Time Will Tell

 

As part of the Zoom presentation tomorrow on stash management, I realized one cannot consider how one manages one's stash without addressing the space one has in which TO manage it.

So I did a series of photos of my studio on Jan. 1, 2024.  No effort was made to 'prettify' my space, other than put away the drying rack which was no longer needed.  The photos reflect exactly the state of my studio on that day.

Over the years I've crammed an extraordinary amount of productivity into a much too small space.  

Weaving is real estate hungry.  The tools take up a lot of room, but also?  The stash of yarns, then the finished products.

This rack is where I store the items ready for sale.  It's not especially full at the minute, but there is another rack with textiles that are 'finished', just not tagged/priced.  Therefore not quite ready for sale.  They get stored somewhere else until I've done that final step.  It is one way for me to track the state of my 'finished' textiles and keep them organized.

Inventory is a bit lower right now because of the seasonal sales.  Selling handwoven textiles is always higher during the run up to Christmas, plus I did a blow out 'sale' of one design that had been hanging around for far too long.  It was time to move them out.  So I did a BOGO sale.  Some people took advantage of that to purchase Christmas gifts for family and friends, and I cleared some space on this rack for more of the other designs to be tagged and moved here.   Which I still haven't done, but is on my list for the new year.

Over the years I struggled to stay on top of the management side of being a professional/production weaver/teacher/author.  Each of those 'jobs' required space to organize the materials required.  For far too long I operated in very tight quarters, walking through goat trails as boxes and bins were stacked high and wide.

Since my 'retirement' I've worked steadily to weave down as much of my stash as possible, and even managed to sort through some boxes and actually (gasp) throw some things away.

I always hesitate to throw weaving samples away, just in case I need them to illustrate a point when I'm teaching.  But there comes a time when I have to come to grips with my changing circumstances.  

In 1995 I learned how to make bobbin lace, and because I had an enthusiastic enabler, I acquired a rather deep stash of lace supplies.  Over the holidays I thought about the lace stash and I think I have made some decisions about how to proceed.  Now I just need the appropriate spoons to deal with it.

However, since I now have some space in which to work, the first thing that needs to happen is to get all of my lace supplies dragged out, then start sorting through it all.

Since many of the bobbins were painted by my enabler (who died in 2018), there is a lot of sentimental attachment involved, and I know I'm going to find parting with her bobbins difficult.  And I still have dreams of doing lace again.  I even have a proto-plan, which I'm going to let simmer for a while and see if it endures.

Because I'm still in the midst of weaving down my weaving stash and usually by the time I've done my two 45 minute sessions, that is about all the energy I have for the day.

However, I get my next SI joint injection next week and I'm hoping that the progress I've made with physio and massage will mean I will have more energy to use for other things.  Like getting better organized.

In the meantime we are seeing the daylight hours begin to increase, and the weather forecast is warning of snow and more 'seasonable' temperatures.  Who knows, we may yet get 'winter', even if it is a mild one.  But we desperately need precipitation, so I'm not going to complain about the snow that has just begin to sift down from on high.  We need it.  

Time will tell if it will be enough to stave off the wildfires this summer; if I have the energy to deal with my never ending stash; if I feel well enough to do more than just keep on, keeping on...

(changing over my planning calendars - still taking bookings for Zoom presentations for 2024 and will be ready for 2025 in the next day or two.)