We have a Winner!

As part of my participation in the Phat Fiber Sampler box, I occasionally give away roving.  The queen of Phat Fiber, Jessie puts a notice on her blog and people will come to my Etsy shop and comment on what they like.  It gives me very good feedback about colors that people like (and why).  The folks who comment have an opportunity to win fiber or yarn or stitch markers - whatever is on offer.  I once won a lovely journal, still too precious to use!

Jennifer of Landen Road Designs won the Saturn roving - the red/gold colorway that I featured in the December Phat Fiber box.  Her clay work is lovely and as a beginning spinner she was very tickled to receive it.  Perhaps she will send a photo of the project that will come out of it and I'll share it here!

As I looked at her blog to see where to send it, I realized that she lived in Canton, Ohio - the city where I spent my childhood and adolescence.  Now I admit that I went away to college and never returned and have only visited to attend a class reunion a few years back.  The city has grown immensely and my urban neighborhood looked a bit rough around the edges, with the suburbs seeing positive growth that was only starting when I left.  But the park that runs through the NW section of the city was still lovely, bringing back memories of wading in the creek, walking on the trails and skating on the lake.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame is still there too!

2010 Begins...

With a look back, of course.  Overall, 2009 was a great year with SMF holding steady, expanding some and staying fun.  My spinning has improved, I am spinning interesting yarns from dyed and natural roving and from a few lovely fleeces that I have purchased. I installed a solar water heater, had a great garden, have stayed mostly healthy and quite happy.  Work has remained challenging but satisfying.  

But I thought I'd look at last years goals and see how I did...

Selling my work - I set sales goals on Etsy by month and by year. For example, in 2009 I hope to sell 1000 items.  Well, I sold 650 items.  Whether it was the economy or lack of promotion on my part, I fell a bit short, but still increased sales over the previous year, so that's okay.

Colorways – I’d like to round out the color selection in the Etsy shop to be sure that I always have a full complement around the spectrum.  Reasonably successful as I have paid attention to keeping colors in stock all the time.  I've developed repeatable colorways for the 'Andromeda Shades,' a line based on the planets and stars. I've also added hand dyed mohair and wool locks to the shop.

Sock yarns – Although these are NOT my strength on Etsy, they have a steady turnover at both B&M shops. Work on semi-solids. Think up a catchy name for same.  'Subtle Shades' is my name for the semi-solids.  They still sell much better in the yarn shops that Etsy and I think that's okay.
 
Etsy FAST –Get involved in the team again. Join in the challenges, stay active on FiberFriday.  While staying active on Fiber Friday, I've switched my activity to the Phat Fiber group, submitting samples to the box on alternate months.  Did it increase sales?  Not sure, but it has definitely increased exposure (based on Google Analytics), so that's good.  At this year's SAFF, people recognized me as SmokyMountainFibers, which was very cool!

Ravelry - SMF group – Start it - Easy! Maintain it - a bit harder! What if nobody joins? Yikes!  Just got around to it!  I have a Facebook presence and a couple of fans, but it is tricky maintaining it.  I have posted a couple of patterns to Ravelry and that's fun and easy, just takes time!

Patterns – Shall I give one away? Free patterns posted to blog? Posted on Ravelry as a free download? Hmm…I now have 4 patterns on Etsy, another freebie posted to the blog with plans to create another freebie and expanding the size range on the existing patterns.

Website: SmokyMountainFibers.com – This is the year!  Well, I own the name and server space, but have not built it yet.  Add this to next year's plan.

Next year's plan?  Stay tuned...

Fifteen More Minutes of Fame

Over in the fiber subculture we have the Phat Fiber Sampler Box - a monthly box of samples that go out to several dozen lucky buyers.  They do up on the Phat Fiber Etsy shop and are sold out in minutes.  To drum up excitement, Jessie, the queen of Phat Fiber blogs about different contributors throughout the month and people go check out your shop and talk about what they like. It's a fun community and since I am a contributor I get a box each month.  It's a great way to keep up with what other fiber artists are doing.  At our SAFF meetup back in October, I got to meet a number of the Phat Fiberistas - a fine group we are too!

I'm on the blog today, giving away a full size version of my December sample, Saturn.  I love to make this colorway - a vermillion red with gold - and all the colors in between.  In fact I blogged about it just the other day, but this is a different picture. And I admit it - I like reading the comments to hear what people like about my work.  Besides everybody says nice things!  They want to win!  No place here for that dreaded 'feedback.' No constructive criticism for my own good.  I'll just bask in my own personal glory for a little while longer!  I'll come down to earth soon enough.

Back to knitting:  Calorimetry 1 & 2 completed.  Scarf 1 begun, all of 5 inches knitted.  Still choosing yarn for the fingerless mitts.  Solid or multicolored?  Life is full of difficult decisions!

Looming Ever Closer...

...so it's time to change my mind about what to knit for people. Oh No!  Instead of the scarf for person E, how about fingerless mitts?  Found a cute pattern that should be a fun knit and I can convert it to knitting in the round (or not!).  Truth is, I hate to knit scarves.  So don't already. 

The picture that you see here is my kitchen window about as decorated as things get around here. Yes, they are hot pepper lights which I purchased in Long Beach, CA back in the mid-nineties. Even though I don't decorate my hoe or office, I like to visit Christmas and that I will do that when I travel to see my sister and her darlin' family.  Now they do Christmas!

Ho Ho Holiday Knitting Fun

Taking a break from dyeing for SmokyMountainFibers and knitting for the local gallery shops, it's time to knit a bit for people I love.  I always have such good intentions; then Christmas tends to sneak up on me.  Can't really tell you why.  Unlike movable feasts like Chanukah, Easter, Back-to-School, Christmas, as they say, comes but once a year.  And as far as I can tell, on December 25th. 

Back in the olden days, my parents used to host the family get-together on New Years Day.  My mother strongly believed that children should wake up in their on beds, open their presents on Christmas morning, go to church and spend the remainder of the day playing with their new toys, reading their new books, arguing over engaged with their new games and eating candy from their stockings.  Children did not need to leave the house, unless sleds or skates were involved.

What this meant for out-of-town Annie was that the statute of limitations for shipping gifts had a one-week extension.  Finishing and shipping had a January 1st deadline.  Now if I had actually attended said gatherings the deadline would have slipped even more positively, but the airports and roads between North Carolina and Minnesota are simply closed that time of year.  Now the nieces and nephews are mostly grown.  The little kids' mom gets a check to add quietly to their Christmas fund.  I only see the  Pittsburghers and frenzied shopping on the 23rd is part of our tradition. 

But I do have a few gifts to knit. I will see just a few people with whom I will exchange gifts and sadly the drive north is a mere 8 hours, so I can't leave it all to do in the car.  Here goes...

Calorimetry in Punta Merisoft in a handpainted green - 90% done
One Row Scarf in variegated reds - stash yarn selected
Another scarf in 'woodsy + blue', highly likely same pattern - yarn purchased
Pink Mittens - Yarn in stash. I think.
Available, fully knitted and not spoken for: some number of knitted hats that are particularly nice and have been held back from the gallery shops as gits in reserve.


Can that be all?

December Phat Fiber Spoiler

The Phat Fiber theme for December is 'AuroraBorealis and Beyond,' but in my case it's a little closer to home.  I'm staying inside the solar system with Saturn, one of my stock colors.  A year or so ago I developed a group of colorways inspired by the planets and Saturn is one of my favorites.  It is red-orange and gold, a hot and happy color and the secondary colors that form where the dyes mix are very nice.  There is pink and coral, both pale and saturated.  During the Thanksgiving break, I dyed up a few batches and made up samples for the Sampler box, taking advantage of a bit of time off from work to play with fiber.  I even sent them in as soon as the post office reopened on the Monday after Thanksgiving.  I always look forward to getting my own box.  It is both gratifying and inspiring.

With the shopping season in full swing, I have knit hats and hats and hats.  Now I'm ready to deliver the last of them to the shops and knit for friends and family.  As so often happens, when I sat down to begin I knit a disaster, using a much too thick yarn so I not only have something to un-knit, I have to reknit it.  I's okay I like to knit!  Since it's my own yarn, I have already made new plans for it.

My Etsy shop has been rocking the past few weeks, thanks to my new and loyal customers. I have been taking piles of boxes to the post office 3 or 4 days a week and sending them to their new homes.  Thanks!   I appreciate your continued support. 

Counting Down the Days

Though I don't have children counting down the days until the guy in the red suit makes an appearance, I do have a number of students who are ready to usher the semester out the door. I make sure that their most difficult projects in my class are over earlier in the semester.  This way when they are covered up at finals time, I am not in competition for their scarce time, limited resources and failing sense of humor.

I'd rather spend my time on fiber!  I'd rather spin and knit and dye that read research papers.  I'd rather grade projects that demonstrate that they are learning.  Because of my work in teaching with primary Sources, I am working with a group of students who are creating a documentary about the struggle for civil rights, that is my real work.  These students are doing creative work whereby they have to understand the content as they build their group video.

Life in the world headquarters of Smoky Mountain Fibers has been hoppin'!  I have been spinning and knitting a LOT, shipping daily, working at Locally Grown, the crafts gallery at the Western North Carolina Farmer's Market.   I'll be there this Saturday and next, knitting and spinning as I booth sit next door for my friend Mac, who is doing a show.

I've been included in 2 recent Etsy Treasuries - in both cases my hand dyed Romney locks.  Here are the pictures.  The Reds are a real treat, the Purple locks  got a great spot in the upper corner.  Keep in mind, the links don't stay active long.  They get recycled pretty quickly.  Meanwhile, time to take a little walk to the Post Office, then get grading, work on budgets and generally put nose to grindstone!