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Tinking Turtle

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Tinking Turtle Raverly

Rhinebeck and Classes!

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It is with great pleasure and excitement I share some great news with you: this year I will be teaching at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, otherwise known as Rhinebeck.  I will be teaching October 16th through 19th, and details about the classes can be found here.

For those of you who live in the Northeast, and don’t get a chance to take one of my classes, now is your opportunity!

Rhinebeck is an event dear to my heart.  Located about 45 minutes south of where I grew up, Rhinebeck is the perfect opportunity to see Fall Foliage in all it’s splendor, show of your knits, and strut your stuff!

Among the classes I’ll be teaching:

Finish This!
Oops!
My infamous Duct Tape Dress Form
Heels, Heels and more Heels
Advanced Repair Techniques
Darn Those Knits!

I’d love to see you there!

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Life has been in a little bit of crazy lately.  As you may know from my previous posts, after a short but intense illness, my grandmother died just before Easter.  That was very quickly followed by my husband and I packing up and moving most of our household, which was then followed by my first trip to TNNA (which is the professional conference for people associated with the needlearts industry: everything related to knitting, crochet, cross stitch, tatting, embroidery and other sundry things).  The last three weeks I’ve spent living in a mostly empty apartment.  It’s been a bit like camping, except I have a bed.

Now, most everything is out of our old apartment, except for me.  I’ve wrapped up the last of my classes this week (although I still have a few scheduled in the upcoming months on the weekends).  I’ve said goodbye to Sweetness and Light, and am packing up the remaining things from my apartment.  It is very sparse.

While leaving has been very very bittersweet, I’m looking forward to settling into a schedule, making the new house and space my own, finding new friends and discovering new yarn stores.

I’ve got so many things planned for this summer and fall!  Just wait and see!

https://www.tinkingturtle.com/2014/05/life-has-been-in-little-bit-of-crazy/

10 Things to Prepare for Maryland Sheep and Wool

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Maryland Sheep and Wool is a lot of fun, but it’s more fun if you are prepared.  Some things to think about before you go.

  1. Sunscreen and layers: last year I went on Sunday and it was cool, the day before on Saturday my friends were coming home complaining of sunburn.  Take precautions to guard against sun and cold, so you can have fun.
  2. Money: For some, this means they will only be bringing cash.  For others, this means that they bring a 2nd credit card.  Whichever way you go, it’s very easy to break your budget at Maryland Sheep and Wool.  Plan beforehand.  If you are using a credit card, call your provider beforhand and let them know that you might be making purchases that look like they are coming from all over.  Vendors bring their own payment processing systems, and some of them register as being in other states (because the business is out of state).
  3. Good Walking Shoes: I forgot this one last year, and I regretted it.  Remember, Maryland Sheep and Wool is not only about yarn, there are also livestock.  Wear sturdy shoes that you don’t mind getting a little dirty.
  4. A buying plan: You say, “Wait, I already set my budget.” Now, you need to figure out what you need or want: a new spindle? Yarn for a new sweater? Do you want to try out spinning wheels? Figure out what you are looking for so you don’t go home with things you’ll never use.
  5. Figure out a way to remember where your car is located: The only detractor for the parking situation at Maryland Sheep and Wool is the rows aren’t well labeled.  Every year I’m so excited I forget to take note of where my car is, and I race in.  Every year I leave the fair and wonder where the heck I parked.  Save yourself a headake and a bunch of walking – remember where your car is.
  6. Look at the schedule beforehand and memorize map: It’s much easier to get around Maryland Sheep and Wool if you are familar how the fairgrounds are laid out.  I like to think of the fairgrounds as having two main streets: one where the animals are, and the other where the food is.  Between the two “streets” are most of the vendors, with some scattered at the far ends of the fairgrounds.
  7. Make a list of the things you cannot miss: There’s a lot going on a the festival, so take a look at the schedule beforehand.  Do you want to see the sheepdog demo (answer, you do, it’s cool)?  Is there there a talk that’s only happening once?  Decide where you want to be when.
  8. Figure out which of your favorite vendors will be there – and the most efficient route between them: If you are at Maryland Sheep and Wool for the shopping, you want to get the best deals and you want to have the maximum choices.  Figure out where the highpoints are, and then plan your route around it.
  9. Are you going Saturday or Sunday or both? Saturday has more things going on, but the fairgrounds are more crowded.  The lines will be longer.  Sunday is more laid back, and there are normally less people, but the trade-off is that vendor’s stock is more depleted, especially towards the end of the day.
  10. Bring a Sherpa: I joke, but figure out a way to haul your booty.  Planning a mid-day trip to the car? Bringing a significant other?  One person I saw had their own radio flyer wagon for their haul.

Idea of Thirds for Online Content

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This is the next edition of a semi-regular series From the Business Desk I am writing to look at some of the important factors in running a Small Fiber Arts Business.  This feature revolves around some ideas and concepts that you can use when posting content online and via social media.

Driving content to any website or blog isn’t easy.  Especially with the proliferation of social media and so-called link aggregation sites like Buzzfeed or Tumblr, online viewers are faced with an overwhelming amount of content to sift through.  How can you, the publisher, rise above the noise, and provide your audience with a healthy variety of content to keep them engaged and continuing to return to your site?  Social Media giant Facebook has some analysis from their experience, much of it is good advice: ask questions, vary your style, and keep up your volume.

In terms of content, however, there’s a quick little memonic that I’ve always believed in to help you not only have varied style and volume, but different topics as well.  I think this is particularly apropos for the fiberarts industry, where so much of the culture and community is derived from sharing new ideas and teaching others’ new tips and techniques. It’s called the Idea (or rule) of Thirds for Online Content.  It goes like this:

1/3 of your content should be Informational
1/3 should be Instructional
1/3 should be Personal

Here at Tinking Turtle, we try (and emphasis on try given life’s challenges as mentioned before) to come up with a monthly posting schedule and theme, and then break down the posts based on these buckets.

This is our Posting Schedule for last November.  Note the other topics for me at the bottom… I’m just now getting to writing about the Idea of Thirds!

Each of these buckets can engage a different set of readers, or engage frequent readers in different ways.  The Informational grouping for content can encompass topics such as reviews of new patterns, new yarns, new books, or other knowledge based topics that you the poster want to share with your audience, for example this post you’re reading!  Instructional topics are pretty straight forward, and engage the folks’ who peruse your site hoping to learn something new (like Jen’s Embroidering with Crochet piece) or with a question to be answered.  Instructional topics can also lead into a more active offline engagement with readers, as once they have learned a technique or style they may want to pursue that with you through one on one interactions or even taking an in depth class.

Personal topics are topic matter most commonly associated with blogs; they are stories, experiences, and musings of the poster (such as my German Restaurant post about the origins of the Tinking Turtle name from last year) and add a human element to a website.  Readers want to know they are dealing with people, not robots, and having this down to earth content helps drive that connection to keep them coming back.

There are any number of ways you can break down posting content to achieve variety to provide engaging and provoking content.  The Idea of Thirds is one great concept to keep in the back of your mind when contemplating your online content, whatever the platform, going forward!

~ Mr. Turtle

Changes Afoot

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AttributionNoncommercial Some rights reserved by mattcornock

You might’ve noticed I’ve been a little distracted lately – and it’s been for a good reason. Michael and I will be moving to Ashland, Virginia (just north of Richmond) during the month of May.  It’s actually multi-step move, as Michael’s new job with Capital One starts at the end of April, but my obligations (and the end of our lease) hold us in the area until late May.

Now, I’m sure that you might have several questions in relation to this change, which I’ll do my best to answer here.

What will happen if I’m signed up for a class with you?
Any classes I have planned now through the end of the summer will happen as usual.  I’ll be traveling to the area regularly to teach the classes – Ashland isn’t too far for me to make the trip!

Will you be continuing to do finishing?
I will!  While the details are still be ironed out, I’ll be traveling frequently enough to the DC area that there will be regular pickups and dropoffs of work.  I’ll also be rolling out a modified pricing list that will better represent time estimates for your benefit.

Will you still be teaching in the DC area?
Yes!  For those of you who love to take my classes at Fibre Space and Woolwinders, I will be maintaining my relationship with both stores, and coming up to teach at regular intervals (at least once a month, with the exception of some summer months.


What if I want to take a private lesson with you?
I love teaching private lessons, and will continue to do so at both Woolwinders and Fibre Space.  If you are interested in taking a private lesson with me specifically, drop me a note, and I’d be happy to schedule you around my group classes.

Sea Cap a Beanie No More

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This evening Michael was throwing his clothes from SEA in the wash – as they stunk to high heaven.  One of the things was the SEA watchman’s cap that I knit for him after he went through the program the first time.  As he was getting ready to put stuff in the wash, we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: You know, I think that’s wool.
Him: No, I’m fairly sure it’s acrylic.  You wouldn’t make something for me that was wool after the socks I felted.
Me: *Dubious* Well, okay, if you’re sure.

You know what’s going to happen here, right?  Just in case it isn’t obvious, this was our conversation about an hour later.

Him: Sweetheart, guess what.
Me: *wary* What?
Him: The hat felted.

Turns out that when I said it was Wool, Michael thought I meant it was washable wool, like my socks (which go in the wash, but not the dryer.  We had to have a conversation between super-wash and normal wool.

I don’t think this hat really fits anymore…

KAL and Other Things

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The past week has been a rather rough one, hence my radio silence.  My grandmother, whom I’m very close to, has gone on hospice, and I am up in Massachusetts spending some time with her and supporting my mother.  If you email me, message me on Facebook or Ravelry, your response might be a while in coming, as I don’t have that much time to spend on my computer.

On a quick other note, Dragonfly and Tinking Turtle have an Octopodes KAL running from now to the end of April.  What is a KAL you ask?  A KAL is a group of people knitting the same project together.  We help each other out – in this case, I’ll be doing a series of blog posts on techniques having to do with Octopodes, and there will be contests and prizes for the winners.

Check it out!

Attack of the Yan Snatchers!

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Yesterday a Michael was getting ready for work he told me that he had a dream about the cats getting into the yarn.  After he was finished telling me about the dream, I commented how long it had been since the cats had gotten into the yarn – I’d gotten good about making sure to put things away at the end of the evening.  He laughed and headed out of the bedroom as I began dragging myself out of bed, when suddenly I heard, “Sweetheart…” and the note in his voice made me very nervous.

“The cats got into your yarn.”
Michael must have heard the cats running around in his sleep and realized what it meant.  The cats had really gotten into my yarn this time.  500 plus yards of yarn were spread throughout the main room of our apartment, threading themselves through chairs and tables, around the couch and the rest of the room.
The cats had a really good time.  Somehow Peake (and I know it was Peake, as he looked entirely too smug) managed to push open the zipper of my backpack and get into my knitting bag from there.
The last two nights have been spent untangling their mess, but I’m happy to report that no yarn was lost to their play.

It’s a good thing these guys are so cute.  I’m nearly over being mad at them.

Post Mortem Part 1: Octopodes Socks

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Back about a year and a half ago I had an idea for a pair of mittens – a cute little pair with an octopus on them.  So I printed out some knitting graph paper and sketched out a design.  I thought I wanted to either self-publish these or submit them to Knitty (because what other publication would want octopus mittens? – they seemed pretty niche), and then I wrote a proposal for yarn support and sent it to Dragonfly.  It went like this:

I could have fallen over when Kate, from Dragonfly, said yes.  Since Dragonfly is not even a 10 minute drive away, I went to them to pick the yarn up.  When talking to one of Kate’s employees (who were helping me with the color choices), she advised me toward the Silver Fox and Poseidon.  I’d been looking at Kelpie and an Orange that I liked – and she mentioned that it might not be such a good idea, as there was already a pair of blue and orange octopus mittens on Ravelry… which were also done in similar yarn.
I quickly settled on the Silver Fox and Poseidon after that.  And then I went home to Ravelry to look up the mittens – titled Octopus Mittens.  They were lovely.  Amazing.  And I couldn’t believe that Emily Peters had gotten to the idea first.
I was devastated.  I’d really loved my idea of Octopus Mittens, and I didn’t want to give it up… but I was so rattled by the similarities I didn’t know what to do.
That evening I told Michael (now Mr.Turtle) about my dilemma.  His response?  “Put them on a pair of socks.  Socks are the same as mittens, right?  I mean, one has thumbs, the other has heels.  Both only have one hole.”
That bit of common sense broke my panic.  Emily’s octopus was completely different from mine.  Mine was a little cutesy, and hers was definitely more tentacle-ly.  Hers had bubbles and the design moving onto the palm, mine did not.  And now we were even working in different colors.
And I had chosen sock yarn for the mitten pattern – so no problems there.  Socks they would be then!  So I began knitting on the socks – not realizing there’d be a lot more to this design.  Stay tuned tomorrow for Post Mortem – Part II!
Did you know that Dragonfly and I are running a KAL, starting on the 24th?  Pick out your yarn and get your needles ready (or even get a head start!) for an epic KAL.

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