. Well, as promised, here are some of the drawings that I worked so hard on. Aren’t they great?? Well, considering my lack of drawing skills I think they are pretty darn good!

getting ready

yippee I'm getting ready for this next fair. That is one good thing about my job - I work 20 hours a week and get Thurs off, so when I can, I spend the whole day doing fibrous stuff. Today I did a little more dyeing, I set up a sample table, and I finished a few bags. Oh, and in between there I had to zip to my daughter's school to bring the clementines she was supposed to have but had forgotten - such a good mom, right? As to the dyeing, I did some little 1/4 ounce bits of roving with Kool-Aid to include with CD drop spindles in some little mini spinning kits. The next step - to be completed sometime between now and Sat - will be to write up some good instructions. I've been drawing little illustrations for it and having a surprisingly good time. I'm not much good at keeping the camera handy, but I will include a photo of some hats, just to liven the post up.

Feeble Update - Blog Drag Queen

Apologies for being a Blog Drag and not updating as so many bloggers do so well. I have just missed my bus home from work – so I have a few minutes to spare! Very few meaning I had better get hopping if I really actually mean to update.

Big update: I will have a booth at another local fair. This one is at a local Waldorf school (no, not the salad – the school). The folks at these schools are very “into” all things natural, fibery (the kids are taught to knit quite young) and “from scratch.” So perhaps I will fit right in. Did I mention the miserable time I had at the last fair? Yes, I guess I did. Well, let’s hope this one is better.

As for Rhinebeck, I had a nice time there, though I am still not entirely sure why the darling hubbie came along. He is not a fiber kind of guy. Still, we had a nice dinner in Great Barrington on the way home so that part was good. I did not do so great on my Bingo card, still, it was fun to meet a few people. Now, of course, anyone that HAD checked out my blog because of that will by now have stopped checking it because it never changes. AUGGGG. My bad.

And now I must go or I will miss the next bus. At least tonight is my local spinning night.

Rhinebeck Here We Come! (hoping for sun)

So for anyone interested (those who have me on their square): weather permitting I will wear my very purple angora sweater, and I will carry a striped pink small purse over my shoulder. Those are not very descriptive descriptions, so when someone gets home that could take a picture, I'll try to post one. See you Sunday!

Fighting Discouragement

New post, which threatens to be long since it’s been so long since I updated, except that who has time to write at all, let alone a long post. Still I will try.

First off – I am on the Rhinebeck Bingo

thing!!!! This should be fun and should make Rhinebeck more enjoyable since sometimes (true confession time) I go and just feel jealous seeing everyone’s booths and seemingly so successful fiber businesses.

On those lines, yesterday was a big huge discouragement. I had my second ever fair booth – this time at a “Harvest Festival” in a park in a nearby town. It was a total complete flop and waste of time. I will be blunt and say that I sold nothing zilch zero nada. And it was freezing getting there, I had to leave at 6:45 in an unheated camper-bus whose windshield was frosted and would not un-frost, seeing as there was no heat. And I had to pack the bus all by myself and unload at the fair all by myself and set up all by myself and then sit there for hours and hours at first in the freezing cold and then in the hot sun still all by myself. A wonderful friend showed up at the end and helped me haul everything back to the bus and load back up, so that was nice. I still have not unloaded the bus because it is just too discouraging. On a bright note (one must keep the bright side in mind) I did get in a good bit of spinning while there. Thank goodness I have that to keep myself happy at those kind of moments.

So it brings up all kinds of questions like: “why bother???” and “do I have nothing to offer that anyone wants???” It is very easy for me to sink into a morose depressed state and lose incentive. I will try not to do that. I will try (after I use this medium to vent – lucky non-existent readers) to rally and look on the bright side and not worry be happy. I will try to learn from the experience, to grow and become a better person. Maybe even a better “craft vendor,” if that is truly my goal.

What is truly my goal? Well, as I recall, my real goals are to: 1) find an outlet for my creative spinning/fiber endeavors, and 2) to feel somehow like my time on them is justified – and in our $$$$-driven society that seems to mean that I must be able to translate the endeavors into money as proof that they are valuable. Now I’m not sure that I truly believe in those values, but for now I still want to pursue the selling goal. After all, I have given away as many hats as I can give. As it is, many of the hats I’ve given do not ever seem to be actually worn. You see, if someone buys a hat, there’s more a chance that they truly wanted it because they were willing to part with precious money for it, so perhaps they will value it and wear it.

Now, as for the Bright Side… I did the Apple Harvest Fair in the center of town here a few weeks ago, and that was quite a decent success. So I shall not let one small set-back destroy me or my resolve.

Things I learned from yesterday’s experience:

1) I must research events. Obviously they are not created equal (there was hardly anyone at the fair yesterday, there were very few booths, and I don’t think much of anyone was selling much)

2) I must come up with better Wind Remediation Equipment. The wind yesterday was gusty and everything kept blowing around. The booth next to me was selling scented candles – they managed fine in the wind, but

wind + soft fluffy fiber stuff = not good.

3) I must come up with more saleable items, without destroying my integrity. Does that make sense? I want saleable things, but there’s no point making things that will sell, but that I don’t enjoy making or that don’t satisfy my creative urge. I am in the (presumably) lucky position that I don’t have to actually make a living on my creative efforts. So I need to find a way to sell yarn that I spin. That’s really the crux of it because that is what I wan to make. There’s no sense making some cute little doo-dad that the buying public might want, but that I personally think is stupid. On this topic, my thinking is to come up with knitting kits (something I had thought about long ago) because a lot of people are interested in knitting, perhaps knit a bit, but for them it is too big of a leap to just buy a skein of handspun yarn and figure out how to make something from it. So kits, or at a minimum instructions for how to make use of my skeins is a good idea.

Well that is enough for now. You see, it did turn our long. I’m off for a hike with my hubby and dog, then on to bookclub this evening, and knitting group tomorrow evening. See, there is good in the world!

Plugging Along

As the title says, I am plugging along, though with the Apple Harvest festival coming this Saturday, the plugging had better pick up its pace.
I have catalogued (with much help from my daughter) all my skeins. I bought plastic "clamshells" from a local deli and so I have weighed out some 1 and 1/2 ounce batches of angora. I am fixing a very nice coat rack given me by a friend that I will use for hats. It still needs a coat of paint.
On the more frustrating computer end of things... I have been working working working on a business card. Man is that frustrating. I only have basic tools like Microsoft Word, Publisher and Paint to work with and they each have their capabilities and idiosynchracies and limitations. But at last I think I have one that I can work with for now. I am hoping to get so I can print them on both sides, but for now I just have the ink-jet printer and it seems tricky. And I'd like to perhaps add color. Well, let's see if I can display it here - I put it on a portable USB drive thingy so I can move it about from one computer to another.
WooHoo!! I did it. It still needs work, the small writing is too small, but for now, it will do. And I have been making little stickers to label the skeins and the angora fiber. So, you see, I have really been a very busy bunny. AND I sold two rabbits last week, so that is a very good thing.
OK time to get ready for the "real" job.

Why ELSE I cannot get anything done....

Quick, miserable post: I lost my purse, wallet, etc etc. It is the most miserably annoying thing in the world. I left it on a local bus, and apparently whoever found it decided not to give it to the driver so that it would have been brought to the Lost and Found there. So, instead I must hassle with all the hassles of cancelling credit cards (not so bad) and changing my checking account (very very bad). And replacing my license (also not so bad) and mouring the loss of all those tid-bits that one accumulates in something as personal as a purse. I'm mad at whoever found it and made the decision not to turn it in, and I'm very very mad at myself for being such a scatter-brained flakola who does stupid things like leave her purse around (not the first time, believe me).
I still managed to spin a little angora today so at least the day was not completely wasted...

Apple Harvest

Exciting news! I got my acceptence letter for my first official fair - the Apple Harvest Festival in Amherst. They do not have a web site, or I would link it. It will be Sept 30. I have wound all my skeins, now I need to photograph them. Work has intervened so who knows... Also - I managed to get some plastic deli clamshells from a local deli and I will use them to package nice plucked angora for sale. So things are moving along! As for anything resembling a web site, well, that will happen when it happens.
And what about Frank, you wonder. So far, he is doing very well. His huge gaping wound seems to be healing and I am very grateful.

Why I Get Nothing Done

This was my weekly “day off” from work and I had hopes for accomplishing some useful things, but instead I had a very bad bunny experience. I actually only know of one person (that’s you, Togbean) who might potentially read this, and I should warn you, that if you get easily queasy or don’t enjoy hearing about revolting things, you might want to just move on to the next blog.

I, however, will plow bravely forward with describing this because it is truly disturbing and I want to get the whole thing out of my system. Ok, here goes. I have many bunnies, and this spring one of the 3 litters of babies included this one that was fawn and white in a pretty pattern (a lot like our corgi dog) and, best of all, with blue eyes. I usually only keep rabbits from especially good breeding combinations, and/or that are especially big, healthy, strong and with really excellent wool. Well, he was big, seemed quite healthy etc and in combo with the unusual color/eyes I decided to keep him. And he’s really a very nice bunny. I named him “Frank,” as in Sinatra.

Today I decided to clip Frank’s hair. I had brushed him recently, but he had gone off his feed – a pretty good indication of incipient wool block (something angora rabbits get) so I had treated him with several doses of Vaseline. It seemed to take care of the problem, but he had gotten quite a bit on his coat, thus the decision to clip it all off. In the process of clipping (I think I am making this way longer than I need to in order to avoid describing the actual awful thing….) I noticed a really nasty sore under his chin. It was truly truly truly nasty. It was open and seemed to be filled with dark convoluted stuff, I swear like a brain. And then I noticed that something inside seemed to be moving and I knew I was dealing with some sort of parasite. I’ve seen fly maggots inside open wounds before, and this was different. I have also heard of insects that lay eggs under the skin and then develop there. I suspected that this kind of insect larva was what I was dealing with. I did a quick google search, and yes, indeed, rabbits have a bott-fly parasite whose larvae develop in just this way. The solution is to smear it with Vaseline, and when the larva starts to emerge to get air, you pull it out. OK, I did it. And what emerged was immense!!! Horrible!! Disgusting!! It is practically the size of my thumb and dark and has all these folds down its big fat maggot body. I will say, that as a biologist, which I am in my other life, I find it quite fascinating. But as a caretaker of rabbits, for whom I try to keep life as happy and stable and safe and healthy as possible, it was awful awful awful.

And that is not even the worse of it. If I had removed the larva and that was the end of it, I could deal. But unfortunately, the rabbit now seems to have a big and infected abscess from the whole ordeal. I have cleaned it, and packed it with gauze, but I am afraid it is too much. Having lots of rabbits as I do, I cannot justify the expense of taking them to the vet when things go wrong. I have gone that route enough times to know that I would be cranking up a lot of $50 vet bills that I cannot afford. So I muster through as best I can. Unfortunately I cannot get antibiotics without a vet visit, and I don’t think Frank is going to make it without them. I do feel bad. On the other hand – I try to keep things in perspective – he is actually the result of a father/daughter breeding which is not the best thing to do. So if he does not make it, well, believe me there are many other rabbits. So far he does not seem in pain, is eating and seems comfortable. btw - the photo at the top is of Frank in his younger days.

That ends my story and is an example of WHY I CAN NEVER SEEM TO GET ANYTHING DONE!!!!!

Back to Fiber

Reality has struck in the form of work which has started back up. But I cannot complain (yet). Classes will not actually start until Friday, and lab (which is what I teach) starts next week. So for these few days, I have been plugged into my work computer which has Photoshop. I am trying to learn how to use it, so that I could actually post GOOD photos onto my web site. Maybe I will even try putting one on this blog.

But back to FIBER NEWS. What have I accomplished towards my goal? [and I will make a little aside here to show how my angst-filled psyche works: while walking the dog this morning, I got to thinking about my goal of selling skeins of yarns at craft festivals etc. I got real discouraged thinking about the reality of it all. Let’s say I pay $50 – or sometimes it is $100 – for a booth. Let’s say I actually make some sales and get that $50, or $100, back. All fine and good, but that does not really account for the time put into making the yarn. I will probably price my yarn to give myself a tight $10 an hour for the time spent making it. But that would not really add in the cost of the wool, or the “dead” time. After all, if I spend an hour actually spinning a skein, there’s also all the time spent tidying up my spinning area, measuring and weighing things…. I do add in the time spent on carding and blending, but not really the washing time, since I usually do that in between other things. But the really discouraging thought was that there I will be at this fair all day long. Will I make enough to cover the entire day? After all, I could be doing many things on an entire Saturday: hiking, housework, reading. On the other hand, given a free Saturday, what would I usually do? Spend it spinning or knitting or carding. And I’m hoping that part of what I could do at a fair would be spin while people look at my stuff. So ok. Too bad if reaching my goal does not also make me filthy rich….]

Really back to really fiber. What have I accomplished? On the physical side of things, I managed to finish making a rack to hold skeins of yarn. I made a table, though it still needs a little work. And I set everything up under my EX-UP tent and took photos of it all. This was needed for that application form I mentioned. And….I finished and sent in the application!!!! Big step for me. Now I wait for the powers that be to judge my application and make a decision on whether or not I am “in.” Meanwhile, I have also been rewinding all my skeins so they have a consistent form, and I have been cataloguing them. A bit obsessive of me, but it makes me happy. Once they are all wound and catalogued I will start photographing them. And maybe THEN I can put the photos on a web site that does not yet exist. So there’s where I’m at. Whew.

All's Well in Bloggerville!

It is all working very well!! And, in fact, my friend
explained things to me very nicely. Maybe next post I will get back to writing about my "fiber business"....

update

First I will gripe a bit about this whole “blogging” process. I had some issues, when was it? Last week? Two weeks ago? Well, whenever it was, I had some issues. I thought that once I actually signed on this blogging thing would be a piece o’ cake, but I ended up with issues. I made one entry, then, as I was on vacation and had some time, I rapidly made even another entry. But the second entry got lost in the ether of Bloggerville. I could find it sometimes, but it wasn’t showing up on the actual blog. I was very frustrated and annoyed. So, in true trooper fashion, I gave up. Well, at least I put it on hold while life intervened in the form of packing up and going home and then getting back to the reality of the day to day (or as a friend says “the minutia of life”).

I was planning to ask my friend, who is an old hand at this blogging thing, about it on our knitting day, but I didn’t go to knitting as we were invited to supper that night at another friend’s (definitely NOT something to complain about). It was not until days later (has it been weeks?) that I griped to yet another friend (boy, it’s starting to sound like I have lots of friends, which in fact I do, and obviously they are all wonderful and helpful), and went to show her the problem. And look! There it was - my second entry! And on the same page, but instead of the new entry appearing on the screen when you click on the blog, the old entry appears and one must scroll up to find the new one. So you see, there is still some sort of glitch. Sarah’s blog does not do that. I guess the real reason I have blabbed (blogged?) on about all this, is to point out how easily discouraged I can get. Small glitch = major set-back. Well, I have gotten through this and will try to move on. And perhaps my next entry will be something more substantial.

Next Post:

What to say? I think I need to explore my blocks to accomplishing this goal I have, because I seem to be having a hard time working in any kind of productive way. First off, what are the steps I see myself needing to take?

I want to create a web page from which I can sell my skeins. Now I could do this a relatively easy way, by using one of the myriad services out there, but I want to do it from scratch, and do it my way, so I want to create it using HTML. Obviously that is much harder, more complicated and time consuming. On the other hand, I did just break through my cheapness barrier and bought a small book that clearly describes how to create a very simple site a lot like what I would like to have. So I can use that. I have done a bit of it. I have figured out how to post photos to a web site (though not yet to this blog thing), and even how to create a link on the photo that goes to an enlargement. That is very good and cool and I feel very proud of myself. But now I have kind of stopped there. I need to keep going and get to the nitty-gritty stuff like how to organize the page. Maybe the reason I am having trouble staying motivated is that I find that part kind of boring. Well, it shouldn’t be too hard, I should be able to do it. Oh, I also am realizing that I have no idea what I want to say on my web page about my stuff. I went for a walk earlier today, and managed to write some ideas about that, so I’m hoping it will help me move along.

I want to be able to go to craft fairs to sell my stuff. I have been putting some effort into this over the summer (which, BTW, is when my job is on hold, so I actually have time. That time will soon drain from me and I will become my usual frenetic overstretched self which is worrisome). I made a table, I bought one of those E-Z UP tents for craft fairs, I made a lovely rack for holding skeins. I looked into buying “clamshells” which are those plastic deli containers good for selling angora fiber. I got kind of stymied there. It seemed like kind of a big deal to order a package of 250 of the damn things when I really don’t know which ones would be best. I wish I could find a source of more like 25. I suppose I could go ask my local deli if they might sell me a few; I feel too shy to do that… I have also looked into buying some manikin heads to use for displaying knit hats. I found tons on eBay, but I’ve never bought anything on eBay and it makes me nervous (I’m starting to sound pretty neurotic here, sorry). And besides that, the shipping costs are pretty high. I wish I could find a local source. One woman at a fair that I asked said she found a bunch at her local Salvation Army. Lucky find!

OK, but biggest hurdle on this side of the equation, is that I really must get signed up for some fairs. They usually sign up quite far in advance. I have a form for a fair that takes place in late Sept. I just have to FILL IT OUT!!!! Why is this so hard?? Well, they want details of what I will sell and prices and stuff like that which means I need to really think about all that. Another big step, and probably one that should take priority, since if I don’t have any fairs scheduled, there’s no point in having racks and all that. So I will have to bite the bullet, gird my loins, and all like that and just fill out the d*** thing.

I have my work cut out for me. Since I am in the Berkshires right now, and not at home, I will fill out the form tomorrow when I get home (I’ll report back) and now I’ll continue work on the web site. Which brings up another thought that I will pursue tomorrow: a friend suggested that I try selling stuff on eBay (here comes the eBay phobia again…) It does seem like a good idea and I should at the very least explore the idea of it.

In The Beginning....

OK world, I have officially started a blog. The purpose (besides random rantings) is to document, discuss, describe and detail my experiences with creating a web page. The purpose of the web page is to display my creative endeavors in the fiber world – more specifically my adorable bunnies, my skeins (and skeins and more skeins) of yarn, and my hats. Also maybe batts of blended fibers, though at the moment, any batts I make I spin. And the purpose of the display, the real and true purpose for all this, is to sell things. You see, there is a base, greedy intention behind it all. As in life, it all comes down to one thing (one thing with many names): Money. Filthy Lucre. Big Bucks. Green. Only, for me I do not think it is so much greed that drives me. I think it is more reassurance. A need to justify all the time I spend doing this stuff. All this spinning, all this knitting, all this blending of fibers, all this rabbit care… what the hell is it for? Well, if I can make money at it, then it has a purpose, it has a use, a value beyond just what I like to do. Sorry if this all sounds lame, and sorry to spill it all on this blog, but after all, that is the purpose of the blog.

So I have decided that I want to sell my creations. I do not need to make a living at this, thank God (or should I be cool and new age-ish and say “thank the Goddess”?). I have a job, albeit part time (20 hours per week) and part year (9 months). And more crucially I have a husband with a “real” (as in “paid a decent wage and with benefits”) job. So I do not need to pay the mortgage, or even feed myself or my family with the proceeds from my creative endeavors. I just want to do it. Maybe I want to spread the beauty I create across the world, though if that was my only desire, I could simply give the stuff away. I want to justify what I do by having others value it enough to buy it. To spend their own hard-earned money to obtain what I have created.

That is my purpose and that is enough for today. I will get to the nitty-gritties of the web site later. Now I am going to card wool.