friday’s question

Earlier this week I mentioned two unfinished pairs of socks that have been floating around in my mind since 2008. Apparently they are affecting me so strongly that I have been unable to knit any socks since then. I’ve knit hats and mittens and scarves and tea cozies and shawls. But no socks. I think there is a roadblock in my mind that is saying I need to wrap those projects up before I can embark on something similar. Or perhaps the fact that I failed on two counts makes me feel like I just can’t knit socks successfully, which is dumb since I’ve made four complete pairs in the past. So, I’ve decided to frog my mom’s sock (I didn’t get that far anyway). Someday I will use that yarn and start again with a different pattern. As for the cabled sock that was to be mine? It is very unlikely that I could make its mate to match at this point, so it will just remain as it is: one lone sock.

I don’t want these two pairs of socks to continually prevent me from making new socks. They will no longer hold me down. Onward!

Question: How do “UFOs” – unfinished objects – affect you? Do you feel obligated to finish one project before starting another? Do you have many projects going at once? What’s the oldest unfinished project you have still lingering?

another box!

Yep, the boxes just keep coming. And this time it was an impulse buy.

I recently joined a group on Ravelry called Fleece Market. It’s a place where farmers can sell their fleeces and people like me, who just loiter around the farms but don’t actually do anything with sheep, can buy fleeces. Even though I prefer to see, smell, squeeze, and ponder my fiber before purchasing, I thought this might a good way to get ahold of some breeds I haven’t been able to find around here. And without a whole lot of thought, I “popped” on a 5 lb white BFL cross from Iowa. The fleece belongs to Sophie, who has a rather complex lineage it seems. Her mom is 1/2 Romney, 1/2 Corridale and her dad is 3/4 BFL, 1/4 Merino. Phew! Pretty exciting, eh? I was planning on dyeing this weekend, so I’ll wash some up to see how it looks clean. From what I have already seen, I think it’s going to be a good one.

socks.. they’re haunting me.

I have a burning desire to knit a pair of socks.

I can’t say for certain the last time I actually successfully knitted an entire pair of socks. To Ravelry! Ok, wow. The last pair of socks I made were finished in 2008. That was the self-striping pair for my dad, who still has not worn them out of fear of destroying them. Just this weekend we had everyone over for a birthday party and I told him how hardy handknit socks are. In fact, I told everyone that I tend to wear my socks for days (and nights) at a time! I think it grossed them out a bit. meh.

Dad's first (and only) pair of socks. 2008.

Other than that pair, I have two who are haunting me with their perpetual unfinishedness. Also in 2008 I decided to join my first KAL, Summer of Socks. I got one sock completed for myself, but abandoned it to start a pair for my mother. I had selected two patterns that were more than just stockinette, and perhaps that was the key to my failure. I could handle the cables on my pair, but the lattice on my mom’s sock proved too time consuming. Since this double epic fail, I have not tried to knit socks. Perhaps I felt that I needed to complete these projects before I could move on to a new one. I have decided they will remain UFO’s forever. Time to start fresh with a new pair! And nothing fancy this time.

Half of a pair of socks for me.

Cuff of my mom's sock (never finished).

friday’s question

This past weekend I went to one of the annual SCA events our group hosts. It’s at the perfect time of year – just after the holidays. I hadn’t been in garb since October, so it felt good to get into my dresses and wool cloak and put on my stockings and leather boots. I had to go find all of the various accessories I wear too. They never seem to get put away in the same place. Where is my linen veil? My leather belt and garters? My brooches and necklaces? Don’t forget the feast gear and food! I made a king’s cake (gateau du roi) and it was a disaster! Actually, the cake itself turned out great, but I’ll never make it again. Puff pastry with a filling of pastry cream and ground almonds. While there may be a shortcut on both of those, I did not take it. I made pastry cream and chopped my almonds as fine as possible. Rich asked if I’d taken a photo of it, which would have been smart since I’m talking about it now. Sadly I did not because it was quite golden and crisp.

This event, our Winter Revel, is held at a beautiful old building at Mill Creek Park in Youngstown. It has been many things over the years including a wool mill. Now it is available to rent for parties and gatherings. Upstairs there is a fireplace with wonderful woodwork from floor to ceiling. It’s the perfect place to spend an evening dancing, eating, and reveling. And honestly, it was a nice break from fibering! I had brought my spindle but left it in my basket all night long. I just enjoyed visiting with friends, sipping apple wine, and listening to music. Not every moment must be spent focusing on the thickness of my yarn, the way colors are blending, or the gauge of my stitches.

Question: What else do you like to do to relax besides knitting, spinning, crocheting, etc? Do you have other hobbies that are related to fiber? Do you ever find yourself taking a break from one hobby to enjoy another hobby?

yarn in action!

Erin recently learned to knit. And she’s been kicking butt. Just a week or two ago I sent her some yarn in exchange for working on my business cards, and she’s already made something awesome with it. Check out these great fingerless mitts! My handspun on top combined with a commercial yarn. Thanks for sharing, Erin!

Gwen Erin Handspun with commercial yarn

disorganized.

can you tell I’ve had a lot on my mind this week? I just can’t sit down to write about anything. my mom’s new hat is finished, but I don’t have a photo of it and now it’s at her house. there is a whole pile of lovely yarn to show off, but I don’t have photos of those either. everything just feels a little hectic and weird right now… even the house is a mess. the laundry is a week behind. every surface in the bathroom is covered in grime. at least i got all the dishes washed last night, but it wasn’t until 10:30 pm. sigh. i want this week to be over.

advertising.

This year I decided to start doing paid advertising. I’m making everything else “official”, why not try getting my name out there more? One great thing about the fiber arts community is that it has a vast internet presence. For example, Ravelry is chocked full of advertising opportunities. It’s easy, low cost and low risk. A few years ago I ran an ad in their marketplace, but the only people who saw it were specifically looking for ads; they don’t just pop up and surprise you. Even though notebook ads and group forum ads rotate, they appear on every page without the reader having to do anything extra. I thought it was time to take the next step and try a more prominent  ad.

There were a few things standing in my way to reserving a spot.

1. Getting over the initial apprehension. I felt intimidated by the idea of advertising. I know how important it is, so I didn’t want to go about things in a casual manner. At some point I figured that if nothing came of it, I only lost a few dollars. If it worked, I could gain some new customers. Either way, I decided it was worth the risk and dove in.
2. Reserving the spot. In the past, I’d often forget to check when the next month’s ads were open, so I’d miss the rather small window to reserve a space. At the end of December I read up on all the advertising info and wrote myself a note so I wouldn’t miss the next deadline. Now I know that ads open at the same time every month, so I’ll be ready in the future.
3. What to advertise? I started paying attention to what other vendors were putting in their ads and took notes. I could do a general ad for my business; I could advertise a particular fiber; or I could advertise a particular item. That got me thinking about my products in a new way and helped me decide what to put in my ads.
4. Creating the ads. I used to maintain several fan sites in high school, so I was used to creating banners. And this was a bit more of a challenge. However, thanks to Erin I now have a lovely logo that I am proud to display. But there is more to it than just the logo. I started playing around with a few ideas, some text only, some with images. Each one highlights something a little different. Now I’m having fun!

Here are a few of the ads you might be seeing floating around Ravelry group forums this month. Notebook ads will start running in February.

friday’s question

I’ve been using Vistaprint for several years. The first set of business cards I ever purchased came from them. I chose from their free templates and only paid for shipping. It was very exciting. Later I selected from their premium templates. And now I’ve gone even further to uploading my own design (Erin’s design). In between those orders, I tested out a few other companies. At this point I can’t even remember who it was. But I always ended up going back to Vistaprint. It’s hard not to when they have so many products available. And I get tired of shopping around every time, so I’ve just stuck with them.

However, I was recently pointed to Got Print and I may be switching. It might be a little premature on my part, since I haven’t actually ordered anything from them yet. But their prices look competitive. They are sending me a sample pack of different papers and products (for free), so I’ll be able to get my hands on something before deciding. Of course, this is all fairly moot right now since I just got an order of 1000 business cards in the mail yesterday. It might take me a few months to get through them, but I’ll be prepared for my next order when I need it! Besides, Vistaprint has sort of taken over the world. I doubt they’d miss me.

Question: Are you a loyal customer? Do you shop at the same stores (online or brick & mortar) again and again? Do you use the same service providers? Or do you chase the best deals? Are you always looking for something different, something better?

new fleeces

As I predicted, my fleeces arrived from Zeilinger’s this month. October to January seems to be a standard turn-around, about 2.5 months. And it’s perfect timing, since I’m getting geared up for winter/spring festival season. I had three fleeces processed this time. Each one is a different breed and came from a different place.

Shetland – I bought this fleece in May at the Great Lakes Fiber Show. The man who sold it to me has a small flock of Shetlands in Ohio and he is a skilled woodworker. All of his fleeces were beautiful. I decided on a very light grey and white fleece. When it went through the carding machine, the colors were blended quite uniformly. The overall color now is white with grey strands throughout. I’m curious to see it dyed. I’m not sure whether the grey is pronounced enough to impact the finished colors.

Shropshire – This one came from the fleece sale at the Lake Metroparks Woolfest in June. It was the first time I attended the event and the sale. They were selling fleeces from their own flock at the farm park. There was a wide range of breeds to choose from and I wanted to get something I’d never tried before. You could say I selected this one at random. It seems to be quite spongy! I am interested to see how it spins.

Columbia – This fleece was purchased at the Mahoning County Fair in September. Each year they have a fleece competition and certain fleeces are available for purchase. I had bought a Columbia there a few years ago and decided to try it again. It was a big fleece and it came from a farm in Ohio. In fact, the man who was in charge of the fleece sale owned that particular sheep. Unfortunately it came back to me with a bit more vegetable matter than I would like.

They all came in that box, but they don't fit in there now.

Left to right, Shetland, Columbia, Shropshire.

who stole the cookie…

…from the cookie jar? Gwen stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

This past weekend my dad and I had a day out together. We stopped at a flea market in Hartville. At the first booth we went past, I glanced down to the bottom of a shelf and saw the most adorable cookie jar. I squealed with delight, catching the attention of the vendor. “Does that mean it’s sold?” he asked. Once I saw that he had it priced at $3, I shouted, “Yes, it’s sold!” One of the best things about this cookie jar is that no one’s head has to come off to get to the cookies. I really hate those kind. Big-eyed owls, bears in costume, dogs and cats. Creepy! Nothing creepy about this jar.

PS. Check out this month’s newsletter!