Ok, I’m putting this up here for several reasons:

1. I’m getting tired of just making shop update posts
2. I promised some time ago to try and liven things up here with more personal anecdotes
3. I need to finish the clean-up on my weaving, cut it off the loom, and get it hung!

I started this wall hanging last year (I think it was in the fall) because I wanted to mimic a vintage hanging. Kind of a challenge finding the right yarns that weren’t too pricey and attempting to match the pattern but acknowledging this would be in no way a perfect copy. I’m pretty happy with it, and more than ready to start up on the next piece.

Anyway, this post is mostly supposed to serve as motivation to finally complete the darn thing! I’ll post after photos – I promise

I took a week off from the ol’ day job over the holidays, and, um, guys -IT WAS AWESOME. I always look forward to the end of year because I finally get a break and an opportunity to get caught up on stuff. Anyone else do this, too?

Beer and nachos were consumed, loads of tea and coffee was imbibed, new hats were crocheted, my massive 2011 weaving project was (mostly) completed, vintage books were acquired, two books were devoured on the kindle, cookies were baked, prosecco was drunk, documentaries were watched, new things were added to the shop, delicious meals made by Brannan were devoured, the horse was ridden, and lots, and lots of R&R time was had.

And yes, I documented a bunch of this on the blog’s instagram account. Can’t help it. (Anabela (aka Fieldguided) clued me into the PicFrame app that let’s you collage a bunch of photos together, like I’ve done here.) Happy 2012 everyone!

I don’t know about you guys, but to say I’m burned out on the internet and its endless cycle of memes would be an understatement. I’ve become really selective about what I read and make sure it’s content diverse. Also, now that we’ve managed to get the majority of our new arrivals finally up, I’m back to my own creative pursuits, which thankfully doesn’t require being on the computer for long stretches.

This isn’t to say I’m not still toodling around online I’m just trying to find things that haven’t been posted to death. Recently, through a random search, I came across the Library of Congress’s online Flickr account and their Photochrom Travel Views set featuring travel photos from 1890 – 1900 (Photochrom process described here). It’s seriously like a travel vacation for my eyes! While they don’t have a large selection of photos, what they do have is really nice, so be sure to have a look.

I’ve been MIA thanks to the ol’ day job again. We’ve a two week straight survey trip in New Mexico so that means no new arrivals this week. However, I come bearing a few instagramed photos of some cool sights I get to see while I’m hammering away at the work. (Check out the bull’s head in the rock photo below.) The weather has been just ace – even a little too warm for surveying. I’ll be back in the groove hopefully by next Monday!