Boy, did I worry about that festival. My sister was my sounding board, and I provided her with daily amusement for the things I worried about. First, it was that my spindles wouldn't sell and I would be a huge disappointment to Susan and would return home with all 30 spindles. Then, it was that they sold so well that I ran out the first day. Then, it was that I arrived at the festival only to find that I had left the spindles at home. The final worry was that I would stumble on my way to the booth and break every last spindle.
Suffice it to say that none of that happened. My spindles were a HUGE hit. I worked an early shift for my day job, which I'm lucky enough to be able to work from my RV when needed, so that I could be in the booth on Friday afternoon. I sold eight spindles on Friday, and by the end of Saturday, I had bartered one spindle for some fiber and sold 28, leaving one left. That one sold first thing Sunday morning to a very nice lady just learning how to spin. I also took orders from those who either didn't manage to grab a spindle before they were all gone or wanted a pattern/wood combination different than what I had with me. I'm going to be quite busy for the next few weeks. Too bad I forgot to get my camera out of the truck and take pictures...
I need to throw out a few thank yous.
- Susan at Yarnorama for letting me share her booth and for her very valuable feedback with each new run of spindles.
- My friend Kennedy for being my spindle guinea pig with the very first spindles I made, and each spindle thereafter. Kennedy taught me how to tune a spindle hook, how to actually use a spindle to turn fiber into yarn, and introduced me to the wonders of turkish spindles. She also digitizes my hand-drawn patterns and takes each new spindle model for a test spin. It's the perfect arrangement. I get her insight and expertise, and she gets free spindles!
- DebbiRYarn on Ravelry. Since purchasing one of my turkish spindles during the Hill Country Yarn Crawl, she's been a walking, talking billboard and spent much of her time at Kid n Ewe sending those who asked where she got her spindle in my direction.
- Barb from Rosewood Yarns. She purchased one of my spindles at Kid n Ewe, and managed to run her own booth while turning a very impressive amount of fiber. She sent no less than a dozen people over to see me so they could get their own spindle. I kept hearing all weekend that "the lady from Rosewood in the next building said she got her spindle from you. Have you got any more?".
Thank you all!
