I'm excited about the possibilities for Darn Yarn Needles and Thread. Each week brings ups and downs. But slowly, people are hearing about DYNT. It's been, and will continue to be, difficult to decide where to spend my advertising budget. (Which BTW is very very small.) I know what my target market is, but it's a tough market to reach with the current outlets available to me.
I was surprised earlier this week, when I had to explain to someone, again, what Fair-Trade meant. And when I mentioned that the other yarns are all US made/spun, she asked if "being green" was my goal. I wasn't' sure how to answer her.
I didn't know that being concerned about where something was made, made you "green". I truly believe that God gave us this planet to tend and keep, that includes taking care of the people on it. Which, to me, means doing what I can to know where things are made. And being as I live in the US and am a US citizen, I'd like to support US people first. I'd also like to know, if possible, that the international people I'm supporting are able to survive on their wages. Call me crazy, call me a hippie, you wouldn't be the first. But in the end, I hope you call me fair.
I also recently read a blog from one of my suppliers that was very open and frank. I'm sure it must have been hard for her to lay it all out there for all of us to read. But in the end, it made me think, "see that's why I want to buy local, to support people like her."
So I will continue to support local and US made stuff, I may branch out a bit to offer some other things as needed. But in the long run, I hope the local community can grasp the bigger picture, even though it's a smaller focus, and that they too will understand why I buy as many local/US made products as I can.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Fantastic Fun Felting.
Saturday was a grey, cold, wet day here in Butler, PA. It was a bit slow at the shop. Can't really blame anyone for not wanting to go out in this weather!
It did give me a chance to finish a few demo projects. The Jelly Yarn's alot of fun to work with! It makes a great beach/grocery bag as it stretches and is just plain cool looking. The bag's been made for my niece, but I won't see her for a while, so until then it's in the shop for all to see. I've also got a Jelly Yarn dog collar and a small jewelry box made of Jelly Yarn, thanks to the makers of Jelly Yarn who sent that out to me.
Yesterday I also worked on a small felted applique. Wow! I think I've been putting off felting because I knew it would inspire me! It's like painting with wool. Whoa. I started thinking about all the possibilities. I definitely think I need to get in some more felting supplies. I think there's a reason some crafters spend so much time felting.
It did give me a chance to finish a few demo projects. The Jelly Yarn's alot of fun to work with! It makes a great beach/grocery bag as it stretches and is just plain cool looking. The bag's been made for my niece, but I won't see her for a while, so until then it's in the shop for all to see. I've also got a Jelly Yarn dog collar and a small jewelry box made of Jelly Yarn, thanks to the makers of Jelly Yarn who sent that out to me.
Yesterday I also worked on a small felted applique. Wow! I think I've been putting off felting because I knew it would inspire me! It's like painting with wool. Whoa. I started thinking about all the possibilities. I definitely think I need to get in some more felting supplies. I think there's a reason some crafters spend so much time felting.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
New Hours, New Links
It's been a busy week at Darn Yarn Needles & Thread. I did finish painting the walls of the entry way and got all the new inventory in place and priced. I still need to touch up the trim work, but that can wait a bit. I've got more hooks for the ladders, so I'll be filling the empty one later this week and I'll be ordering a few more books later today, too. Busy, busy, busy.
I've been meaning to personally join the Butler Spinners & Weavers Guild, but kept putting it off. So I finally sent in my dues this week. I've added a link to their site in "Other Links of Interest" in the sied bar on the right. Check them out, it's a great and very active group.
DYNT is also now a member of the Butler Co. Tourism and Convention Bureau. I've also added a link to their site on the same sidebar. Check them out too. Even if you are a local, there's a ton of stuff listed on their site: events, shops, historical sites, parks.... it's a great resource for figuring out what to do on a free Saturday or when some out of town family is visiting. There's alot here... it's sometimes easy for us locals to forget about all the cool stuff in our own backyard.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot the reason I started this post today - DYNT has new hours! The new hours line up a bit more with some of the other shops in the Markethouse on Main. I kept one late day for shoppers on their way home from work. It also makes the hours a bit more consistent, and I'm hoping, easier for people to remember! DYNT will now be open:
I've been meaning to personally join the Butler Spinners & Weavers Guild, but kept putting it off. So I finally sent in my dues this week. I've added a link to their site in "Other Links of Interest" in the sied bar on the right. Check them out, it's a great and very active group.
DYNT is also now a member of the Butler Co. Tourism and Convention Bureau. I've also added a link to their site on the same sidebar. Check them out too. Even if you are a local, there's a ton of stuff listed on their site: events, shops, historical sites, parks.... it's a great resource for figuring out what to do on a free Saturday or when some out of town family is visiting. There's alot here... it's sometimes easy for us locals to forget about all the cool stuff in our own backyard.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot the reason I started this post today - DYNT has new hours! The new hours line up a bit more with some of the other shops in the Markethouse on Main. I kept one late day for shoppers on their way home from work. It also makes the hours a bit more consistent, and I'm hoping, easier for people to remember! DYNT will now be open:
- Wednesdays 10am - 6pm
- Thursdays 10am - 4pm
- Fridays 1:30pm - 4pm
- Saturdays 10am -4pm
However, this Thursday, I may be opening a bit later, as I have a previous appointment. I may be able to change it, but don't know for sure yet.
On the way home from church today, my hubby and I spotted an old Formica table in the trash...so yes, we picked it up, and in our Sunday best, carried it about 5 blocks to the shop! So that's this coming week's project. I'll be in there cleaning it up a bit. It's in OK shape as is, so it won't take much work. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it...but with more inventory coming in all the time, another (free) table is welcome right now.
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