Lack of focus - burnout??

I feel like I am drifting from my purpose or I just have too many irons in the fire.  I need to revisit my business plan and get back to a more focused view of running the Etsy shop.  Still thinking about the shop critique and that I need lots more items listed.  I do have several skeins of handspun yarn which I could list.  Missing the energy to write up profiles on each so that they can be posted.  Pictures exist for most of my handspun.  There are days that I completely understand why most businesses delegate tasks to professionals as it is somewhat overwhelming to be a one man show.  My passion is spinning yarn and I have been faithful to that path over the past few weeks.  On the business side I start to work the business i.e. post pictures, list items, etc. and then my energy is sapped so I push it off to another day.  Today was my first day checking into the Raverly forums - last checked in on Saturday.  This is probably just a slump which will pass - hopefully.  At the end of the day I know that I do have items for sale, some decent photos of the product and a custom order to finish.

I did a google search for alpaca fiber in Colorado and my etsy listings came up on the first page not sure if it is because they are in the cookies on my computer or we really are liked by google.  I think I will have a friend do a search and see what they come up with.  One day I really need to do some research in SEOs and find out how to improve the visibility for all of our items.  Don't think that will happen this week though.

The fingerless gloves are progressing - one is complete.  I need to spin up another bobbin of fiber to make more yarn for the project.  Sent a photo of the completed glove to its owner for approval - which I did receive.  I purchased a sampler box of luxury fiber about 2 years ago and amazingly the dreaded moths haven't gotten to them.  Have you ever heard of Karaoke Fiber?  Well I learned that this is a mixture of wool and Soysilk fibers that produce a silk like yarn.  It has been plied with tan alpaca fiber into a skein.  Made another skein of tan alpaca, whhite cashmere and white silk and yet another of tan alpaca and grey cashmere.  They have all made some nice tweedy looking yarn.  Still have several 1 oz batches of other luxury fibers (bamboo, silk, llama, alpaca, angora and cashmere) to spin up.  It has been fun testing out different spinning techniques with the fibers and learning the traits of each one.

Well I'm off to bed - tomorrow is another day of knitting and it is Ash Wednesday!

Mini Etsy App

Today I learned how to create the various "mini Etsy" photos on the sides of the blog.  This is so cool!  I must give credit to another Etsian and blogger Audrey of TheChristmasCorner for pointing out this feature to me.  She has been kind of enough to create this app on her blog of my Etsy shop this week.  I plan to showcase my favorite finds once a month and keep a mixture of craft shops on the blog to help market the great artisans on Etsy.

I signed up for a website on Artfire this week.  Still reading through how it is different than Etsy but for now I am sticking with the free basic service to test the waters out.  Sent of state and local taxes this week for sales last year too.  I believe I filled out the forms correctly but I am sure the treasury departments will let me know if I made an error.  The yarn from the shop was featured in another treasury this week:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d6e52d269ba6d91d01dc276/i-want-to-knit-you-a-sweater.  There is a new alpaca group in the Etsy forums which I joined since I love all things alpaca.  I have found several works of art that have truly be inspiring and humorous on Etsy like the hats for cats from XMOONBLOOM and hamish bear by AMYANDPIA.  They both made me chuckle this week and laughter is the best cure for all ailments.

I have cast on stitches for the first fingerless gloves.  The handspun yarn is much thicker than what I have used for previous versions of this pattern so I have had to make some adjustments in the design.  It is knitting up beautifully though and has more structure to it then the fingering/lace weight yarns of prior projects.  Need to make it to the post office to mail off the donation of yarn this week - hopefully on Saturday.  The woven scarf is on hold now that the gloves are cast on and I am hoping I made enough for two gloves but we shall see in a week. 

Fingerless Mittens

Designing is not easy.  I am still adjusting the width of the mittens.  My customer choose black yarn in fingering weight and I am doing a ribbing for a simple pattern approach.  I was going to go for a 4x2 but I am thinking of a 2x2 since the yarn is rather stretchy.  I haven't even got to the request of knitting stitches for the thumb and index finger while the other fingers will be in a single opening.  I know that work hours have been very long the past few days which is contributing to my creative juices.  Plugging a way though and I am confident that I can get it done.

Taught my spinning class which was fun (even though I left my supplies at home).  We used drop spindles and a PVC spinning wheel.  We are going to have a 2nd class this coming week so that everyone can try my Louet wheel and different spindles.  I made a couple of rows of weaving on a table top loom.  So cool - I can definately see weaving in my future perhaps in 2012.  I still get the most passion and relaxation from my spinning wheel.  I am definately going to Estes Park this year and the Alpaca Festival this spring.  Shearing day is on Mother's day again at ATAR ranch and I will be skirting fleeces again.  I am to old to be on the barn floor gathering fiber but love this community event.  I look forward to it every year.

I'm in the beginnings stages of looking into owning alpacas.  We shall see what the future holds.  Well back to the designing the gloves - wish me luck!

First sale of 2011

I sold a pair of fingerless mittens yesterday!  I was showing items to a friend and she purchased them on the spot.  Well the sale has changed a bit.  It seems the color scheme wasn't to her liking but she has asked me to design and make her a pair of fingerless mitts in black yarn.  I am glad the quality of my work shows through now to create my first custom order.

Worked on new photos of the yarn, roving and scarves which have been added to the Etsty store.  I also listed my green twisted rib fingerless gloves today.  Green Fingerless gloves

Tonight is dedicated to knitting and baking!