Summer is nearing an end.......

Today I decided I needed to take some time to do some writing.
Summer is nearing an end. School has begun and fall weather has arrived.
Last Tuesday school began. My daughter is a freshman in high school. It is very hard to believe that my "baby" will graduate in 4 years. Where did all those years go? She is my youngest..... of 4 children. She is enjoying high school, making many more new friends and also busy with her cross country team. Last night was her first invitational event. There must have been more than 20 schools that attended this event. There was a HUGE crowd of people from all over that attended/participated in this event. My daughter did very well at her very first cross country "meet". I am very proud of her and the entire team. One of the team mates came in 2nd on the girls team. I made sure I had a chance to tell this young woman how proud we all are of how well she did for our team and our school. The coach was very proud of her also and told us how far she had come from when she first started 4 years ago. She passed out at her first meet. Not uncommon from what he has told us. The coach told me that he is very impressed with how well my daughter is doing as a freshman. He can see that she will be a front runner if she continues with the team throughout high school. That really made me feel even more proud of my youngest daughter.
Since school has begun my youngest son (graduated high school in June) and I have some time to go out and do things also. Unfortunately.... lately.... he is needing to sleep until afternoon due to working 3rd shift. But.... we still manage to squeeze in some time to get out of the house and do things together. My son is working on saving up money to help out towards his college education and also buy a car. I am encouraging him to consider atleast taking a course or two now instead of waiting until next year to go to college. I am not going to force the issue though. He really is not ready for college full time.... yet. So.... working is a good thing. Saving up for a car and work towards more independence is also good.
I managed to get some of the reorganizing using the "Space Bags". Unfortunately.... the ones that are used for hanging clothes.... don't work. These bags will be returned this week. The other bags.... they did make a huge difference and have freed up some space, making things more organized. I think I will exchange the ones that did not work for hanging clothes for more that I can store linens and blankets.
I have tried to squeeze in some time for knitting. I finished knitting a few more purses and felted them. I am now trying to work on scarves since the customers at the market are wanting these now. I only had a few left over from last year. I finished up a few more of the fuzzy flip flops also. Sold a few more pairs on Saturday and sold a few of the purses I have designed. I had several requests for more so I really need to get busy this week finishing up what I have been working on.
The market sales on Saturday were very bad..... only sold a $2.00 item until the last 45 minutes of the sales day. Then all of a sudden...... I had sold a total of $90.00 during 45 minutes. That made the day alot better..... considering I was fearing that my sales were only going to be $2.00 for the day. That does not even pay for my gas to drive there. $90.00 is still not my usual sales for the day. But.... it is better than nothing at all. Market sales have been down for all the vendors this year compared to previos years. We just have to try to hang in there and realize that we are not always going to do well. That is just how sales go for businesses.
I am working on a few new soap scents for the natural cold processed soaps that I create. I have a few new ideas for the lotions also. I need to get busy with making these for the fall art/craft shows season. I will need these by October.
A few weekend ago was the fiber event in Michigan. I had considered going to this but decided since there is one coming up within a hour drive from here in September.... that would be best. I would not have to pay for lodging, etc. since this could be a day trip. However.... I do have to give up one of my Saturday market days to attend this event. Well.... I could wait and go on Sunday.... but I really prefer to go to these types of events early in the morning when they open on the first day to get the first choice of items being sold. I want to stock up on more fiber for spinning over the winter months. I also want to check into doing this show possibly next year to set up/sell as a vendor possibly next year. I would have loved to have been ready for this event this year. But.... I don't have enough inventory ready for this type of event. I do have one in April that I can plan on doing. I just need to get busy creating over the winter months to be fully prepared. I met so many nice people at that event last year. The vendors were so helpful, kind and very informative. That event is very small.... but they had anything and everything someone would need for spinning, knitting, felting, etc. It was alot of fun also. My daughter was begging me at that event to allow her to adopt an angora bunny. I did not think it would be a good idea...... we have cats.
Last week while preparing wool for spinning..... I was fluffing up some Roemey wool. I really would like to buy a drum carder for preparing wool. I am researching and hoping to possibly try a few at the fiber event next month. I also would like to have a yarn swift. I have a yarn winder which also plies. I bought this in the 1980's. A really nice one. I don't even see this type being sold anywhere. I have a skeiner.... which is nice. I orignally thought it not only would be nice for using to create skeins from the yarn I am spinning. But also thought it would work well for holding the skeins when I am winding into yarn balls with the winder. But..... this does not work as well as a swift when winding skeins into balls. So.... I now want a swift. A wooden one. I am trying to decide if I want one that clamps or a table top model. I think the table top model would be nice since it would not need to be tightened constantly. I did find that JoAnn Fabrics online website has the clamp on style and I can use the 40% and 50% off coupons to purchase it. My husband is telling me that he can make me a yarn swift and has managed to locate a book that he can check out from the local library. So.... he is going to check this out over the weekend and attempt to make me the yarn swift. He is having fun working with his woodworking tool system lately. Giving him another project will be fun for him. He has also made me a few yarn trees to store cones of yarn and also skeins. He is working on ideas to make me a few table top yarn trees for displaying yarn also. These could be used for displaying yarn at the market when I start taking the handspun to the market to sell. I am even considering having him make some birch knitting needles to sell at the market. Both straights and double pointed. I have made my own knitting needles in the past when I could not find the sizes I needed. They really are nice. The double pointed needles I made were made in the 1980's. It was impossible even then to find the more popular size needles. I decided to get creative and make my own. They turned out well.
The needle idea..... I plan to make handmade knitting needles and create knitting kits with the needles, handspun yarn and patterns. Kind of a learn to knit kit. Customers at the market have been asking if I would consider teaching knitting. With these kits.... that would be possible. And I really enjoy teaching. I really miss teaching from when I had my store a few years ago. I taught children ceramic painting on bisque. They all enjoyed coming to my store and I also had a summer program that I offered before the store hours during the summer vacation months. I still have former students that come up to me and tell me how much they miss taking the classes that I once taught. That just warms my heart to know that I truely had students that enjoyed the time they spent in my store. I also used to have Mom's night out painted sessions each month. These women also miss those nights.
The doorbell just rang...... a UPS delivery man just delivered a box.... from my Secret Pal.... Secret Pal 2. I opened the box..... inside I found.... a gorgeous Burgundy tote bag and pencil case that is perfect as a take along project bag and cute case that will hold double pointed needles and my little container for stitch markers, yarn needle for stitching and small scissors. Also..... inside the bag I found.... Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora yarn. I beautiful shade of Fuschia. I think I may use this to make a nice soft scarf for myself for winter. I truely love this color. In fact..... this is one of my favorite colors to wear.
Thank you Secret Pal2 for the beautiful gifts that you sent to me. I love everything. And also thank you for the very thoughtful card.
Regarding the secret pal exchanges I am participating in..... I am also working on a few gifts for my secret pal(s). I am almost done with creating the gifts to go along with things I have bought recently. I hope to get these gifts mailed later on this week.