I’ve run hot and cold on this whole blogging thing. But watch out, cuz I’m making plans.
I’m going to be gearing up in December to launch a whole new site in January. I want to make this a fun and meaningful resource for folks with a passion, or at least a curiosity about the textile arts.
As we gear up to Christmas though, I’m going to be featuring some items I think would make great gifts for the yarnies in your life.
My #1 Favorite gift for spinners!
Spinner's Control Card
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.
The weather was perfect for the Grand Opening of Yarn 2 Spin @ The Nut House and all the Nut House Shops. The concept of the store may seem a little odd at first… Here is the jist of it.
We own a building that was previously the office of one Dr. James Nutt. A rather eccentric man who practiced alternative medicine that made him even more of a local character. We bought the building 3 years ago and rehabbed the whole thing. People continued to come to us with stories of the Doctor and the building. So, in attempting to honor local lore, we have kept the name that the indigenous people have always called the building…. “The Nut House”. It probably fits though, since we are all a little looney.
So the shops at The Nut House consist of: “The Bargain Basement” thrift store, “The Green Village” fair and ethical trade gift shop, and “Yarn 2 Spin” fiber artisan store.
The Grand Opening featured spinning demonstrations and lots of bunnies to pet. The babies even made an appearance and had their first nibble of grass.
Here are some photos:
yarn2spin.wordpress.com 