taking inventory

I'm in the process of getting my stuff together to go to the craft show in Windsor, Colorado in November. So far this year, I have managed to put together a granny square sweater, 2 crocheted skirts, a beige alpaca shawl, a knitted ruana, two vests, a sweater of both knitted parts and crocheted parts, the garnet sweater, a dusty rose bolero, a felted gray alpaca blend shawl, a light fawn alpaca capelet, a beaded gray capelet, a beige capelet with lady bug buttons, a dark brown capelet, a very long brown alpaca blend sweater coat, a pair of mittens, 2 ponchos, and the brown felted hat...plus a big-brimmed felted hat (RED!) at home - I hope that one didn't get lost this summer.




I had a lot of fun with capelets this year, can you tell? The thing about all the things I make is that I love them, and if we can't sell them, it's okay, because I'll just wear them! My hats almost always seem to sell well in the winter, they're thick felted alpaca - warm and weatherproof, nearly indestructible, and easy to care for. I only have 2 so far. Last year, I made 6 and sold all of them, so I think I need to get on the stick and made a few more. I know that ponchos are not that popular in the US, they are a trend that burned brightly for a while, but now has pretty much burnt out its bulb, but they are a staple of every Peruvian woman's wardrobe, and I am so used to wearing them and seeing them on people all around me that I cannot imagine not having at least a couple to offer. Ponchos, shawls, and capelets are all very much used here in Lima. Luckily I love them, and if they don't like them in Windsor, I can either keep them or sell them here.




I have some nice alpaca blend yarn on pretty colors, but I don't know if it felts. think it might be time to find out. It might make some nice felted hats. If not, I have some 100% alpaca fiber that I brought from home in January that has been languishing on my shelves. I'll be making at least 2 hats from that. I'll have to go looking for a hat form. Mine is at home in the US (the inside section of a tamale cooker), so I'll go scouting at the market today, I think, for a tall, fairly narrow pot, a little larger than the circumference of my head.




I have in progress about 4 projects - a dark purple crocheted skirt, a black beaded shawl, a brown circular sweater, and the spring colors sweater. I have only about 2 months to get everything finished, so I need to get on the stick about it! And thanks to Maggie I learned to make chullo hats, and I hope to have a couple of those from my own yarn to sell, too.





So, looking at my inventory, I think that, all in all, I should have a pretty good variety to offer. If they don't care to buy my stuff, they might like it up in Maggie's neck of the woods. I'll have to ask her about that.