Hello, friends!

I feel like I haven't had much to tell you over the past few weeks, but I felt inspired to write again today. I've been listening to some great podcasts and good books recently, and surprising myself with new ideas that will require a few brainstorm sessions.

It's hard to talk about having ideas, because I'm one of those people who can't talk about an idea itself or it will go away. Before I go public, or really even talk to close friends, about A Thing, I have to take action on it. This is something that it took a long time to learn about myself, especially after being told that you should tell someone about the things you're embarking on in order to hold yourself accountable.

That just doesn't work for me.

What works for me is following through on an idea for my own satisfaction, and then once it's finished, unveiling it to the world. If others like it, that's great. If not, I have still satisfied my goal.

Let me know if this is something that also resonates with you; I really enjoy chatting with folks about the different ways we accomplish things, especially in the long term.

---

On the crafting side of the house, I still have both weaves going, and I'd like to finish one this weekend. Since I've fallen back into spinning mode, I think finishing two weaves might be too tall of an order.

The singles for my fractal spin of Oink Pigments' "Rainbow? Sure, Bert!" colorway are resting on the Bliss, the "Ladybug" singles are about half spun on the EEW6, and I just (finally) started the singles for a fractal spin of Wound Up Fiber Arts' "Candy Crush" colorway on the Bliss last night. It's a multicolored dream and I'm already enjoying it.

You might notice in the photo that I'm back on my BS of trying to make sliding flyer guides work on my standard Bliss flyer. It seems that if I leave the metal hooks on, and use the sliders on the opposite side of the arms, I can slide them without catching on the hooks and it doesn't throw things out of balance. For those who are curious, these are the plastic sliding guides for the Kromski Fantasia, and they come in a few colors.

If you also own this wheel, please heed my disclaimer that I don't actually recommend that you try this; last year I threw my wheel horribly out of balance by removing the metal hooks and using these sliders. I do not know what kind of damage that could cause in the long term.

This idea came about again because I really enjoy the sliding guides on my EEW6, and while Woolmakers do make a new flyer with sliding guides (that now comes standard on new Bliss wheels), it's €62...plus €48 in international shipping. That's somewhere around $120 (USD), and I'm just not sure I can justify spending that much on a small hunk of laminated birch, no matter how well engineered it is.

I also have some 3D-printed bobbins coming next week for the Bliss, and I'm very excited to try them out! One of the big advantages to custom bobbins like this is that you can see through the ends, which makes it much easier to see when you need to move/change your hook! With solid-ended bobbins, you have to lean over the wheel, or pull it down toward you, to see how your yarn is loading onto the bobbin.

As it stands right now, I'm a happy camper with my less-than-elegant flyer solution, as well as my under-the-table basket situation.

---

Now for the navel-gazing portion of this letter.

Something I want to work on is keeping track of when I fall into "spinning mode," "weaving mode," "crochet mode," etc. throughout the year. Starting in September, I'm going to use my languishing craft planner to do just that. Taking note of when the natural Seasons of Craft happen for me will be beneficial to project planning, future shop success, and overall well-being.

I don't expect things will fall neatly, but I do expect to find patterns in how I make progress and how I feel about this work.

All of the options go hand-in-hand, so unless I'm on a tight deadline for a vendor fair or a shop restock, there's no harm in following my current fancy. Spinning creates yarn to use for weaving mode (or knitting or crochet), or for the odd skein I toss in the shop on its own. Weaving actively promotes learning or creates products. (As a bonus, both spinning and weaving are activities where I can focus intently on something I'm listening to, and/or spend time thinking about various ideas and goals.) Knitting and crochet are (usually) personal projects, and I often bring those projects along to social functions where I can connect with folks.

Everything has a purpose, and it's really all interconnected.

I'm also toying with the idea of intention in crafting, and making items that resonate with the maker. I want to spend some quality time with plain weave and simple twills, focusing on the yarn, and the color, and the structure, and how to make simple items beautiful and meaningful.

Unsurprisingly, I'm finding that I don't love changing colors often in a weaving project. It's not the worst, but it certainly pulls me out of my rhythm. The plaid twill project on the big loom has a lot of color changes, while the self-striping warp project on the small loom is woven in a solid color, letting the warp stand out on its own while the patterning shows up in the solid weft. The latter is much more enjoyable to weave, though I'm still enjoying the former; it's just different. I want to say this has something to do with being able to get into a flow state, and the quick color changes prevent that.

They're both beautiful, and I'm sure I'll be thrilled with both when they're finished. As soon as I finish the plaid, I can free up my third bobbin to get back to the self-striping project.

---

I'm really, truly, looking forward to autumn. World Market bit me today with fall candles (Cider & Clove is just chef's kiss), and the temperature is slowly coming down, even here in Las Vegas. Our first "fall" camping trip is on the books, and it'll be so nice to get back outside and commune with nature. We all know how much I get out of bringing my creative work into the outdoors. Maybe some landscape inspiration will come back to the studio with me.

That's about it for me this week! I hope you've enjoyed this little catch-up, and I'd love to hear about what you're working on in your own crafting space—whether it's fiber art, metalsmithing, pottery, or painting. Always feel free to hit reply and let me know what you have going on.

Until next time, I wish you reasonable weather and the autumn-themed coffee of your choice!

Take care,

🍂 Liz

​