Spring is Coming Again!!

You may not know it, but Spring is my absolute favorite season. Why? Because color returns to the landscape along with more sunlight. Yes, I am a SAD sufferer, but I have learned to turn on more lights during winter. Anyway! Here we are in mid-March and I can see signs of spring coming on. Daffodils, coltsfoot, and the new greens of spring. Many of my daffies are face down due to cold temps, but they still bring me hope for warmer weather.

The beauty of the East Tennessee mountains with their clear blue skies and temperatures in low 70's are irresistible. All of this makes me want to dye light spring colors, which I've been doing, enriching many of them with speckles. I am getting better at this technique and some of the colors are starting to become Babettes (repeatable colorways).

I've also been thinking that I've never talked about the Wild Irises (non-repeatable colorways) much except to say that this is when I get to play and that they are one offs. Beyond this, Wild Irises often occur when we have leftover dye from dyeing on the table. The Wild Irises mean that we are not throwing this extra dye away and it is being used in a meaningful way. And when I combine dyes or play with them in pots to create tonal colors, I broaden my understanding of how the dyes interact in real life.

What else is going on? I am ever so much further through grieving the loss of my husband two and a half years ago. I have passed beyond the guilt and if only's that happen when you imagine all of the things I/we could/should have done. I have come to this: We loved each other and we did well by each other, and that we have to be proud of in our time together. 

But this does now leave me at the point of where am I and how am I going forward from here. It is natural and appropriate to think about these things at turning points like a loss of a spouse. And I am sure some of you have wondered this as well. I have committed to myself and my employees to keep moving forward for a good long time yet. Retirement is not in my future at this point, because if I did, I would just create another business since that's how I think about things.

I am working with people in my organization to learn more things and cross-train so they can gain more skills, and I can let loose of some of the things I have done. I do many things I never imagined when I started doing this: pulling (and backing) a trailer, lifting heavy boxes of yarn, figuring out how to ship yarn on pallets to another part of the country, inventory systems, and more.

I have been having fun working with watercolors and graphic-y styles are interesting. I also love seeing the colors lined up next to each other. It's another great chance to play.

Spring is all about rebirth and seeing signs of new life. I hope this season is one you enjoy as well.