Show season 2017 is complete!
It's been a magnificent, wonderful whirlwind. Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by my booth at Needles Up or New England Fiber Festival, or who came to the trunk show at Another Yarn - it's been so lovely to meet internet friends and expand my network of local spinners. You are why I am in business!
Today the online shop has been updated with all the new goodies created for these fall shows - find them here in the "new items" collection!
So what's next?
- The Autumn Woods Spin-A-Long! I've got a new autumn-themed kit out, and I'd love for you to join me in a fun art-yarn spin-a-long. I'll be sharing my progress on Instagram using #AutumnWoodsSAL, and using one of my Autumn Woods kits, shown below. You are welcome to use your own fibers as well, and never fear if you haven't spun an art yarn before! I'll be posting content all month about my process, tips, techniques, and recommendations for spinners new to this type of work. Join me!
- Here at Classy Squid HQ, this month is all about improvements and efficiencies. This past month, we pushed production to the limit to prepare for our fall shows - dyeing up a storm, carding like crazy, and adding a new member to our team, Guin - my padawan-carder! Together with Beka, my studio gnome and shipping guru, this now makes us a team of three. It's an exciting time, and we've got lots of ideas for continued improvements around the studio. Stay tuned!
- Gemütlichkeit - here in Massachusetts, we just turned back the clocks for daylight savings time, making for dark, quiet evenings. It's finally begun to feel cold during the day, and new and familiar hand-knits are being pulled back into rotation. Do you struggle with the darker, cold season? A good friend has tuned me in to the concept of Gemülichkeit, a German word that conveys warmth, friendliness, good cheer, coziness, and belonging. There's an intriguing movement brewing, centered on this word (or the Danish hygge), and a mindful consideration of your own moods during this season and ways you can increase the warmth and cheer in your own life. Many knitters and crafters have readily latched on to the idea, and I think it's fabulous. Given how busy our lives can get, I really appreciate the encouragement to slow down and invest in your own happiness and comfort in small and simple ways.
- A Very Classy Spindle - I brought my beta spindle to each event, and it's been great getting to put it in more spinners' hands. We received a LOT of inquiries - thank you all so much for your patience! I owe the spindle list an update, but the quick summary is that the project got put a bit on hold over the summer, as my husband Andrew is the main driver of the design and development, and summer brought with it a slew of homeowner projects that just had to be done while the weather was favorable. We've got just a few final things to work out around the shaft-to-whorl connectors. My goal has been from the start to make a truly modular spindle, which would allow you to either switch out shafts as you fill them, or switch from top to bottom whorl and vice versa. Getting that connection just right is very tricky, but we've got ideas and prototypes and are pushing to get this finished soon. I'm so thrilled with the response so far, and once we get the last design sorted we'll be opening up a wait list. Make sure you're on the spindle mailing list (linked above) to get first crack at the wait list once it opens!
Hope you are celebrating warmth and light as we head into the upcoming winter. We will always have more wool for you to increase that cozy feeling! 💖
~Amanda