Susie Gibbs is a trooper. She probably had the ability to take whatever was tossed at her before she became a shepherd, but raising sheep for fun and profit will surely arm you for any kind of set-back.
Yesterday, at the Woolie Ewe in Plano, Susie put on a trunk show without a trunk. Seems UPS has temporarily misplaced all the finished garments and accessories made out of her new yarns. She improvised. That's what shepherds do.
Without missing a beat, Susie began telling her incredible story of moving from New York City as a news producer to adopting the rural, mucky life of a sheep and goat raiser, to designing her own line of commercial yarns.
As usual, her animated stories full of triumphs and foibles kept the gathered knitters entranced. We passed around yarns and ogled the beautiful pattern books.
The photos are so lovely, it was easy to imagine the beautiful knitted sweaters, hats, blankets, mitts, and other designs. Having the yarns right there to touch and evaluate helped a lot, too.
Today, Susie is off to Knotty Girls in Tyler, TX to share the Juniper Moon yarn line. I hope UPS comes through for her by the time the knitters show up. But if not, Susie will manage to communicate the dream: the story of a lady on a mission who doesn't let obstacles slow her down.
A big wave to Mary Bensel, Denise Royal, (pictured here with Susie) Laurie McIntyre, Joanne Pohlman and Marybelle (not pictured) who came out to enjoy time with our pal.
Today, January 26, we celebrate "Eureka Day" here at the farm. Three years ago today, Susie agreed to sit down with me at the Barnes and Noble in Fort Worth and tell me everything I needed to know to move our farm into the CSA model. With no thought for personal gain, she shared lots of amazing business secrets, and encouraged me to go for it. Her determination and creativity are inspirational. Thank you, Susie.
NOTE: Knitting Fever, Inc., who produces Susie's beautiful yarns, is holding a design contest using two of the JMF yarns - Willa and Chadwick. These are gorgeous yarns crying for new ways to knit them up. If you are interested in entering this contest, run by the Woolie Ewe and check out the yarns in person and see how they speak to you. Buy some. Then head over to the KFI blog for all the details about the contest. Deadline is March 1. Fabulous prizes. Good luck!
