A Belated Wish

Hello again.  I have been quite remiss in my efforts to keep blogging of late, but I think for good reason.  There were the upcoming holidays, of course, but also a slight shift in my thinking about my weaving future.  I wanted to take some time to really consider where I was and in which direction I was headed.  Though the thought processes are still not totally solidified, I do feel confident that I am getting out of the baby-wearing realm, except for gifting or perhaps a favor here and there.  The new regs are finally being considered, and though there is to be a 12 month grace period. my life and all that is required really doesn't allow me to be as active on social media as I have to be to succeed. I was finding myself pulled in too many directions, and always trying to cram in more weaving to keep the business active and exciting, along with everything else that one has to do with a full time job and a house to run.  This past year was my most successful as a business, mostly because of the several wraps and slings that I sold, and I do love that my creations are out there, snuggling babies to their moms (mostly).  One of the reasons I did have a bit of success was the addition of a helper for my FB page, and she was HUGE in driving interest and sales.  She now has her own online weaving business to attend to, and does some amazing work with hand dyed warps.

So, after some thought, I have decided to scale my weaving back a bit, starting with actually trying to weave somethings for myself and family!  To start, I am warping for another try at a rug for my kitchen to help cover up the ratty floor near the sink and prep area.  The sink is set at an angle, and so trying to weave the 45 degree angle the correct length will certainly be my challenge, but, hey, it's just cotton.  As a reminder, this is the space I am trying to cover up.

I've just finished winding the warp on my board, and I found that trying to remember how to feed warps through the tension box strained my brain a bit - that Warping Square has spoiled me!  This warp is only 3.5 yards long, though, so using the Square really didn't make much sense. And, this is my first time warping with cotton rug warp, and I can see how it could be used for baby blankets - it's much softer than I imagined.  Photos to come.

After that, I think I will warp for some huck baby blankets using 12/2 Supima cotton.  I'm thinking I will weave three - one in all natural, and two with different colored wefts.  One (or more) will be for a hypothetical grandbaby that supposedly will be coming sometime in the near future.  In that vein, I am also spending my evening craft time doing a counted cross stitch Christmas stocking for said baby.  I purchased two, and this is the first one I am working on:

It is from Dimensions Crafts, and is called Welcome Santa.  I've done counted cross stitch before, and I'm sure it will be fine, but I miss knitting socks!  I may have to take a bit of a break along the way, but I'm not one to have projects languish, so I'll have to dig in.

I also bought myself a larger inkle loom, from Windhaven Fiber and Tools on Etsy.  I want to try tablet weaving, and have borrowed DVDs from John Malarkey to try to learn how.  I'm thinking of some more keys fobs for craft fairs, as well as gifts.  The problem is, I also think I need to actually DO the warping and weaving with the DVDs before I have to send them back in the middle of the month.  There really never is enough time, is there?

So, here's to more frequent blog entries, and a less stressed out weaving experience in the future.  I wish you all a happy, healthy, and joyous New Year!  See you on the other side!!