Friday, June 19, 2009

Sneaky Sneaking Sneakers

Isn't it funny how little things can sneak up on you?
I mean, it's the same as buying a Starbucks drink every day, you don't think about it. It's just a few dollars.
It's only when you see the large amount of how much those drinks cost you for the year, that your heart starts skipping a beat.

I'm sure some of you are thinking "What the heck is she talking about? She doesn't drink coffee, and I know she dislikes Starbucks"
Well, it was an analogy.

Since January.. no make that February of this year... I have been slowly buying things for my future business. Though, I did not know that is what I was doing.
My first yarn purchase was for a different project, and when that fell through I decided "I can dye this myself... but I'll wait till after I move."
And then the idea got started that... "Hmmm maybe I could start a yarn dyeing business someday.."
I was not planning on using the Bamboo yarn I had bought, as that was still for me..
But now, it's caked up, ready to be skein'd.. and then ready to be dyed.

Today I feel official, as I did a spreadsheet of my costs etc of all this.
Now, most of the items I have spent money on, are not things I would have to replace anytime soon, so this cost analysis is pretty much all start up base cost.

But I must admit that my heart did a pitter patter when I realized I have now spent $207.00 (And a skosh of change)

Really? WOW.

Okay, also in my defense, 60$ of that was today buying the perfect pot, and another set of dyes so that when my pot gets here, I'll be ready to go dye crazy.

I feel official, because I know exactly what I have to do to recover my costs, and it's not that insane a situation. Actually, my prices will be quite modest compared to what I've seen out there for 100% Hand Dyed Bamboo.

Unfortunately, I have determined I do not have enough yarn in this go round to fully recoup my costs... But.. I have a plan.
Actually, I have Mother Of Mine to thank for the plan.
And no, I'm not just jacking up the price.

No, Mother of Mine is working on learning how to hand spin yarn (she used to know how, but it's been a long time)
I, a few years ago gave our friend (And ex house mate and Renscot) Darla a HUGE amount of raw wool.
It was given to me, because I was learning how to spin.
When I was going through all my highschool to post highschool transition and homelessness, I gave the wool to Darla to be used for demonstrations in during the Renscot events. I mean, Darla and Mark gave me a roof over my head.. a huge box of wool was the least I could give them..
Well, Mother of Mine will be re-learning to spin with this wool. She has offered to give me the result, as she doesn't know what she would do with it.
So, I shall be dyeing that up as well, to cover the "amount I need" to recoup my cost of this little adventure.
Heck, after the next batch of yarn gets dyed and sold.. I might even have some profit. I look forward to that, but mostly I look forward to just breaking even. That way, if I decide I can't do this.. I won't be out any money.. Just my time.
I highly doubt that I will walk away from this, because I just have far too many ideas. tee hee.

Alright, enough talk about my budding business, because if I don't stop now, I'll just keep babbling. I'm excited. When I'm excited, I babble. I really want my new pot to arrive so that I can dye!

Today I had to pick up a bunch of things at the craft store.
A bunch of buttons to send to my swap partner...
I am totally spoiling my swap partner.. Jo-Ann's had all buttons 50% off, so my 20-25$ limit ... heh.. well you can see where that was going.
Though, she's not really getting many Stitch markers, she's getting a few, but I totally went out on the buttons, so it's all good.

Also picked up another 2 skeins of yarn for Marissa's project. Which I will be working on once I finish the stitch markers I need to make this weekend.

Also I will be working on The Great Batsby, which my project name for him is "On the Wings of Steam"
I picked up the copper wire I wanted. Yes, I am using Copper not Brass.. oh what a bad Steampunker am I!
Well, they didn't have the size wire I needed in the Brass, and to be frank.. I'm a Copper girl, not a Brass girl. And the Copper will stand out better amongst the other yarn.

Speaking of things sneaking up..
Today is the 19th.
The 19th of June!!!!
It is also the monthly Anniversary of meself and Guy. One month closer on the full count.
Just a week left on the official count for the month to be over. - it's complicated.

Oh... Did I mention that my first batch of yarn... shall be Vampire related? Oh yes.
And no... I shall not be posting the name of it yet.
But there shall be photos, and an official vote. (I'll be dyeing the colorway 5 different ways, and ya'll will get to vote on which one gets the official tag for all subsequent dyeing.- This is how it will be for pretty much all my colorways, unless I decide during dyeing that my first one is the one I want to go with.. but I doubt it.)- alright.. seriously.. I'm done talking about it.

Currently reading:
Club Dead - Charlaine Harris (Book 3)
Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris (Book 9) And yes, it is odd reading both book 3 and book 9 at the same time, but the library decided to send me book 9 before I finished rereading the whole series.

Currently on the TV:
MacGyver season 2


Tomorrow, other than making stitch markers, and knitting.. and dreaming of other colorways.. we shall be making a drastic change to the house.
The couch, that has been afflicted with the "curse of the painfully sleeping 'tocks*" shall be shuffled upstairs into the loft. To be used when we have company. (okay.. thats the plan.. but seriously.. we really haven't had company in this house.. ever.. )
And in it's place shall be a chair that Mother of Mine found for me, and a chair that she finds most comfortable for herself.
Pan, the ever vocal shall protest the change, but will succumb when he realizes that the couch shall soon become his entirely. Yes, this shall happen. He is always distraught when we make him get off the couch so that we can sit on it. Heaven forbid!

*in case you are not aware of what "tocks" are, and lack the imagination.. here is a good definition.
Personally, I would recommend scrolling through all the Archives, and specifically looking at entries for "Tocktober"


Methinks I am done for now. Bugs and Hisses peeps.

2 comments:

Leslie said...

Yes, our Pan will be beside himself, between the "men" painting outside and him thinking he's going for a car ride due to what he thinks is "moving", he's one agitated kitty boy.

Marissa said...

I'm planning on getting a new sofa before the year out. However, I am keeping my old sofa because it has become so broken down and broken in with Thunder Butt always on it that she can have the thing when the new one gets here.
I'm hoping it will save the life of my new sofa if I keep her off it.