October Update
I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping you all updated on happenings here at the studio. It's been a busy couple of months.
DFW Fiber Fest: The DFW show was September 23-25. It was our first time doing this show although we have applied a couple of times over the past 10 years. The venue was wonderful, the choice of vendors was great and there were lots of attendees. We never expect to do well at a show they first time we vend there but we did great. Our hotel was just down the street from the venue so no long commutes. I found the Starbucks pretty quickly and there were great restaurants almost within walking distance. We are already looking forward to next year.
Skunk Protocol: We usually see skunks out here in the spring. That's mating season and then we have new mommas with babies looking for homes. I think this is the first time we have had to institute our skunk protocol in the fall. Skunk protocol requires keeping the lights on in the barn and having some loud music blaring. Skunks, particularly mommas with babies are looking for dark and quiet so we make sure the area is neither. In this case, the skunk smell was strongest in the barn so I was pretty sure we had a potential tenant in our midst. The smell was gone the next morning after a night with music and light but we kept up the music and light for a week. It works every time and we are now skunk free - at least until next spring when we will probably have to do it all over again.
Schacht Deliveries: We are very proud to sell Schacht products, including spinning wheels, small and large looms and lots of fun tools. This past couple of years, Schacht has been shipping what we order but it is taking a much longer time since Covid. Things we used to get in just a couple of weeks are taking a couple of months and some items are taking longer than that. They always arrive in great shape, it just takes longer. They have had supply chain issues on most of the supplies they order and have had some of their well trained and trusted staff sick so the longer wait times are not a surprise.
Cricket Quartet: One of the things we have been eagerly awaiting from Schacht is the new Cricket Quartet. The two we ordered arrived last week! I have put the first one together and am getting ready to warp it. I think I'm going to love it. It turns a rigid heddle loom into a four shaft table loom so it's the intervening step between your first Cricket loom and that floor loom you've been wanting. I'll have the loom warped and tested out by the time we see everyone at Texas Fleece and Fiber in Kerrville, TX next weekend. Be sure to stop by our booth to give it a whirl.
Dyeing Fiber: My grandsons were out here visiting for a week just before school started. As it happens, the older one got sick and I took him home but the younger one, Tuck, stayed for the rest of the week. I decided he might enjoy helping me dye some fiber and he really did. He picked the colors for his fiber and I picked the colors for mine. We sun dyed them in black plastic garbage bags we put out in the sun. It was easy and fun and although my colors were great, Tuck ended up with better colors on his fiber than I did on mine. So I put his name on the fiber. Check out the color Tuck in BFL & Silk fiber.
Dyeing Yarn: Peggy and I did a great dye day a couple of weeks ago. We hadn't dyed yarn in a while so we got busy. The final total was 70 skeins scattered among our wool and super wash wool bases. I love the colors and it's nice to have our inventory back up where it should be. I have all the new colors on the website and finished photographing them all today. I finally decided my camera needs a new battery since the recharging isn't working as well as it always has.
Texas Fleece & Fiber: We are excited to be getting ready for Kerrville. This is a fun show. It's the newest iteration of Kid 'n Ewe which Grady Ingle managed for many years. KnE was located in several places over the years but spent it's last years in Boerne, TX. We loved Boerne. The new owners of the festival have moved us to Kerrville where the facilities are better even if it's an hour farther from Houston. Be sure to check out Mary's Tacos if you come. They may just be the best breakfast tacos I've ever had. If you can't make it out to Kerrville, be sure to stop by the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston for the Fall Artisan Sale at the Guild House, 1425 Blalock Rd Suite 202, Houston, TX 77055. Check their website www.weavehouston.org for the details.
