You know when a big project seems like it won’t be that big… and it turns out to be even bigger than you’d imagined possible?  Well, that is what it is like moving a fiber artisan store and studio into your home.

My family was tired of my being gone so much and we had a buyer for our commercial building… so why not move the business to the house.  After all, we live downtown and we have plenty of room… maybe I can offer more hours and expand my product line too. 

I picture my kids helping me wind skeins of yarn and card roving.  We all sit in a circle by the fire and spin on Sunday afternoon.  The dog lays peacefully at my feet and my dining room is always ready to receive guests and students.

THEN I WAKE UP!

First I have to make a space.  The side porch is perfect.  It is light and breezy and actually bigger than the space I had before.  It is also a major disaster area as it has served as our families catch all for the last 5 years. 

Then there is the parking.  My husband’s collection of junker cars has got to go!  (This is the good part!) Woo Hoo!!

Now we are in the middle of moving and organizing.  I took a few pictures after stage one and posted them on the website.  www.yarn2spin.com

At this moment I have had a relapse with a sudden onslaught of stuff brought from the old location.  It arrived faster than I could put it away.  But hopefully by Thursday, the next Knit -n- Spin, I’ll be ready for the public once again.

Find out when we meet at http://www.meetup.com/Greenville-Knit-n-Spin/  Class schedules too!

See the New Selection of Michigan Made Shepherd’s Wool yarn!!

It is time again for a TEAM ESST Weekend Shopping Extravaganza!  Time to save money and start stocking up for Christmas.

Team ESST is Etsy’s premier Supply Team.  For all the info, visit the Team ESST blog!  http://teamesst.blogspot.com/

You can join in the sale by posting your offers here:  http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6273078&page=1

I don’t do a lot of sales since I offer hard to find quality products at already great prices.  But my Etsy Team ESST is having their Weekend Shopping Extravaganza and I felt inspired to have a sale.

So, for this weekend, August 1 & 2, 2009, I am putting ALL yarn on sale!  I will refund via paypal, 10% of your yarn purchase, Even on already reduced sale and destash yarns!!  That can add up to a huge Savings!

AND

I will refund all Shipping Fees WORLDWIDE on orders over $50!!

I’ve never offered this before and I don’t know if I will ever do it again… so stock up now!  I’m working on getting more yarn listed all weekend long!  I just hope I don’t lose my shirt on this great offer.

http://www.yarn2spin.etsy.com

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I opened my first Etsy shop, Yarn To Spin,  in early 2008 and my second, Yarn 2 Spin in 2009.  I knew nothing… accept that I love the textile arts and I needed a venue to be able to sell the angora that I get from my herd of angora rabbits. 

It has been a long road… one that I haven’t traveled alone.  I found out about teams on Etsy.  Places where artists with a commonality could network.  I started off joining a local team… Etsywmi Team.  All artisan’s from West Michigan.  That was fun and helpful.  These were people that I could actually get to meet.  And many have now become my friends.

As my business grew, I seperated my supplies from my finished products and now run two stores.

Yarn2Spin.etsy.com – offers supplies and equipment for Textile Artisans.  Spinners, Weavers, Felters, Knitters, etc.  I work hard to find the best supplies and offer them at a fair price.  As a fellow artisan, I am glad to offer help and opinions whenever asked.

YarntoSpin.etsy.com – is the home of my products that I make and the occassional vintage treasure that I find.  A great place to see some of the things that can be made from the products I sell.

I heard about Team ESST from a West Michigan artist.  A team dedicated to supplying artists with quality materials.  A team that promotes Etsy and the Artists of Etsy to the world.  As both an artisan and a supplier, I loved how the team would pull together to promote Etsy as a whole, not just each individual shop.  The Etsy Supply Street Team is truely a strengthening force to the artisan community. 

So, as an artisan… I shop Etsy first for my supplies.  I want to support the shops that support the Etsy community.  If you are an artisan, I’d encourage you to search etsy with “team esst” in your search field when you are looking for supplies.  You can also find the Yellow Pages of the Etsy Supply world on the Team ESST page.

As a supplier, Team ESST has challenged me to be intentional about my business and professional in all areas.  This is essential if I am ever to realize my dream of being a fulltime artisan/supplier.  I appreciate the encouragement and occassional ‘kick in the pants’ from my team members.  It has helped me be a better shop owner and Etsian.

It’s TEAM ESSTs 2nd Annual Yart Sale on Etsy and I’m joining in by offering some of my most popular yarns, fibers and gifts at low prices. June 10 – 14, 2009

Visit my Etsy shop and you will find an entire section labeled “Yart Sale“.    In addition to these great deals, I will refund all of your shipping charges* when you add any non-sale item to your order.  That’s like putting the entire shop on sale!!

The Yart Sale is sponsored by Etsy’s Supply Team known as Team ESST.  You can be assured of quality products and professional service whenever you shop from a Team ESST member.

Hundreds of Etsy Sellers are participating in this year’s Yart Sale.  Just search “Yart” to find all the deals.  If you have an Etsy shop, you can join in the fun too.  Just tag your items and promote in the official Team ESST Yart Sale Thread.  A new thread is opend every day of the event.

*Full refund of shipping charges for US addresses and half off shipping charges for International customers.

Sellers, it has been almost a year since the first unofficial “Yart Sale” on Etsy. Yart sale? What exactly is a “Yart Sale,” you may ask? The term Yart is an artistic spin on the traditional yard sale:

Art + Yard Sale = Yart!

There are many art museums, artists, and groups that have yart sales annually to raise cash. Although not an official Etsy event, the Etsy Yart sale is a great way to bond with your fellow Etsy sellers. What began last year as a casual conversation on the Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST) thread about destashing and raising funds, blossomed into a discussion on our private boards about creating an Etsy-wide yart sale. This year’s sale will be the “2nd Annual Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST.” It will take place June 10 through June 14, 2009. Everyone with a shop on Etsy is invited to participate!

This article will address frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Yart Sale. During the Yart Sale, feel free to refer people to this Storque article, link it on your blog, or tweet it on Twitter. As the date draws near, please refer to the Team ESST blog for updates, and as well as the Promotional section of the Etsy Forums for the Official Yart Sale sponsored by Team ESST thread that will be posted with the Team ESST Avatar. If you have further questions, please convo EtsySupplyStreetTeam.etsy.com.

FAQs
When will the Yart Sale be?
Our Second Annual Yart Sale will be from Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2009. Participate in one, two, or all five days of the sale.

Which shops on Etsy can participate?
All shops on Etsy are invited to participate. Choose to participate with your handmade, supply or vintage shop. If you have more than one shop, you can participate with each.

How does a seller participate in the Yart Sale?
To join the sale, simply post the following Yart Sale announcement in the Shop Announcement section of your Etsy shop:

“I am participating in the Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST.”

You should also include a short description of how you will be participating in the sale.

Here are a few extra suggestions for how to effectively utilize the Yart Sale as a promotional tool:

• Maintain a Yart Sale Section where merchandise is already marked down.

• Tag and/or title items in your shop “Yart,” so customers can search your Etsy and your shop to find your “Yart” items.

• Special discount pricing for length of the sale. (You would need to credit back their account for the set amount on PayPal. Example: 10% off.)

• Free shipping. Remember to clarify terms. Example: Only on orders over $25.00, etc. State your terms clearly. (If you offer free shipping, you would need to again credit back their account for the shipping on PayPal.)

• If you feel the price points in your shop do not allow you to have a sale, perhaps you can offer a free promotional gift or a slight discount toward future orders.

These are merely suggestions, and I am sure you can come up with many others. Remember, your Shop Announcement is an important piece in being involved in this sale, as it is where you describe the terms of your Yart sale and the dates that your shop will participate.

For the rest of this article, and Yart Sale Avitars and Graphics, go to this storque article.  Yart Sale Promotions.

Yarn 2 Spin strives to provide quality fibers to textile artisans.   Spinners, Weavers, Knitters, Felters and Crocheters can all find unique fibers to feed their creativity.  95% of the fibers we sell are natural fibers.  We strive to obtain products that are grown and processed with environmentally responsible methods.  Visit the online store to see what we have:   Yarn 2 Spin Store

We are very excited that the UN has declared 2009 as The Year of The Natural Fiber.  This video will show the production and uses of natural fibers around the world and how the industry is changing to meet the demands of today’s market.

I’m interupting the Yarn Making series for an incredible opportunity!

Hundreds of Handmade and Vintage online stores are having a Shopping Extravaganza! There are too many sales and special offers to list here. For a list of shops and notices of sales and specials visit: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6142977

If you have an Etsy Shop and want to join in the fun… feel free to post your own sale.

Why shop the retail chains and get a ho hum product when Etsy is overflowing with talented artisans with unique and quality items for you home, family and life.

Sorry it has been a few days….  Life does get busy… especially with all my bunnies hoping around.

Part II

After the sheep is shorn and the fleece is skirted, it is generally washed.  Some spinners to spin “in the grease”, but that is a specialty that we won’t get to for now. 

Washing a fleece correctly is important to remove the lanolin and vegetable matter and … uh hummm, other ’stuff’ that may be stuck in the wool.   After all, wool is a natural product.  The trick is to clean the fiber without felting or damaging the wool. 

You want to try it on your own?  Here is one way… There are several.

Tub Washing

1.  Fill a large tub, basin or bucket with very hot water.  Add 1 cup of detergent.  I use dish detergent.

2. Submerge your fleece in the water.  Do NOT agitate!  Just let it soak for about 45 minutes.

3.  Lift the fleece out of the water and set aside.

4.  Repeat steps 1 and 2. 

5.  Sort the fibers that are clean enough to dry and those that need to go through steps 1 and 2 again.

6.  Before drying…  Fill  your tub one more time with Hot water and about 1 cup of white vinegar and let soak for 30 minutes.

7.  Now remove your fiber, gently squeezing out extra water and lay flat to dry.  I dry mine on the trampoline… but a towel or sheet works fine too.

You can do the above in your washing machine… but be careful not to let it it agitate.  I have found that the lanolin is really not very good for my machine… so now I use a tub.

It is fun to wash your own fleece, but if you want to get to the next step faster, you may want to send it out to be done.  Here are some links to some of the mills I know of.

www.woolmill.com

www.zwool.com

www.stonehedgefibermill.com

http://fibermill.yurtboutique.com/

Team ESST First Weekend Shopping Extravaganza

All Etsy shops are invited to participate in the EXTRAVAGANZA! We welcome everyone who has a shop-
handmade, supply and vintage sellers to join us! Announce that you are participating in your shop announcement and you’re ready to get started! (I am participating in the FIRST WEEKEND SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA APRIL 2ND-APRIL 5TH!)

This is the official thread to promote!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6102925&page=1
Be creative and enjoy a fun FIRST WEEKEND SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA!

Those of you who blog or twitter can post and/or tweet about it and promote to people that are off Etsy to visit us.

For more information please check out our team blog: http://www.teamesst.blogspot.com.