Like so much of the country we have been brutalized by high temperatures and drought. Of course the most concern is for the farmers here in the heartland who provide so much food for our country. But the heat is also horrible for a good percentage of us. I know that here in the office we have some who are wired to be heat lovers and others who are groaning even in an air conditioned office—just knowing how hot it is outside is enough to make us cranky. Two different people who are out in the shop made a point to tell me how wonderful it was to work in air conditioning.
We
are getting ready for our “home town” show: Stitches Midwest in
Schaumberg (near Chicago) August 8 – 12, 2012. This show has a special
place in our hearts because it was the first one attended. I couldn’t
help but think of that first show when Signature was really in its
infancy.
We had no idea what to expect. We were such novices that we skipped the Thursday “student preview” because we thought it was for Chicago school children! Of course we now know this is the special time for all the knitters who are taking the wonderful classes to get their time in the marketplace. We had no history of what to take and how much. Luckily we could call back home and tell them to quick make more of certain things and do a predawn trip down.
Recently a new bakery has opened in our town called Linnea’s Swedish Bakery. It
was started by a very enthusiastic young couple using their family
recipes and we wish them all luck. When I went in it was a quiet moment
and we talked a bit about starting a new business with all the pains and
exhaustion in a new world where there are no guarantees any customers
will show up.
I thought back to that first Stitches where my estimate was that we might sell 25-50 pairs of straights. Of course we had a wonderful response that far exceeded my pessimistic goals.
You all know we have come a long way through straight single points, double points and circs but you also know there has been a “hole” where the small circs should be. We have had more difficulties than even I (the most pessimistic one here) could have dreamed. Crazy things, unforeseen things, just horrible things but finally we are really, really close. So close that I would like to show you one of the projects I am working on: just a plain log cabin baby blanket, no pattern just using a bunch of stash baby yarn.
For those of you with CSI ability please note the needles in the yarn. For all the thousands of people who have asked, “when will you have small circs?” an answer is closer than cool Fall temperatures.