My weekend was spent being booth help for Hobbledehoy Yarn + Fiber and Marigoldjen Hand Dyed Yarn. Duties included helping out with customers, talking with the lovely Liz, Jenny, and co-helper Adele of Looliemom Fiber Arts, showing folks how to use the fibers in the booth, and trying not to get in the way. I succeeded at some of these things.
Because I was having such a grand time there, I forgot to take photos. Therefore, all the ones you see here are from folks kind enough to allow me to use theirs!

Some of the highlights of this weekend – and it really is only some, as there were SO many:

• getting to meet/see/chat with fiberistas Melissa [Wild Hare Fiber Studio], Arlene [Spin Artiste], Esther [Jazzturtle], Ashley [Neauveau Fiber Arts], Elysa [No. {222} Handspun], and Charisse [ColorCrazeFiber]
• FINALLY getting to meet my friend Carrie, who made amigurumi zombie doppelgangers of Rob and myself a while back, and who will be selling her creations shortly [YAY!]
• Seeing my pal and all-around awesome person and crafter Christen [Creepy Cute Crochet and NeedleNoodles]
• Getting to meet and spin a while with my wonderful friend Ashley, who until now, I only knew online. We will be spinning together again at Camp Pluckyfluff in October!
• Sneaking away to do a tiny bit of shopping and a TON of sweating, as it was hot and crowded. This makes for a slightly unpleasant experience inside some of the barns, but it is a GOOD thing, because crowds usually mean sales.
• Talking to all the sheep in the barns. Having some of them look for nose pets.
• Seeing about 3270972350723508 people that I know [hence why I'm not listing you all, I just *can't* or that would be the entire post! Plus, my brain, she cannot remember all the details. Poor brain.]
• Getting to meet the Knit Girllls [of the Knit Girllls podcast]and watch them knock out half of the Hobbledehoy booth with their and their entourage’s shopping frenzy. They’re awesome and it was an honor to meet ‘em!
• The amazing camaraderie of being in a huge place filled with Your People – the ones who speak your language, love what you love, and are part of your wooly tribe. I love you all so much.

Photo courtesy of Melissa Ricks, Wild Hare Fibers

I managed to get a few things for the biz, which of course YOU will be seeing transformed into other things here on my website soon… there’s something so magical about getting fiber artistry from another fiberista and piling my own magic onto it, too. It is like a build of images and color/texture sense, creating from what came before in order to build something magnificent and rare.

[ahem, okay]

YES! I got a metric buttload of fiber from Liz of Hobbledehoy, of course – I mean, I was in her booth all weekend! I have a veritable rainbow of beautiful fiber. I’ll try to take photos, but the lighting has been miserable, what with all the grey days. I also got some mega-awesome fiber packs from Elysa/No.222 – she does this thing with BRIGHTS against neutral, natural, textured wool, and it really appeals.

I bought *one* thing that is ostensibly for Threeravens, but even more so for me – a supported Russian lace spindle from The Spanish Peacock.

The wood is pink ivory, it spins like a DREAM [even though the operator is full of issues while learning], and it is a joy to work with as I fumblingly learn how to use it. Expect a blog post all about it. I am in love.

There was SO much else to buy! I was good, because I am trying to save up for Camp Pluckyfluff, but here’s a little taste of what you missed…

Would I go back again next year? HELL YES I WOULD. And I will. And if I can swing it, I’ll be vending there. I missed a ton of things to do – there was a sheep-to-shawl, a parade of the sheep breeds, shearing, sit and knits, judging of yarn and fleece and garments… plus a ton of sheep-themed food [I heard the pit lamb was delicious, but I just can't eat the lil' fluffies, plus the prices for food there are hiiiiigh] and even plants, pottery, and other interesting items that I just never got a chance to inspect because, hello! I was overwhelmed!

If you saw the girl with the BRIGHT red, long hair there, that was ME. Next time, please DO come say hello! Big thanks go to Rob, who was a trooper on Saturday despite getting heat-sick, Liz and Jenny who were so much fun to spend a weekend with talking about everything under the sun, and my Tweedle-twin Adele who made me laugh SO DAMN much on Saturday – never a dull moment! Until next year, MDSW: BAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! <3

Pertinent links for this post include:
Hobbledehoy Yarn + Fibers - http://hobbledehoyfibers.blogspot.com/ [blog] and http://www.etsy.com/shop/hobbledehoy [shop]
Marigoldjen Hand Dyed Yarns – http://www.etsy.com/shop/marigoldjen
Looliemom Fiber Arts – http://www.etsy.com/shop/looliemom
Wild Hare Fiber Studio – http://www.etsy.com/shop/wildhare
Jazzturtle Creations –
Spin Artiste – http://www.spinartiste.com/
The Spanish Peacock – http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpanishPeacock
Neauveau Fiber Arts – http://www.handspunartyarn.com/
ColorCrazeFiber – http://www.etsy.com/shop/COLORCRAZEFIBER
No. {222} Handspun – http://www.etsy.com/shop/no222
NeedleNoodles – http://needlenoodles.com/home/
The Knit Girllls – http://www.theknitgirllls.com/wordpress/

It’s not easy to ask for help – at least for me, it isn’t. I was raised by a family with very strong work ethic, the kind of family where we rally around each other and our friends, but wouldn’t easily ask for a hand up for ourselves. Asking for help can make one feel like a failure, but the truth is: none of us live in a void. None of us can do it alone. And sometimes we can help each other out, and in doing so, get something in return.

I want to tell you a little bit about me, because that’s only fair.

I know that not everyone understands why someone would go into an artisan field as a career. And many people don’t prosper – in fact, success is often only bolstered by secondary incomes, etc. I’m working full-time at my dream of being a fiber artist. Slowly, it’s working. But slow is the key word here, and I’m on a tight schedule. I have a fixed income that allows me just enough to pay my personal bills and eat. That’s about it. I put in more hours on my business than most people do at paid jobs. I try to pay myself, but right now the biz is at the point where money that comes in goes right back out: everything from materials to taxes to various fees sucks up any profit currently. It’s the curse of the growing business and a slow economy, and I’m working with it, but this leaves me little respite for expanding my skills in my chosen field under the tutelage of other, cutting-edge fiber artists – aka, taking classes with the best.

That’s why I took the approach of a sponsorship program. I’ve talked about it before, and I’ve had a few people invest in my business in this fashion – and it’s been appreciated, and used to help keep Threeravens growing to great effect.
But this time, I have this specific goal: to get myself to Camp Pluckyfluff, which is happening in October in Berlin MD, which is about 4 hours from me. This is a prime opportunity to learn from the fabulous and talented Lexi Boeger, aka Pluckyfluff, who is one of the innovators in the field of artistic yarn creation. She offers a two day class that teaches techniques that will expand and/or refine my skills. I’ll also have the opportunity to meet other fiber artists in the area, which is always a good thing. We will be learning from each other, I suspect, just as we learn from Lexi. This is a chance I may not have come my way again soon, so I am doing my best to get there.

Your sponsorship is helping me with this.

I am also working to help another fiber artist, Adele, get to the class. Why am I doing this? Well, because she’s awesome and talented… we support each other… she is my friend… and she will get as much out of this class as I will, so I want to learn from watching her create while I do the same for her. We plan to share a room, which will cut those costs down. And we will be support for each other while we’re there. It’s a win-win.

I think every fiber artist should be able to take a class like this. I think that every artist should be able to have access to classes that expand their repertoire and raises their skill level. Classes help both the students and the teachers of them – students gain new techniques and attitudes, and teachers get to pass along their knowledge and get paid for doing so. Again, a win-win.

The sad truth is that most artists don’t easily have the money available for attending the classes that are so essential for growth in their field. And full-time artists, like me, often have the least amount of available funds, which ends up holding us back in areas where we need it most.
The good thing is that when we are sponsored, we can attain the knowledge that we need, and we can trade our skills in return for the privilege. When sponsors give money, they receive what I like to call a “perk” for their vote of confidence in me: something of value that still allows me to put a decent amount of the sponsorship funds toward my goal. Sponsors also get the satisfaction of knowing that they’ve helped an artist grow and improve herself. Yep, it’s a win-win.

So now you know what this is all about. The funds received would usually go straight into my business, but in this case, they are supporting education for me and another fiber artist, and the ability for a teacher to educate. Included in our education funds is the fee for class, the ability to get there, and a place to stay – because those things are all entwined in the ability to take the class. Extra funds go directly into the hands of the teacher. Everyone wins.

We have had some generous and loving people step up and sponsor us already. If you choose to do the same, I will be honored. I’ll also be embarrassed, because I still feel weird about this whole thing – see above paragraphs. But that’s okay. We will all be getting something wonderful from this process, and that’s what counts. And I know that even my supporters who cannot sponsor – I still have you in my corner. That is the most important thing of all.

If you want to read more about sponsorship, here’s the link to my page: http://www.threeravens.net/sponsor-me/
And here’s a link to the perks available:

http://www.spinartiste.com/featured-artist-christiane-knight-of-three-ravens

- ps: a HUGE thank you to Arlene Ciroula for all the support, laughs, inspiration, and awesomeness.

You see, this is what I do. This is my career, my lifestyle, my business, my love. It’s my thing.

I’m working hard to grow Threeravens into more than just a successful business – I want it to thrive. I want to make connections, I want to inspire people to create when they see what I create. I get such a thrill when I see what y’all make with my fiber and yarn! It fills me with glee, and that’s what I’d call an awesome trade.

Here’s the thing: I want to be able to pay my bills, of course – without that, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do – but what makes this more than a job, more than something that I do because it’s cool and pays the bills… is that connection to YOU.

You, my friends, are what make what I do the best job in the world. You make me grin, and feel inspired, and want to learn more about what I do. You make me want to meet you all and talk yarn and fiber and what makes you happy and where you are going in life.

You are my inspiration, and my livelihood, and the reason I am happy.

Thank you. You are all so awesome.

I’ve been making bead spindles for a while now. Bead spindles are a wonderfully stripped-down, primitive style sort of spinning device that at the most basic, consists of a stick and a weight.
Mine are made from hand-shaped wooden shafts with fancy beads as the whorl/weight. They are simple, elegant, and fun to use and demonstrate with, as you’ll see if you watch this video of me being a total goober while showing you how it’s done!

WHEN: March 25th 2012, from 12 noon until 5pm
WHERE: Historic Savage Mill 8600 Foundry Street, Savage, MD 20763 – and there is PLENTY of parking.
WHAT: Besides ME, there is an AMAZING array of other fabulous local fiber artists. There are also free lessons for crochet, knitting, spinning; door prizes; outdoors space for fiber-arting, weather permitting.

Did I mention that admission is FREE? And I will be there?

Look for my world famous Box of Crayons Batts to make an appearance, as I’ve been turning the crank on the drum carder in the Fiber Pit like my life depended on it! I do it all for you, my dears!

I will also have an array of artistic yarns – of course – including some grab bags of mixed small skeins, which is something new and fun!

And of course there will be hand dyed fiber there. I have some pretty, pretty fleece as well as BFL top that is ridiculously soft, and some even softer nylon. Because that’s how we roll around here.

Oh, and I hope that you’re subscribed to my newsletter… because there’s a special discount for you if you are and you come to the show. There’s still time to get on the list – I won’t be sending out the new one until Saturday.

I hope to see you at the show!

Click to see full-size images!
1. The Mannings, 2. IMAG0032, 3. IMAG0033, 4. A view of the buildings., 5. I’ll take one of each., 6. IMAG0035

What is The Mannings? A place of dreams, my friends. If you love fiber arts of all sorts, this is a palace of inspiration.

Here you will find books on every Fiber Arts subject, as well as tools for knitting, spinning, crochet, weaving, dyeing, carding, and probably tons of things that I’m missing. There is a wealth of yarn in every fiber and color and style, from an amazing array of companies. Buttons? Oh, they have them for your project OR to make a statement about your hobby. [I finally got the "Spinning: because knitting isn't weird enough" button I've wanted!] There’s even a room in the back that is filled with a massive collection of spinning wheels – perfect to figure out what sort of wheel is for you – as well as carders and looms to try out. It was really cool to see so many different types and styles next to each other, and to realize that I could identify almost every one was pretty fun, too!

The staff was super-nice and helpful, and best of all? They were there if I needed them, but left me alone to look around without trying to direct me to things. I appreciated that SO much, y’all. They totally got that I wanted to experience the place on my own terms. I loved that!

It is a short drive from Hanover PA to The Mannings, and very worth it. They offer classes as well, and I might just have to take a few at some point. The drive becomes scenic very quickly, and you’ll see that the building is right across from a gorgeous river with a pretty bridge. And the sheep in the first picture? They live right down the street, with a couple of llamas. We had to stop and grab a photo or two!

I would recommend The Mannings to anyone who loves Fiber Arts, and if you’re going to be visiting there PLEASE let us know and we’ll try to meet up with you for a day of fiber fun!

Here’s the breakdown of results:

Top request by far was for more art batts. This is a good thing, as I have plans to fulfill your needs!
Besides Box of Crayons batts, I’ll be adding a couple of repeat colorways/styles. Yay!

The next results were a four-way tie! The people have spoken and the people want more
hand-dyed roving and top
spindles
creative yarns featuring texture
and online classes.
We can do this! Hand-dyed roving/top is already in the works; I have a line on spindles that will knock your hand-knit socks off; textured yarns are already a big part of what we do and will continue to be a main focus; and online classes? Oh yeah. That’s something I’ve been DYING to do. This is all good stuff!

Next up was creative yarns featuring add-ins, which I started selling in December – huzzah! – then loose dyed fibers like my popular Rock Locks.

The weakest showing was for luxury fibers and traditional yarn styles, which is cool, as that’s not really something we focus on here. That means, from a business point of view, that we’re reaching the right people for what we do. Yay! And loose raw fibers didn’t get a single vote – duly noted.

Okay, so what does this all mean?

Well, as I noted above, it means *huge sigh of relief* that Rob and I are connecting with the right people for the things we do and want to do. Y’all highlighted that perfectly with your poll choices!
It also means that we now have a clear set of goals for 2012. Some of these additions are already in the works, and others are brewing in my brainpan and should see fruition very soon. [like the online classes - I just needed to know that there really was a market for them! I've been asked before, but there's nothing like a concrete vote of confidence.]

I’d like to extend a HUGE thanks to everyone who voted or contacted me to let me know what you thought. Your help allows us to grow Threeravens in the best directions for YOU and us. <3

*necklace pictured is available here:

I have many plans for 2012, and although I probably will not implement *all* of them, it will be fun to try and see how many I succeed at creating. You might notice that I’ve got some new spins [see what I did there?] on my look and style. It’s still Threeravens and Xiane and Rob, but we’re now even a bit more HI THERE about who we are and what we do.

…I mean, in case there was any doubt, that is.

And because this is a year of CHANGE and FUN, I have a poll for you! Yep, I want to hear what you’d like to see from Rob and I in this upcoming year, because your opinions matter to us. It’s a multiple choice poll, so please pick all the choices that appeal to you. I welcome comments about things I didn’t think to suggest, as well.

We could not do this without YOU. Thank you from the bottom of our little rock’n'roll hearts.