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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.

You don’t have to do anything at checkout, the shipping’s already been removed from the cart. I still have some holiday yarns available, too!

MERRY HAPPY!

photo by Steve Ruark of The Baltimore Sun

Rob and I had SUCH a marvelous time at the Heap!
Big thanks go out to Charm City Craft Mafia, who made the magic happen and did amazingly hard work to create a fantastic holiday craft show… GrrChe Gourmet Grilled Cheese for a fantastic lunch… Red Emma’s for the caffeinated lift in the afternoon, and Meep!Craft for being such awesome booth-neighbors!

Oh yes… and a BIGHUGEAWESOME thanks to YOU! Without all the fantastic people coming by the booth to say hello, pick up yarn or fiber, or just watch my spin and ask lots of questions – well, we wouldn’t be there at all. I love you all and y’all made our day so fantastic, you just don’t even know.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Photo by Heather Russell von Marko of Charm City Craft Mafia

The craft show is located inside St John’s Church, at 2640 St Paul Street in Charles Village. Doors will be open from 10am – 5pm, and you can find me at booth 25, which is in the big room, against the stage.

Not only is this a great opportunity to come out and see what I do – and ask questions! – but it is the perfect time to join in with me and go Handmade for the Holidays! There will be SO many wonderful items there, perfect for all your gifting needs. The shows that are hosted by Charm City Craft Mafia are always top-notch, filled with amazing artisans who create beautiful, unusual, and crave-worthy pieces.

So won’t you join us? I would love to see you there – and be sure to mention that you saw it here!

Sarada makes wonderful, magical paintings filled with curiously captivating Fantasy, Halloween, Gothic and Victorian imagery – I love her colors and subject matter and if I ever get around to writing a book, I know who I need to illustrate my book cover.

In her post about keeping things Handmade for the Holidays, Sarada talks about why she prefers to give Handmade, and offers an extensive list of other talented artists, musicians, writers, and others that she recommends. It’s a list that I’d happily shop from!

Because like many people, I would rather give and receive something that is made by myself, by a person I know or an artisan or craftsperson who cares about their work, than something produced en masse. These gifts don’t have to be expensive, and thanks to the Internet, you can get a gift from far away from a like-minded Maker-of-Things, without having to leave the house. That’s what the Handmade for the Holidays idea is all about. – Sarada

Sarada’s Blog: http://artbysarada.blogspot.com/
Sarada’s Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtBySarada

I’m pretty damn lucky. I’m definitely grateful.

That brings me to this – the rush that starts today until Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or your chosen Winter holiday – the quest to create a perfect holiday.

I have to be up front about this, y’all.
I heartily believe in making the Holidays, ALL holidays, handmade ones to the best of one’s ability. I always have. It just puts me into the real spirit of the holiday, and it makes for a more quality experience. That includes making things by my own hands, and finding things made by the hands of others – because it’s important to support the craftspeople of today, particularly local ones.

But it’s become intensely personal for me, now. This is what I DO. This is my bread and butter, my bill-paying and traveling and cat kibble and clothing. It’s incredibly rewarding to make my living creating handmade things; rewarding work isn’t all that pays the bills.

I need you to care, too.

I need you to invest back into your community, into hand-crafted goods, into small business over Big Box. I know that money is scarce for us these days. I know that sometimes handcrafted goods are more expensive. That’s for a very important reason: we’re paying ourselves a living wage. Unlike many goods that one can purchase at a Big Box, the people making your handcrafted items are highly skilled workers who are actually getting paid what they’re worth – if we even dare to charge enough for our items! Workers in many other countries are underpaid to make prices low in the Big Box stores. In the US, we’ve shipped out many of our industries to other countries because of this, because the corporations know that they can pay the workers less and work them harder than they should be worked, and they know that regulations there are not what they are in the US. [I'm only qualified to speak of what happens in this country, but I can't imagine we're the only ones.]

Buying Handmade is voting with your dollars: you are saying, “I want to support my neighbor and my economy with my money.”
Making Handmade is voting with your hands: you are saying, “I would rather surround myself with items created with meaning than with cheap and easily replaceable goods.”

Of course I want you to buy yarn and fiber from me. It would be disingenuous for me to say otherwise. BUT: if you aren’t going to do it from me, I’m pleading with you… buy from another small business. Buy Handmade.

It really matters. And I think you’ll feel really good about it, too.

I believe with all my heart in buying Handmade for the Holidays – and every day. But the Holidays are a special time to shop and show the people you love just how wonderful buying Handmade can be!

So I will be blogging until the end of the year about buying, making, and selling Handmade. And I’m inviting you to do the same!
Not only will you feel good by supporting small businesses, but you’ll get TONS of attention for your blog and/or Handmade business.

Clicky on the image to get all the deets and to sign up!

Just in case you missed it, my very first day of my “world-famous” [hurr] spinning class hosted by Lovelyarns in lovely Hampden, Baltimore, MD, happens this Sunday, November 13th. I am excited! Here’s a little background:

I will teach using basic top-whorl drop spindles and provide a spindle, fiber, and detailed instructions/book recommendations/website references for students to take home. I spend time educating the students about the general history of spinning, and I explain the differences in fibers and preparation [and I bring a ton of various fibers as visual/textural reference]. I cover different styles of spindles wheels, and a bit about yarn construction – then I get the students spinning. I’ll introduce plying and explain how to skein, measure, and set the twist in yarn. Students will leave with yarn that they can knit or crochet!

Class cost is $60, and covers all materials – including a student spindle and plenty of fiber to take home – as well as detailed instructions and helpful links for continued home study.

More here: http://www.lovelyarns.com/novdecsched.html
Lovelyarns is located at 846 W. 36th Street Baltimore, MD 21211 – call (410) 662 – YARN (9276) to register for this class or my other upcoming classes!