SpinnySpinny

Well, wasn’t that exciting.

After a successful server move this weekend, one of the drives failed. And so did the spare. So now we are running off the system disk, which was already nearly full. SpinnySpinny is back up, but tomorrow it looks like I’m going to Fry’s. Expect some downtime while we get the replacement up and running.

Finally the website is back up. I wrote a few entries while it was down and now I can start putting up new stuff.

I haven’t been able to update the website, because our DSL is still not installed. The telco couldn’t get the address right and insisted we didn’t exist. I think our ISP finally re-ordered the circuit to get it correct. So instead of being offline a week, it’s going to be a month. I can still enjoy it from my personal laptop, but that doesn’t help you all that much. All five of you, as best as I can tell. I’ve been wanting to do some promotion for the website but I’ve held off knowing this would happen. I wouldn’t want to get everybody all excited and then have the website down.

But the world of textiles moves on, and as things get settled in the new place I’m getting back to spinning. I signed up for a Learning Exchange program with HGA, basically a sample swap with everyone getting bits of all the yarns. Each one is evaluated by the leader and everybody gets copies of the comments. I wanted to try the program, so I signed up for the Merino exchange. I’ve been spinning Merino for years, so I can explore without worrying too much about it. I know I can always produce some nice yarns just by going back to my normal spinning style. It’s a bit of a nuisance to do it in the middle of moving, but I’ll manage. I have two samples I like so far and I might do a third. There are more participants than the estimated 8 and each gets a fiber sample, small skein and wrapped wpi card. More of those detestable cards to cut, mark and wind. That right there may keep me to two yarns.

The loom is here, but it’s still in pieces. It will be a few more weeks before the place is together enough to start working on it, but I’m already ordering yarn and calling in various equipment out on loan.

Not surprisingly, packing up and moving has gotten in the way of updating the website. We’re moving up in the world, to the first floor! The annual gift-a-thon means just as we are attempting to clean up, people keep sending us new stuff. Most of it is useful, at least.

All the textile things are packed up. So now a friend is asking me to teach her how to spin. I actually have some time this week because, of course, no real estate transaction can happen on time. Ours is being held up by a city inspection of the back deck, leaving three households standing around waiting. (One of my neighbors was supposed to have a new washer and dryer delivered last week.) At least my friend has a spindle and some fiber so that may still be ok, but I’ve reached the point where I’m unpacking stuff just to be able to get by until we actually move. Without an actual date in sight, I can’t even prepare. The website will certainly be down for a time because it takes weeks to set up new service.

If only I had something interesting textile to talk about.

A few new changes — I’m working on the design of the site to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for, both from search engines and once you get here. I’ve also added targeted advertisements. The revenue-free grace period (sponsored by The Boyfriend) is over, so I have to see what I can do about it. I’m trying to make them not too obnoxious. In the process, I also get a search feature.

I want to get back to writing new articles, recently I realized just how much content I have here but most of it is the COE work. I have a few ideas, I just have to get to it with the constraints of the New and Improved (Somewhat) Employed Feorlen. I was thinking about the content of the site and realized I could make it both easier to find and easier to navigate by paying attention to the search engines. And since I’ve given in to the Cult of the Schedule C, I’m already paying the tax accountant and might as well try for some additional revenue. Strangely, I was able to deal with both by signing up with Google.