running in place

I occasionally feel as though I cannot keep up with my own expectations. That is what's going on lately. I've got so many things happening that I hardly know what to post about. At the moment, the piano tuner is here (ping ping ping! PONG pong pong!) so I can't think clearly anyway. So, here goes...

Since my last post, I've dealt with those two loaves of whole wheat, made 4 loaves of challah, and 12 muffins. (all freezer bound...) I've cleaned and made a bed or two. In the end, I just made a list. My list has at least 29 things on it, both work and household related and any way you count it, I'm only able to cross off 12 of those things so far. I keep adding to the list too. Oh, and technically, this is Shavuot and I should be taking some time off as it's a holiday. Instead, I went to an evening program at my synagogue last night, stopped on the way home for some gelato (eating dairy products is a custom during this holiday) and went back to my regular routine. Oh well.

The photos in this post are "slides" I am gathering up. I'm going to try to enter my fiber art into some juried shows and sales this year. That first photo is some of my handspun. The second is a 2 foot by 3 foot rug with "dreads"--essentially locks of wool, interspersed with mill end rovings.

I've also done some textured patterns, including this one, which has variegated stripes of hand-dyed Cotswold wool. I think with the depth of greens, it looks like spring. I think this last photo with the flat white zig zag rug looks a little like a blizzard here in Winnipeg. Here the wind blows the snow around a lot, so it flies all in different directions. It's a bit weird to be talking about snow right now. It's sunny and 28C ( 80F or so). Anyhow, I'm working on trying to catch photos that look like what I've been creating, and that can be difficult. It feels like a test of my photography rather than of my fiber art.

Since we'll be having lots of house guests this summer and I'll be teaching a fair bit, you might not see me here as often. I'll try to be consistent, but we'll see how that goes.

It does also look like I won't be traveling or taking much of a vacation, but that's ok. I can always look back at Fiber Gathering and remember a time when I travelled an awful lot! If you're looking for some armchair travel, that might be just the ticket. :)

Now, on to the question I meant to ask you,dear blog readers. I need to put a theoretical price on each of the things I submit for this jury. I'm a bit challenged there. I can't afford to get less than $100 for a 2 by 3 foot rug, I think, when considering materials and the bare minimum for my time. What do you think a fair price is for a handwoven fleece rug? What about a handspun/handwoven scarf?

Advice is welcome. I'm not even able to show my darker colored weaving here, as the photos don't come out as clearly yet. I'm working on it. Also, list management suggestions also might be a help. I'm not making fast enough progress here, possibly because the ping ping ping of the piano in the next room might drive me over the edge first...