Art yarn - having fun with bits of this and that

Since it is Thanksgiving Day and hubby and I are both recovering from the flu, I finally got a chance to sit down and spin up some of the Art bat I bought last summer.  Kitty Grrlz has a great kit available for those art yarn newbies, like myself.  I spun up half of the bat today and just loved how it came out.  I plan to use it as an embellishment on an alpaca hat. 


When I got the kit, I had reservations about trying art yarn.  So many people have specific ideas about what their hand spun yarn should be.  I was still new to spinning and was having trouble accepting the fact that it did not have to be perfect.  I think everyone is their own critic when it comes to their art; always wanting to be better and not accepting that the learning process takes time.  When I talked to the girl at the show she said something that has stuck with me.  She said "It's art yarn, there is no rules" - this inspired me to give it a try and see what happens.  I must say I am very happy with the results.   

One thing to keep in mind when trying art spinning is to be sure to tuck the ends of the fancy yarn into the roving.  This locks the yarn in and won't let it pull out easily.  It was a bit of a trick to get used to plying to thread but I let the roving  ply wind around the thread to give it another added bit of texture.  I love how the eyelash yarn pieces opened like a flower as it spun around the core piece.  I think it is going to look so neat on my hat.  I think I may have to cut this blog short so I can get started on the hat.  I'll post a pic when it is finished.  Meanwhile, keep on spinnin'!

The Etsy Shop

I have been wanting to set up an Etsy shop for over a year now.  After trial and error, I officially opened my shop for business on November 20th, 2010.  I was inspired by many friends who had supported the idea and have their own shops online.  They gave me some good advice and I plan to use all of it.  Thus Booties and Handspun by Babylove was born.  I hope to have my first sale by Christmas.  Before I had things loaded, I already had many views and that is a good sign. 


There is so much to learn about product presentation, pricing and shipping but I plan to learn as I go.  Since I cannot afford a professional photographer at this time, I am making due with my limited photography.  Eventually, I plan to hire a local college student to take some pics and go from there.  Etsy helps out by offering insights for new shop owners and gives advice towards a successful endeavor. 

It would be great if things took off and suddenly I could quit my job and life would be wonderful, but I am jumping ahead of myself.  Honestly, I just want to get my products out there and supplement my hobby by making a few bucks off of it.  I am not delusional enough to think my hobby is going to take the place of my teaching job.  If it did, it would become my job and no longer a hobby. 

So the door is now open for me to step into my future.  As long as Cagney keeps producing wonderful fleece, I will have the opportunity of processing it and sharing it with others.  I must admit, it is exciting to look at the shop and see how many people have seen my items.  It gives me a rush, but I am sure the bigger rush is yet to come as the items start selling.  Wish me luck!!~~~~

Insomnia rants

It's late at night and I can't sleep.  I keep thinking about what I can and cannot control.  Everything seems to be out of my reach and I cannot do anything to make things happen the way I want it to.  I am trying to start my online shop but am being held up by some things I do not understand.   I am trying to find answers but so far they are eluding me.  Home problems are not helping either.  Trying to prepare for the future is ruling my mind right now.  Ideas of what I can do if I lose my full time job.  Yes, I , like so many other teachers in the state, have no idea weather or not I will have a job come August.  Since things have been going well with the alpaca sales, I am hoping to get the etsy shop up and running so I can have some sort of income if the worst case scenario happens.  Meanwhile thoughts of my student loans, car loans and credit cards is haunting me like an ancient ancestor who is holding a grudge.  Then thoughts wander and I start concocting plans to keep my loved ones safe and only I have to bear the brunt of the inevitable financial collapse that could happen.  My late night rantings inflate until my brain refuses to sleep.  I try to relax - remembering the techniques I learned to help prepare me for performances and applying them to try to sleep.  Then I remember I have a concert coming up next week and I start thinking of what I have to do to make it work.  Before I know it another hour has passed and worries of how I will survive the next day at work if I don't have any sleep.  It is an ongoing quest for a few minutes of solitude.  I take cough syrup to help me sleep - the coughing has kicked in and assists the insomnia for a while.  The cough syrup has no effect and the sleeplessness continues.  I pray for comfort and God's will.  Momentarily I feel better - relaxation is almost here but then I start to think that maybe God has me awake to teach me a lesson.  I just can't win so I get up and blog to help clear my mind.  It wakes me up even more.  Hubby is sleeping like a baby in the other room - he doesn't even notice I am not there.  Before I know it, another hour goes by and some stupid infomertial is  on the tv.  Maybe boredom will help me sleep - nope - it doesn't.  The most sleep I can hope for is about 4 hours - certainly not enough to function but if I don't go back in the bed, I won't even have that much to hope for.  Meanwhile, good night to all of you and I wish sweet dreams and long lumberous sleep to you.  If only I could enjoy it . . . . .