Adjustments

The kids are both in school now, the first year for my son.

This means early mornings and not nearly so late nights (I don't think a bedtime before 11 PM will ever quite be something I can do) will become normal. While I am not an early riser I am looking forward to having some time.

I'm still trying to find that rhythm and routine in photograph, edit, list, each and every day. I managed two days but today was a studio day. Looking at my products page, I'm really pleased to see that even though I am starting to incorporate a few neon colors in my palette, my work flows well and is cohesive, recognizable. Even when I incorporate another artist's fiber into my wirecore for my jewelry I like that it challenges me to work with colors and textures I may not have. Like Maegan's amazing bright white alpaca blend with neon noils here. 

I've been working on lines of products, though I hate referring to them as "products" like that. To me, it takes the handmade feeling out of what I do by just using a word. On my banner I say "fiber goods" and that feels more home to me, like my hands still touched it, because each and everything thing I do requires a lot of process and handling. A main goal that I began work on earlier this year is having color ways be consistent across all of my goods.  I would like to have my colorways be available in all types of batts, punis, dyed top, and even creeping into my jewelry. Small batch production is key.

This method of working came about more so because I realized how much more productive I was being with my jewelry vs. fiber because I always make small batches of each component, assemble, and move on to the next type I am low on. It is working out extremely well in my fiber work now and really adds cohesion to my booth setup.

The other reason I began working this way is that the majority of my work is about texture. My batts are modest in size, 2 oz for Betty's and 2.5 oz. for Bricobatts, but still a decent amount for a small project. Many people want project quantities so working in multiples and having all of my fiber goods coordinate gives several options for stretching the materials enough for a whole range project sizes.

I want people to realize how usable fiber preparations can be even when they look too pretty or too funky to spin. So many exciting things that be achieved when you try something new. I have noticed a great resistance in traditional spinners to a lot of the seemingly new preparations and range of color available now at fiber shows. More on that next time...