Happy 2014!

I just checked back through my previous blog posts and I've been on hiatus for quite a few months now.  I'm not sure how it happened since I never really intended to stop writing but with all the changes going on, writing this blog just hasn't happened.  All our surgeries have been completed and recovered from and we are all doing great.  My husband can now see clearly without glasses for the first time in his entire life.  I continue to be surprised seeing him without glasses.  My mid summer grandson is 6 months old already and we added a beautiful new granddaughter just this week.

Peggy and I just got back from a two week tour of Destin, FL and Oxford, MS.  The January Spin-In in Destin was wonderful, as usual.  We had a great time, saw some old friends and made some new ones.  We have talked to a wonderful weaver who may have some of her lovely kitchen towels on our website soon and to a superb craftsman who makes fun and funky orifice hooks.  We hope to be carrying these soon also.

Oxford was equally fabulous.  We love the people in Oxford, in particular our friend Patsy Engelhard who owns Knit 1 Oxford and produces the fiber festival.  We taught a Zoom loom weaving class, a triangle loom weaving class and a hand-painted dyeing class while we were there.  All the classes were fun to do and all the participants were creative and totally enjoyable.  We had cold dreary weather for the entire two weeks we were gone but were very lucky not to have any travel issues.

Our concern about travel to Destin and Oxford was caused by being iced in when we were in Hot Springs, AR back in December.  That was a fun show but the ice was so bad only about half of the people who had pre-registered were able to make it to the convention center.  None the less, we will be back there this fall.  There are great people in charge of that show and it's a lovely place for a show - at least I think it is.  The weather was so bad we barely make it from the hotel to the convention center.  Sight seeing was completely out of the question.  In 2014 that show will be in September instead of December and I think the chances of us getting snowed/iced in will be remote.

I'm in the middle of unloading the trailer, taking stock of what we have left and what we need to get busy making, spinning, dyeing or weaving.  I'm pleased that our next show isn't until June.  We have lots of time to be busy in the studio without the packing and unpacking, the loading and unloading.  It's time to sit inside where it's toasty warm and be creative.