All the Things That Matter

What a whirlwind of a few weeks.  

I had a birthday, traveled to California to visit my mom, faced some health issues, dealt with family issues, and continued to work on a long term project.  I applied to teach at some shows, received confirmation from some other shows, and put my knitwear design hat back on.

My birthday was quiet and wonderful and spent with my mom.  We knitted, chatted, visited antique stores, and had one of the best visits we have had in quite some time. I’ll be traveling with her later in the year to Alaska on a cruise – a dream come true as Alaska is a place I love – and would love to see more of.

It looks like I’ll be dealing with some health stuff for a bit yet, but each day forward is closer to getting everything straightened out. I’ll be happy when it is. 

Issues with my family, mostly my adult children, are what they are.  I most definitely do not like this particular path.  I’m hurt, I’m sad, and I wish things were different, but I also have to remember that they are adults.  I don’t have to agree with the things they think, do, or believe, just as they have clearly pointed out, they don’t agree with me.  I know that I love them unconditionally, and I respect them enough to have made the decisions they have made, even if it means I no longer have contact with one of them.  I hope that changes in the future, but for now, like it or not, it is the way it is.

The long term project I’ve been working on is exciting, challenging, and a dream come true.  For now, it’s still a secret.  You know when you’re working on something big you’re a little afraid to jinx it by talking about it fully, out loud?  That’s where I am.  I can’t wait to share it with you when the time is right, but for now, I’ll continue working on it behind the scenes.  

I swore I was going to slow things down a bit this year, but when two additional shows popped up, the least I can do is apply.  It would mean traveling to two new places to teach. Fingers crossed!

I can confirm that as of now I’ll be teaching at the following locations and festivals:

Two Rivers Gallery in Big Timber, MT (February 24th)

Yarn & Honey in Great Falls (February, March, April, May, and June)

The Nome Schoolhouse in Nome, ND (May, August, and September)

Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair in Farmington, UT (April)

Estes Park Wool Market in Estes Park, CO (June)

Greycliff Fiber Festival in Greycliff, MT (July)

Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI (August)

Idaho Fiber Festival in Boise, ID (September)

Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Hailey, ID (October) 

My knitwear design cap is on and I’m currently working on patterns to release this year for Ranching Tradition Fiber, Greycliff Wool Works, Stillwater Fibers, Yarn & Honey, Mule Train Alpacas, Row 1 Yarns, Lone Pine Wool Emporium, and Unicorn Fluff Designs, as well as two new Goldieknots patterns.  So, when I’m not driving to festivals, teaching, or working on my project, you can expect to find knitting needles and yarn in my hands 🙂

52 Weeks of Sheep is moving along nicely and we’ll be having our own Spin-A-Long competition beginning February 21st.  If you’re interested in joining in the fun, you can visit the “shop now” link register.  You don’t even have to participate in the yardage competition.  Just come along and spin with us virtually from wherever you are.  We’ll be getting together via Zoom.  The podcast resumed this year and a new episode releases each month about the breeds we’re covering – sometimes with a guest.

I know this all sounds like a lot.  It is a lot.  I used to complain with “all the things” I was doing. Probably because I was doing things for everyone else and not really for myself. What I’m finding now is while there are many things to complete, these are the important things to me.  Spinning and connecting with people, teaching, designing patterns, my long-term project – they mean something, and they impact the fiber world around me.  

Yes, 2026 is off and running.  I’ll enjoy the good things, work on the hard things, and hope the really difficult things work themselves out, or provide me the opportunity to make them right where I can.

~Tammy