The First of All Things

I made this hat and scarf last year and they both sold at either the holiday sale or on line. I'm feeling a bit reminiscent of the year that has swooshed by while I was alternately not looking, really busy or being inundated with political ads on my phone and t and v. But it is the first of November and since there is less of the year ahead than there is behind, I am already looking forward to 2011 - with a little stop on the way to Christmas and the Holiday show.

I already know I am going to find a new doctor and make an appointment to see him/her at the beginning of the new year. In light of that event, I am now pulling a health blitz so when he/she tells me I need to take better care of myself it won't be as bad as could have been. So, they won't say 'you REALLY need to take better care of yourself.'

I learned a few things from the somewhat successful craft show over the weekend. I learned I have to listen to the public when they tell me what it is they want to buy from me. It's not a great epiphany for me, all I had to do was look at what sells in the shop and at the holiday show every year to know there are three things that sell the most: hats, scarves and afghans. What I heard a lot of from the folks stopping by the table on Saturday was: Do you have this one in a different color? Do you have a scarf (hat) in this color? and while I had to say no to those questions, I could follow that with: 'What color would you like? Here's my card, look in the shop in a week and it will be there or do you want me to email you when it's done?"

This shawl, which I also made last year, is no longer with me. It didn't sell at all so I frogged it and it is now part of a granny square afghan and the sequins are in a box waiting to be used again. I have also learned there are times to let things go.

The big thing I learned over the weekend was how nice folks are in this business. This was the first year I did the Guerin Prep Craft Show. There were over 150 artists and I was greeted by the door by volunteers who asked if they could go to my car and help me carry in my gear. And there were other crafters who were going in and asked if they could carry something for me and offered to take it to my table. We chatted about the 'craft show' circuit and how business was and what shows they were doing later in the year. (There were some folks doing a show every weekend until the end of the year.) What that told me was that I either needed to take it more seriously or get out of it because these people are in it for the living and it isn't just some fun little thing they do. There might have been a time when that was the case but the economy has changed that. Crafting is no longer a hobbyist exercise. For some people it is the difference between staying in their home or not having to dip into the college fund. At the very least, I need to respect the craft for what it can mean even though I don't have a direct impact on what anyone else does.

I have to write down my patterns. I designed this hat and for the life of me, can't remember what I did and since the hat sold last year, can't look at it to remember all the details. Considering my pattern on Ravelry is selling, it behooves me to take advantage of this talent I didn't even know I had.

Overall, I made about $55 during the show but there were lessons I learned that will gain me more in both money and soul and you can't quantify that.

I have three things on the needles - a scarf, a hat and an afghan - don't tell me I don't listen. I will also continue to bust the stash and there's a big pile of yarn in the middle of the living room that is my cull pile. I will make stuff from that pile and hopefully by the time the show comes in December the pile will be gone and there will be wonderful items to take its place. In the meantime, I am off to the bank to deposit my riches!!