Lack of Posting

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, but it's been a weird one.
I've made about 400 dozen hats in the past two weeks (ok, more like 4 dozen, seriously, but it feels like 400). There's almost always a pair of wet felted hats on their blockers, drying and getting ready for the finishing stage. Matt's dropping eleven hats, a couple bags, and some mittens off at a consignment site today, we sent four hats and a couple bags to another site on Tuesday, and we still have an outstanding order for hats and bags for a gift shop in Michigan.
By no means am I complaining, because I'm the PRODUCT knitter, and Matt's the PROCESS knitter. I love the feeling of pulling a couple hundred dollars (before consignment split) of finished goods out of the washing machine and thinking about how much more raw materials (skeined yarn) that will purchase. Or what new patterns we can get because of the profits. Or maybe even dreaming about the day I can take the Exploder to the shop and drive myself around again.
Remember, the reason we have the retail yarn side of Threadbear is because of the success of the finished goods business, which led to us having yarn stockpiled in the house for that knitting, then folks asking to buy or order yarn from us, and now to us having over $50,000US in yarn and supplies in the house, a successful internet business (THANK YOU EVERYONE!), and a wonderful group of local knitters who support us and our vision. I'm waxing nostalgic right now because we haven't had weekend events in three weeks because of inclement weather, and this weekend will put us back in touch with everyone, will bring some new folks over, and so on. The most important part of what we do, to me, is the connection with other people. Events let us touch those who are in town, but my new blog brings me in contact with you wonderful folks--who motivate and inspire me and let me share my passion for fiber stuff! THANKS!

Cajun Food Fest

Some of you have asked about different aspects of Third Thursday Knit Nights. Here's a few snapshots of the kitchen and the goodies

Of course, it was all amazing, but the company was the star of the evening for us. I enjoy getting together with other creative types, sharing our love of fibers and interacting with their ideas and their projects and their experience. I can't imagine what it would be like to be isolated, especially in a large city like some folks are, without fiber-related folks to be creative with and to take in the work of their hands. So I'm thankful, of course, for the bounty laid out in these pictures, but more thankful for the wonderful group of people that events like this bring together. They're the driving force behind what we're attempting to do here in South-Central Indiana.

	<---bayou chicken smothered chicken-->
	<---artichoke salad <---creole tomatoes and okra cajun potatoes-> macque choux --->
	<--- Cajun Seafood Supreme Shrimp Ettouffe --->

And of course desserts, starting in the back on the left--Praline cake, king cake, brownies, and turtle cake. What you don't see is the made-to-order bananas foster, which came AFTER we all ate what you see above.

Yes, we knitted this weekend--lots and lots of hats and bags flying off of my needles. We were inundated with two seperate snow storms, dumping 4-6 inches on Saturday afternoon-evening and another 5-6 inches overnight last night. The swing on the back deck is stacked with snow (pictures to follow), and Connor is tired of snowplowing her way out back to take care of what she does outside, but it is amazingly beautiful to see. I was walking on campus today and stopped cold at the view outside our building into the courtyard inside a ring of four buildings. Fresh, unadulterated snow was all over the ground, the trees were stacked (on every branch) with snow, and there were a couple people moving around from building to building. I know I've said it before, but I really like the four seasons, with fall being my favorite and winter a close second. And I've missed having a real fall and a real winter for the past several years while I lived in South Carolina and Georgia. Boy, has Mother Nature made up for lost time the past couple years, both in Michigan and now here. THANK YOU!