Thursday, May 12, 2011

six weeks till Black Sheep

Summer's Day

I leave for Black Sheep Gathering six weeks from today, and much to my surprise, I'm on track with my preparation. Amazing how a skein or braid of roving here and there can add up when you start early enough. My goal was to bring triple the amount of fiber that I had last year, and it looks like I'm on pace to have closer to quadruple. My BFL/silk blend (like the photo above) is definitely popular, so I'll have a lot of that.

What a change from how I felt around this time last year. During the runup to BSG, I was stressed about where my business was going, what I was investing for little emotional return, never getting enough sleep, and so on. If Black Sheep didn't go well, I was going to quit.

But it did go well. Better than I had dreamed of. I'd hoped to equal my Sock Summit take; I ended up selling almost 50% more. And even better were the comments that people made about my yarn, and my fiber. Those words, sometimes said directly to me, sometimes overheard as friends were talking to each other, have carried me through a lot of late nights.

And now I'm a full-time dyer, thanks to the magic rejuvenation of BSG. Thank you, Black Sheep friends, for reinspiring me. <3

3 comments:

SewPatch54 said...

I am so glad to read that you are bringing even more yarn and fiber to BSG this year. My friend and I bought yarn and visited with you last year at BSG, I think on Sunday. This year we plan to be at your booth on Friday, to see an even better selection. And, I got a wheel this year, so I am also looking forward to seeing all your fiber, too. I am using the Willow I got last year (Marine colorway) for the Roxanne KAL, and it is almost done. I love the yarn, it is lovely!

joyce said...

You are never permitted to quit. Everything you do is beautiful :)

I wish I could be there in person to shop your pretties!

Unknown said...

Thank you, SewPatch! I remember you perfectly, and I'm glad you're able to come up again for BSG. Thanks for letting me know that you enjoy the yarn--that's so nice to hear!