Someone Reads This Blog! and Sheep in the City

I just enjoyed a nice weekend at Sheep in The City. It's funny how every one of these fiber festival/retreat things that I go to are different. Sheep in the City definitely wins the prize for being the most social. Jan, owner of Just 4 Ewe yarn shop and the organizer of SITC, knows how to network and create fun, and she has a loyal crowd of followers coming to this event for the classes, cakewalk and comedy!

I registered late and was lucky to get a table. Despite my cramped and less than optimal location, I had good sales, so I'm not complaining. The only thing that was not so great about this weekend was that I taught 2 classes, and I felt they didn't go as well as my knitting classes usually do. We were pressed for time and I was overtired from just 3 hours sleep the night before. It was Ok, but not great . . . I know I can revise and make it better.

I think that what I enjoyed most this weekend were conversations with customers. A couple of my customers told me that they first found me online. One mentioned that she bought a couple of kits online, and had no problem following the directions and making the bracelets without having taken a class on knit with wire. (That's always good to hear) Another told me she had downloaded my Tallinn Twist--the free pattern I have on my website and on Ravelry. I was especially tickled when a last minute customer on Sunday told me she likes my blog and that is actually how she found out about Sheep in The City. So hello loyal fan(s)! Thanks for the complements, it's what keeps me going.

Stonehenge

Color and texture, that's what its all about. Whether it's yarn or wire and beads, I love making new combinations. Here's the latest new jewelry idea. I thought I'd call it Stonehenge because of the stone circle. I will have kits in sodalite/navy, brecciated jasper/brown, and snow quartz/silver. Love it! These kits will make their debut at Sheep in the City in 2 weeks. Can't wait, can't wait!

Heart of Stone for a Cause

I knitted up a few more necklaces over the weekend. I wanted to make a Heart of Stone necklace in pink because the heart is so different from the jasper one that I made first. The pendant is a bit smaller with a much larger hole. I could have done this in silver wire, but I want to offer something with pink wire with a percentage of sales going to ABCD - After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. This is a wonderful breast cancer support group in my community. I don't know if its that I've reached a certain age where these things seem to happen, or if its simply that we are poisoning ourselves, but lately every time I turn around someone I know is diagnosed with breast cancer. Currently, 5 women at work, 1 relative, and 2 good friends are battling the disease.So I hope by donating 2% of sales to ABCD for every pink wire kit sold that I can do some small part to help women deal with this disease. I suppose the large hole in the heart is appropriate for association to this cause. Of course, I've made this second necklace and I still haven't written it up. It isn't difficult though and should get done soon if other tasks don't get in the way (which of course they always do). I think by Valentine's day will be an appropriate goal.