Hooray for the new Knit Edge Magazine!

The new magazine Knit Edge from Cooperative Press is an electronic delight! Lots of great info, patterns, images and more, and it's oh-so-green!

What's more, publisher Shannon Okey and team were kind enough to review my 2013 Walking Wool Wall Calendar of sheep shots and fiber fun in Issue Two, on page 5. (There's also a print ad in the back, designed by the brilliant Alyson Lee.)

Go and subscribe at Cooperative Press, so you won't miss an issue.

Wishing them all a great launch year, and many thanks for the attention and support!

January Sale for the 2013 Walking Wool Wall Calendar

It was a terrific first holiday season for Walking Wool and my products. Stores in several New England states took calendar orders, some handspun handyed yarns, notecards, and large framed photographs. Terrific feedback from etsy customers, and new fiber contacts made a festivals and other fall events. Now, there's just a few (12 or so) wall calendars left, so I've slashed the price to $16.95, plus $3.00 shipping. Soon, it will be time to start laying out the 2014 version. Will there be new festivals to include? Will I get to snap some winter sheep scenes without my hands freezing and my lens fogging? We hope so.

Thank You Sage Yarn in Falmouth MA

Just in time for holiday giving, I delivered a variety of Walking Wool wares to Sage Yarn in Falmouth MA. Owner Jen Heinlein was so enthusiastic . . . she took a little of everything. And, shortly thereafter my spinning friend Betsy dropped by the shop and took these photos of the wares on display. So nice to see them out in  public and curious for the feedback.

The Walking Wool Calendar: Status Report

I have printed a number of configurations of the calendar and continue to research how to print the darn thing in a cost-effective way. 

 

Exciting Promo Developments . . .

Christmas at the end of January!

New items just received from the printer:
postcards
note cards
posters
sticky labels
magnets
decals
assorted configurations of the calendar concept

I used these images and others:

Needless to say, I am quite excited for feedback and plan to get going this week with showing samples around.

Have also been working with Blurb.com and have a number of ideas in the works utilizing this online self-publishing service:

Maine Sheep
Celebrating the Divine Ovine by Walking WoolCopyright 2012 | Make Your Own Book

Shipment #1: Calendars Arrived!

This is pretty exciting. So exciting I was afraid to open the package!
I ordered two versions of my calendar from Vistaprint -- one b/w and one in color.

I LOVE  the cover images and the way the titles look. The BFL ewe in color with her one gentle eye looking upward is stunning.

cover of the color version

cover of the b/w version

The paper stock is a little thin, but I think it will help to keep the price point down, an important consideration in this economy for all concerned. Some of the images were not the best resolution, so they have to be exchanged. The data in the calendar date grid looks good, and just needs a few edits. All and all, am pretty excited. They also sent me sticky return address labels. More promo vehicles is a good thing.

Calendar and other random thoughts . . .

Waiting anxiously for the arrival of the sample calendars I designed to feature my sheep portfolio. The images were chosen from a group of new and older shots, black and white. I'm learning so much about online resources like Picassa, but the time spent on the project is astonishing. Suddenly hours have gone by. What have I accomplished? A little bit more confidence and that is worth it, I suppose.  Off to feed hungry boys now, one of whom talks to me about the delay in getting the dinner together. The other rests patiently, knowing I can be relied on to provide the victuals. Today saw another honey colored chow in the current issue of DownEast Magazine. That one lives with Martha Stewart, who is the subject of the feature article (she has a home on Mt Desert Island and has promoted Maine businesses and products for years). You can be that's one lucky dog.

Sheep Handling 101

Me here fulfilling a fantasy at a CT Sheep & Wool Festival --  one of my favorites -- a few years ago. "Who wants to help me hold the sheep?" the lecturer asked. "ME!"

Found these while perusing CD files for my 2012 calendar, a first and hopefully the launch of a series. Hard to decide on just 12 images! Thanks to Betsy for capturing my few minutes of bliss.