Phyllis

Going to be seventy, soon, and these past seven months have taken their toll. I have participated in craft fairs and fiber shows for almost 39 years and despite the hard physical work, I have loved this life. When I was singing in bands, in my 20’s, I loved what I did but made No money, but when I decided to give it up and go back to my first passions, painting and fiber, the amount of creativity that flowed was happiness itself.

Losing my travel and being around other creative people made me feel like that 8 year old latch key kid, who waited and waited and waited for someone to come home. It has been hard on my soul but I am determined to get through the wait, hoping that it will not be too late for me, when the travel and in-person show ban can be lifted.

I can tell you that I am so grateful to my customers, who have shopped online and especially for the ones who ask questions and for help with color and yarn choices. It almost feels like being in person, sometimes, instead of a dry but much appreciated order landing in my inbox. It keeps my creative juices flowing.

Let me tell you about one customer; Phyllis. We have been doing business for a couple of years now, ever since she saw the “Get This” featuring my fiber in Spin-off Magazine. She ordered a bunch of that fiber blend that I called Zen, which is a Merino/Silk/Bamboo top. A few months later, she called again. Every few months, even while we were on the road, Phyllis would call and leave a message that she had another order for me. The big point, at this time, is that when I felt despair and threatened to retire, there she would be, right at that hard time, with another big order of fiber. We have gotten to know one another and become friends, over the phone, with all of her kids living in California, while Covid19 has stopped her move back to our state, from Tennessee. She has been a life saver and not because of the funds; because she gave me something to focus on, once again, other than Waiting.

Now, I have something to look forward to, because we finally have that reliable broadband; Virtual Rhinebeck. If you ever yearned to make the pilgrimage to the Hudson Valley at Leaf Peeper time, now is your chance, from the comfort of your home. It will whet your appetite for the real experience, when we are done with this Waiting. Now is the time for me to don my dye spattered Duluth Trading apron and get to work on the special colorway of 2020. Something to look forward to! I mean it.