What We Are Grateful For, And Where We Are Going

Two markets in one weekend!? We were pretty busy across the weekend of September 21-22, and it was amazing to see lovely humans out in the world and share the squish of hand-dyed and handspun yarns with folks.

I learned a lot of lessons regarding events and the economic advantages and disadvantages of taking my wares on the road. I may not be doing as many events in the immediate future, and I’ll be gauging where we do go with a little more scrutiny. That said, I wish we could do it everyday–in a perfect world where cost is no object, that would be my preference.

However, I must be a responsible shop owner, SO…

That means I’ll be leaning into Crafty Needlers, some workshops, and other ways to connect with the community in-person! It’s so important for me to nurture the in-person meetings and opportunities to connect. I’m really excited for a few workshops we have planned, along with the growing group that meets twice a month at Treehouse Cafe. Crafty Needlers has brought a variety of crafters–just my intention! We have had knitters, crocheters, counted cross stitch, and embroidery at our all-crafts, all-skill-levels groups! I cannot wait to see what other talents might show up to the table in coming weeks.

I’ll be recording a podcast later this week to talk about Mabon and how we celebrated (and how we didn’t celebrate) this year.

Gratitude

As a part of my meditations around Mabon, I’d like to share with you what I’m thankful for. If you are inclined, perhaps make your list, too, and feel free to share some of that with me. I find practicing gratitude helps my tendency toward a general sense of existential dread.

I’m thankful for the humans who show up in big and small and unknown ways.

I’m thankful for the insight and guidance I’m given (even if I don’t always listen).

I’m thankful for the yarn and the colors and the endless inspiration.

I’m so grateful for my kids and for the magic of Folklore Fiber and how it all fits together to allow me to pursue my passion for fiber and textiles.

Finally, I am thankful for the meditative art of knitting, crochet, and needlework. How lucky am I to be practicing this artful meditation while also growing community and connection around the practice of making things?

Intentions

Every year. Well, most years. We didn’t do them this year! Every year we make Leaves of Intentions and write down what we intend to do in the coming year. As we gear up for Samhain in October, Mabon is the perfect time to reflect upon our gratitude and also consider our intentions, goals, and hopes for the coming year.

My intentions may not be on leaves as we usually do, but I’ll capture them here to some extent so you can see what am hoping and planning for Folklore Fiber Arts:

I intend to grow our workshops and classes and offer more patterns and kits!

My intention is to attend more fiber-specific festivals in 2025 and really up my game on strategic planning around events. I can’t wait to share where you can find me out in the wild in the coming months!

I believe Folklore Fiber is rooted in community, and so I’ll be leveraging that aspect of the shop and will actively look for ways to grow our global community by means of virtual connection. I have a few ideas that I’m kicking around, and I’ll let you know as I roll out the plan to build community for Folklore Fiber Friends both near AND far.