IT'S REALLY REAL!!!!!!!!!

Money has been wired to me, wheel has been purchased (along with lazy kate). Gotta review my dye list, and get that taken care of. Taking a quick break right now from sweater unraveling. I'm timing myself to see how long the entire process from unraveling to plying takes, so I know exactly what I'm paying myself for work done.


AM I FUCKING EXCITED, YES I AM :-D

Straight Up Whirlwind

= strange dreams and tummy troubles, ugh. I dreamed about jumping spiders and dripping lights and old milk, and a painting of Vikings by a forest, and talking about an omelet I was going to make. OK then!

Well, new email is done, base graphic for logo is done, fonts selected, Instagram created, blog created. As far as social media, that still leaves:

Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook
Ravelry (will have to have a "yarnie" account)

I will eventually want to do things in addition to making yarn, so note to self that somewhere down the line you'll be looking at making tutorials, maybe writing a book, maybe teaching classes (if not live, then Craftsy?). There might be YouTube videos.

In the mean time, I'm still fighting good ol' NYS Dept of Taxation because they say I owe them money, and I don't... and I've been struggling with really bad insomnia the last few nights (not to mention still hocking up wads of phlegm!), and I'm racked with wicked anxiety about everything. What if my partner suddenly pulls out, what if it's a total failure, etc etc etc. I generally don't give in to stressing about "what if" situations past the point of mentally preparing an initial solution in case of the what if, but this is a lot riding on the line for me, and it's not just me- it's the fact that someone else is investing in me here and I'm scared that I'm not going to be good enough. I think part of me is scared that I'm gonna get burned out on it too, after a month or something. Plus, it's knowing that it's going to be a full time, constant obligation, no matter how much I love doing it. I'm handling EVERYTHING about it, except for a few business aspects. Things above and beyond the yarn creation- keeping track of receipts and business expenses, all graphic design, shipping and handling, customer service, etc. Just digging in the last few days has totally stressed me out. I'm going to either have to develop better coping skills, or I'm gonna have to start taking some kind of herbal remedy to soothe these tangled nerves. I'm hoping things are going to even out once everything is set and the store has launched officially, but who knows. None of this is even really going to seem real to me until the money is wired to me and I've got my new wheel and I'm cranking out yarn. Still seems like some kind of weird dream. Especially because my partner is in Australia, so we've never met face to face and we haven't even Skyped yet. There's always a lag in email communication time too, because one of us is generally sleeping when the other emails.
Time will tell, I suppose. No sense in getting so goddamn stressed out about everything if I can help it, I've just got to find a way to help it until I can develop better coping mechanisms I guess. Because shutting down is not, and will never be an option. Never helps anything anyway. Productivity always makes me feel better anyway. *sigh* Ok, back to work...

New! new. NEW!!! NEWWWWWWW new! New? new!

New is exciting, but new is also a ton of work!

New name picked for new launch of company. (Company of 1+ Aussie business partner)

This means new:

Email address.
Etsy Shop.
Instagram.
Twitter.
Facebook Page.
Pinterest.
Blog.
Logo.
Graphics.
Business cards.
Labels.

First and foremost, comes the logo- all related graphics are based on that. Text is going to play an important part this time around, as there are a lot of letters in the new name. Not gonna reveal it until the time comes for everything to launch, but some time around mid June this will be happening, as long as everything goes according to plan. Business partner saw the yarn pictures I sent her and fell in love, so that's not an issue!

off to work I go. SO FRIGGIN' STOKED. 

Fear of Success

As stupid as that sounds, it seems I have it. I think it's because I really enjoy being a low profile hermit, and success means more exposure. But, here's the thing:

I have an investor in my business now. She's got a good head for business, unlike me. She's determined to see this succeed, and that means I now have a business plan and contracts to go through and amend and what not. My hopes and dreams could be a reality! All that's left to do is work for them, and I've got no problem doing that. Money was the only thing holding me back, and if things go well, that won't be an issue for long. So, despite the panicked buzzing in my head, I'm pushing forward.

Well, after dinner, anyway. My fella is taking me out for Thai because happy Mother's Day to the mother of his cats! <3

breaking news update!

I don't want to jinx anything so I feel I ought to keep my mouth shut, but... without saying anything, I just may yet not only get a new spinning wheel, but re-vamp my spinning business too! 

FINGERS SO CROSSED

In other news, I've been fighting off suspected pneumonia, but am keeping it in check with a steady barrage of dayquil, nyquil and mucinex DM. Tons of garlic in everything I eat, lots of sleep, and cinnamon tea have been helping too. Frustrated that I haven't been able to work out in a week now- I had made excellent progress, was able to do TWO WHOLE REAL push ups, as opposed to the bent knee push ups I'd been doing. I hope I haven't lost that ability! I feel like a foggy fucking blob and it's driving me batty. Hopefully I'll be rid of it soon, ain't nobody got time for that. 

Seriously excited though about my business prospects. Trying not to count chickens before they hatch, but damn, it's hard :-P

I suck at updating...

...but only because I'm too busy doing things worth updating about! Or at least, that's what I'm telling you ;-) No really though, I've been busy with good stuff. I knit myself a tank top out of yarn I've recycled from sweaters, but as you can see here it's a bit too small. I lengthened the straps, but it's still gonna be a while before I'll feel comfortable wearing it :-P BOOBS!

I finally finished the wedding shawl commission, and even got a sweet deal on some real freshwater pearls to add to it:

This thing is freakin' HUUUUGE, I can't wait until she gets it!

And of course, I've been doing a LOT of spinning.

In other news... my soul sister, despite her husband's vasectomy, is pregnant. And she's decided to keep it, despite previously not wanting a kid. She's taken it as a sign from the gods, and after the initial shock and panic wore off, I'm getting excited for her. Might be the only baby I'll ever get excited about, because I know she's going to be a damn fine mom. Not only that, but I'll have a chance to turn the kid into a knitter! (we suspect it'll be a girl, though it's way too early to tell- but even if it isn't, I'll try my luck anyway! Hey, I've got to leave my yarn stash to SOMEONE when I die, right?) Also I know she'll spare the gory details- no ultrasound pictures or placenta recipes on facebook from her! I'm going to knit and crochet a storm for this kid, from stuffed animals to clothes to booties to blankets...!

I'm working on tank top number two from recycled yarn currently, though. Currently as in, "stop typing and get back to work." Yeeeahhhh, gotta get that done. Bye!

Woolly Goodness & Other Stuff Too

Did I ever mention that my spinning wheel is finally here? My beautiful, antique Borghildr? (pronounced "Borihilder", and roll that first R, bitches!) My soul sister's visit was all too brief, but glorious. She spoiled the cats rotten with toys and treats, and I made my famous kick ass steak salad, and we drank mead, made some interesting smoothies involving cashew cream, and watched Vikings. There was also the feeding of strawberries and waltzing across the kitchen floor to Wardruna, all in all a splendid time.

Borghildr (who came with a 4.5 lb bag of roving from my soul sister's mom, the roving itself from sheep they had on the farm when she was growing up) has been cleaned and oiled, though I should probably give her more oil soon. She's got a few kinks, probably due to age and use, but I've learned how to work around them. For example, she's supposed to be set up with a double drive band configuration, but due to her wheel wobble, that's not an option. So I've set her up as a single, with a makeshift tension brake on the bobbin to increase the uptake speed. It's so strange, how familiar I feel with her. It doesn't feel like I am a new owner of an antique wheel, it feels like we've been reunited. She's even appeared in a few of my dreams. It's almost like she's part of me, or a physical manifestation of a part of me. We really are meant to be together <3

Touching love story of girl and wheel aside, everything else is pretty much the same. I had to skip a few weeks of weight lifting due to phlegm and cold issues, but now I'm getting back on track. I'm working on an epic wedding shawl, I made my first ever chicken soup from scratch with no recipe and no idea what I was doing (and it was SO DAMN GOOD I ate 8/10 of it, oops), I'm almost moved entirely out of Harlem, and... yeah, nothing terribly exciting, I suppose.

ok, my splitting headache isn't subsiding very much, so I guess I'm gonna head to bed now. Hopefully I won't have any more stupid dreams about forgetting the combination to my locker in high school, for fuck's sake. Could a dream be ANY MORE BORING?!