Need your input into my store update revisions

I've been getting some feedback lately that customers are having a real hard time picking up fiber during my updates and are becoming a bit frustrated. I don't blame them. Etsy's system of putting something in your cart and the probability of that item being snatched up by someone else before checkout is not the best. So there are a few possible solutions I am mulling over.

1. Dyeing up a higher quantity of the colorways I think might be popular for the updates
-currently I only dye 2 of each colorway and I am thinking of bumping this up to 4 or 6.

2. In addition to having one main update (Thursday at 5pm MST), also posting fiber to Etsy randomly throughout the week.
- I figure this could give people an equal opportunity at getting the fiber.

3. Having two updates per week with about 30 rovings per update.
- not sure about this one. It might be nice to have two updates instead of one, but would it really give people a better chance at fiber and less frenzy? One update of 60 pieces or two updates of 30?

4. Creating a Fiber Club which will enable anyone who wants to pick up some of my fiber to do so.
- I think this could be very helpful to buyers. Maybe a month by month club or a 3-month club?

I would love to have some feedback over the options or combination of options. I really want to come up with a solution that would satisfy buyers so any input would be greatly appreciate.

Time to start my Saturday now. Walking the dogs, packing and mailing orders, dyeing, and then some highly anticipated catch-up on my fave programs. This weekend I need to catch up on Lost, Survivor, 30 Rock, The Office, and a week's worth of The Daily Show and the Colbert report. Phew! Thank goodness for no long commercials on the internet playbacks.

Have a good one everyone!!

a better morning

after 5 days of this dog not being able to get up on her own and looking in so much pain that the vet agrees it's the end of the road, she wakes up just fine and dandy this morning. not that i'm complaining. it's not the first time she's fooled me. just when i think it's time to put her out of her misery, she comes back. my family jokes that she must know what's coming and pulls herself together just in time to avoid the needle. i love this dog so much, so she can keep faking me out all she wants.

a day of dyeing in store for today.

sigh...

grueling day. at the vet yet again with the dog this morning. it's looking like she's going to have to be put down soon. pushing the update back a day because i let my emotions get the best of me today. update planned for friday 7pm est. off to sleep...

Twitter has taken over my life

at least for the last 48 hours.

i go through these phases of enjoying social networking and then needing my space from it. right now i'm back to enjoying it. i had no idea how big our fiber community really is and it's been really interesting seeing all the different work people are doing. tres cool.

i'm still waiting on my fiber to arrive. dum-di-dum-dummmmm. i'm so short on fiber that i don't even have any at this point to spin for myself. i don't know what to doooooooo with myself which might account for how much time i've been spending a'twittering.

luna, my oooooooooold dog is still hanging in there, although she has an infection being treated by antibiotics. i have a feeling that these antibiotics may be interfering with her arthritis meds because she has been very wobbly for the past few days and having difficulty getting up. :( i can't wait for this round of antibiotics to be FINISHED.

76 degrees here today. Cray-zay!

i've been a bad, bad blogger

it's been so long since i've been here that i forgot how to post. seriously, i had to search around for the "post" link.

i dyed up the last of my fiber a few days ago and am getting antsy. i really want to dye, dye, dye, but nothing left to dye but some firestar. guess i'll do that today. my bumps of fiber should be arriving next week, so until then i will enjoy my time spinning.

not much else going on. i will be taking a leave of absence in mid-April, so will be trying to stock my store until then, and will not be uploading any more fiber after that until April, May, and/or June.

hmmmm, bagels sound good right about now.

oh, also I am now Twittering. I am PoppyFlowerFibr over there.  twitter.com/PoppyFlowerFibr

fiberlicious update!

i've been a bad blogger yet again, but this time i have something to show for it.




update Saturday, 8/23, around 3pm MST. only 2 of each colorway, first come first serve. hope you find something you like. =)

poppyflowerfibers.etsy.com

update

here is an update on my lack of updates. must keep it short because typing is difficult. after a month of dealing with doggie and human health problems, i was ready to update last week when my shoulder was somehow injured. my entire right side...arm, wrist, lower back, shoulder...is entirely jacked up. it's not carpel tunnel, as it presents in the 4th and 5th finger and is most likely an ulnar nerve injury possibly combined with brachial plexus injury. who knows. all i know is that it is very difficult to do much of anything with my right arm and i am doing everything in my power to help it heal on it's own. no docs if i can help it. the nearly 16-year-old dog is doing great and in for more blood work today. have to get off the keyboard now. =)

Life restructuring

I haven't been around the blogging world much and I thought it about time I post an entry.

Since my last post I have been busy wrestling with mounds of Cotswold locks, petting goats, and obsessing about camera lenses.

pic of a goat:



I have decided to restructure my life a bit, including my business, and have decided to "officially" do the fiber biz part-time. Part-time can mean anything from one update a month to multiple updates a month. It's basically what I've been doing already, but by declaring it as "part-time" it psychologically alleviates a little stress and enables me to tend to some priorities in my life. And also, it will be more FUN for me this way as I will be able to ride the creative wave rather than force it. Sounds so simple, but this decision has given me a great sense of relief as I am a bit of a perfectionist and feel bad when my updates are late. Phew!

Speaking of updates, planning on having one by the end of the week. (crossing my fingers)

Latest dyeing

So, besides taking care of my vacant dog, I've been getting a little dyeing done. Mostly BFL. Here's a sampling of yesterday's upload to my Etsy store and will be dyeing more today for Saturday's update. BTW, thank you so much for all the well wishes for my dog. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a hard time.

Doggie dementia

At first I thought all the late-night pacing antique-dog was doing was the result of the full moon. But the full moon has now passed and yet her late-night pacing has worsened. All night long, which means mom is up with her aaaaaaall niiiiiight looooong. Panting and pacing, panting and pacing. Does she have to go to the bathroom? No. Does she have to drink some water? No. Does she have to eat? No, but will never deny a biscuit. So last night in my frustration, I got out of bed for the umpeenth time and went to the living room to sit down and call the emergency animal hospital. I was concerned that she might be in some serious pain and maybe that was the reason why she was panting and pacing. But as soon as I sat down to make the call she laid down by my feet and relaxed quietly, ready for a snooze. So, I hung up the phone, waited a few minutes, and tried to sneak back to bed. No sooner had I laid down that the dog was again pacing and panting back and forth and around my bed. I again got up, sat down in a chair, and the panting and pacing ceased. So, maybe this dog is not in serious pain. Maybe she can only sleep when she is right at my feet. If she wasn't 70+ pounds I would have thrown her in bed with me. So, this morning I googled doggie dementia and apparently pacing is a sign. Thankfully, there are meds to treat this. I'll be making an appointment with the doc tomorrow and hoping to get her on some quick. For both our sakes. I'm now running on a cumulative of maybe 20 hours sleep for the last week and that makes for a sad and bitchy mommy. Poor dog. She's now over 15 1/2 years old, which is oooooooold for a Lab. I dread the day when that painful decision will have to be made. Deeply saddens me. Man's/woman's best friend she has been.