New Beginnings and Old Favourites

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Last year was the first year since I started my selkiecrochet hobby where I've kept proper records of the money that I had earned and the money that I'd spent on all this. I'm happy to say that I ended the year with a profit - but it certainly isn't enough to live on so I think it is destined, for the time being, to continue to be a 'hobby'. My main priority is to be able to continue with both of my child sponsorships through ActionAid Ireland - I've been able to pay them both with a lump sum again this year.

Hopefully this year will be a better year for me as I will be selling locally in two locations - Lucy's sea synergy centre in the village again, and Daly's ice cream parlour on Valentia. Daly's were only open for a few weeks last year so hopefully I will have a longer season there this year and more sales.

I'm starting the new year with the intention to spend a little more time reading books and a little less time online - Facebook is an awful drain on my time sometimes, it's so easy to spend time keeping up with everyone else. I was lucky enough to get some new books for Christmas - and Dad has passed a couple that he liked on to me too - so I will start off with them and see where that takes me. I have so many books that I intend to re-read also.

One of my other intentions is the same old chestnut .... BUY LESS WOOL!!! It's funny then that all this turned up in the post this afternoon.

I'd already bought some of this 'Freedom Spirit' last year from a seller on Facebook - I think she used to own a wool shop and is working her way through the old stock and selling it off at very reasonable prices.

She only had this shade left - it wouldn't be my favourite but it looks really nice when it's worked up into wristwarmers so I bought up what she had left of it and will use it for that.

She posted on facebook in December that she had Tivoli's 'colour blend' aran up for sale too - this was one that I always liked for wrist warmers and hats and like the 'freedom spirit' it's been discontinued so I splashed out and bought all her stock of it. I'm not sure where I will put it all - I need to sort through my wool cupboard and boxes one of these days to fit it all in.

It's going to take me quite a while to work through it all but I know I will do eventually! It's a yarn that I used to use for both hats and wrist warmers so it'll be nice to be able to offer people 'matching sets'.

She only had three shades left in stock - they used to make it in black with red/navy blue/green and turquoise as well but I'm happy enough with what I've got :) 

Hopefully this will be the last time that I buy wool - unless I need it for a specific order - until we are on holiday in Poland in March!