Time to reflect

Things have been quiet around here. Babies are almost all here and settled with moms. I am still bottle feeding Shake and Chinless, Barbara's kid who was born with a deformed chin, but it does not require the heroic efforts and the time that the main baby season requires.

I have decided to sell a lot of the 2-4 year Shetlands and angora goats and I don't plan breeding very many. I would like to focus on the art side of the fiber business and it will allow me to do shows elsewhere.

I am always being asked about where I do shows and being told that I would do really well in "such and such" a place. I am going to apply to large shows that require being juried and to fine art shows, not fiber shows, because I am looking for what I call "real people." Most fiber artists seem to be buying most of their supplies online. I figure that I have saturated the Tucson area, so I am applying to shows in the Phoenix area and San Diego. I have already received word today that I have been accepted into the San Diego Holiday show at the Del Mar fairgrounds for Thanksgiving weekend. It makes sense to do that one, because of location and the fact that my son, Kyle, has been accepted to San Diego University as a master's student with a teacher's assistant position. It will give me a chance to check out his home and also get his help. (Slave labor!)

The picture above is part of a vest that I am weaving. I have almost finished it, but will not cut it off the loom until I have finished the warp. I can see the beam, so I am almost there!

I am spinning 400-600 yard skeins of fall colors and carding up 5-8 ounce rovings of colors to sell and to have for blending. I am on a red kick right now and have almost finished a Romney fleece by blending some with black Rambouillet, some with white kid mohair, some with chestnut llama, and some with all of it thrown together randomly (my favorite and the one that I will probably spin.)

My Moss Green Garden shawl is almost complete and the first 7 necklaces have been mailed!