Laffing Horse Crafts

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Above is a slideshow featuring two spindles I’ve turned since acquiring a lathe.

The support spindle is going up on ebay. The cedar spindle was a gift to ‘Lena.

These aren’t the only things I’ve been making, though. Take a look at the crochet gallery!

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Ok, so it’s not chocolate covered, but this TriLoom is cherry…

¬†No, really, cherry… with oaks accents

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You all know that I tend to keep relatively busy. Between helping with the critters on occasion, assisting Jen in answering questions and selling in the store, making crochet hooks and trilooms and knitting needles and drop spindles, teaching (a pretty rare occurrence any more), maintaining (and hopefully upgrading – first the HOW TOs and then a better shopping experience for folks looking for my square crochet hooks, square knitting needles, regular crochet hooks, afghan crochet hooks, Tunisian crochet hooks… you probably don’t need the whole list, right?) this website, neighboring (something I need more practice with), and maintaining all the other websites (no list this time, just look at the links) you’d think I barely had time to think, much less sleep.

I know I feel that way some times.

Yet a few weeks ago the president of the local fiber guild asked me to sit on a committee to organize an upcoming craft show. I said yes and am now responsible for a large part of their graphic design, their website and some of the additional decision making and brainstorming.

And, when the webmaster of the local woodturners guild said he had to step down, I stepped up. I am now maintaining the Ozark Woodturners website. This one is a lot of fun, too, as I am getting to play with galleries and forums!

Then there’s the shows. Jen has signed us up for at least two shows in the next couple of months and I am aware of and a couple others on the distant horizon… anymore I never know until she’s packing things

And a job? Yep. It’s semi-official (I’ve got the call, but not the contract which is coming in the mail which we haven’t managed to check for the last few days – who knew Monday was a holiday?) that I will be working at least one day per week as a foot-lathe operator (bodger) and two days per week as a broom maker (anyone know if that occupation has a nifty title?).

In talking with Jen today, we decided that working was a nice break from working. And, we should be allowed to take a break as long as the work was done, first.

Hey! On the plus side, I’ll be able to build a broom to sweep up the wood shavings (which, if they’re cedar, Jen’s asked me to keep… she’s making some cachets).

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Just a few inches… right there…. see it? yeah, right there! I’ve added a ‘How to…” section to my website. At present there are only two tutorials there, but I promise you there are a lot more coming.

Jump in… you might just learn something!

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Every now and then, I succumb to the urge to search my own products on the web. Some would call it narcissism. A post I read a while ago (I can’t remember the posts title or where I read it, but I am pretty sure it was either at PhotoMatt or ProBlogger) claimed that it’s not… it’s just common sense… one has to take stock of one’s surroundings if one wishes to stay afloat!

So tonight I ran a search for “square crochet hooks.” I’ve been making and selling square crochet hooks (and square knitting needles, but that’s another story) for a little more than three years now. As far as I know, I was the first to do this. And I show up in the eighth position… harumph!

Well, at least I’m still on the first page.

I was thinking about being bummed. I was thinking about diving into SEO (argh!). I was thinking about having a nice glass of homebrewed beer… then it occurred to me that this was an OK thing. After all, I am currently getting nearly all the orders I can handle. And my crochet hooks are made by me, here, in the US, from sustainably grown and harvested domestic hardwoods (mostly – I sometimes use a nice sustainably grown and harvested import as an accent). There is not factory in a third world country staffed by underpaid people running jigs. There’s me, some tools, and some patience. And I sell them for less money than the other folks. Go figure. Now, if I were top of the heap… I’m afraid I couldn’t not keep up as badly as I’m not quite keeping up now

So I turned away from that thought and idly typed in “triloom.”

I’m number one! Top o’ the world, ma!

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…and, apparently,¬† I might be the guy that can make it happen. At least for some people…

What a nice feeling! Kinda feeling like a cross between Father Christmas and Tinkerbell
Remember those extra extra extra long cable style crochet hooks I was talking about? My customer received them in the mail today and this is what he had to say:

 I just received the hooks. Unbelievably outstanding
workmanship! This is almost like fulfillment of a
childhood dream. It is really refreshing to deal
with people that share my standards of craftsmanship
and customer service. I hope you had pics of these
included on your website. Please feel free to use
this email as testimonial along with my address and
phone number.
Merry New Year,
-the mongoose

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I wrote this morning about a customer who (after recovering from a horrible typo brought on by this rubber keyboard) wanted something a little different. Something I’d not made before. In fact, she didn’t even know what she wanted, really… I told her I had an idea and I would make her a prototype.

I did just that.

No sooner did I finish and show Jen then we started having other people request this hook. Jen told no one! It’s just the psychic connection all fiber artists have, right?

You knew I was going to say that, didn’t you…

Introducing the Laffing Horse Mega Weaving Hook 2 part!

Like my original Mega Weaving hook, this is a sturdy 48-inch long modified size Q afghan crochet hook. This means you can run an entire pass on a 7-foot TriLoom in one pass…It’s also hard to photograph well.

Wait, did you think I meant to say “part 2?” Nope!

Unlike the original, this hook comes apart. There’s a 24-inch weaving hook for the shorter areas and a 24-inch extension for the longer areas.Jen says it’ll be easier to ship, too.

A lot of people have looked at me (or written to me) as though I were insane. A 48-inch hook?!? That’s, like, 4-feet long or something!

I know… amazing…

Word of this sort of custom crafted lunacy leaked out and I got an order the other day for a set of long hooks. I mean loong hooks. No, really, looong hooks.

He ordered sizes G-K, with 9-inch shafts… not so long… I mean, most standard afghan hooks are 14-inches.

Ah, but these are cable crochet hooks! Standard cable crochet hooks are only 6-inches long with an 18-inch cable. Already, we’re getting longer. 9 plus 18 would equal 27.. that’s not so long. not even as long as the Mega Q above.

He didn’t want 18-inches, though… He didn’t want 48-inches… he wanted…

SIX FEET of CABLE!

That’s-a one long-a crochet hook!I showed them to ‘Lena and she said “Who would want a hook that long.”

I proudly answered “One of my customers!”

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Once upon a time, way back in the distant past, I wrote about a wonderful new keyboard I had discovered. It was all rubberized and would resist the frequent coffee spills I am wont to subject my keyboard to. I’m still using it, but I find now that the keyboard – for all its glorious stain resistance – is prone to typos. I can type about 60 words per minute when I’m moving and with this keyboard, I am reduced to about half that because I have to make frequent stops to fix missed strokes. That, and I have to really hammer the keys to make them activate. I’m getting callouses on my fingers.

I’m not getting rid of the keyboard, though… can’t afford to replace coffee inundated keyboards on a regular basis and I refuse to give up my joe, my java, my caffeine solution. I tried giving up coffee once… lasted to about 10 a.m., fell asleep on my keyboard.

See why I’m confuzzled? I live and die by lists and schedules and when it doesn’t go as planned, I get concerned… frustrated. When I have typos in my lists, everything gets weird… curiouser and curiouser…
Several weeks ago, a very good repeat customer ordered a new triloom and requested an invoice. Of course, I happily complied! Then she never paid. I sent reminders, and still heard nothing. This morning, I’m getting ready to send another reminder and I notice the smallest of typos in the email address I’m using… oops…

As I’m sending an apology and a new invoice to my customer, she calls wanting to know where the invoice is. Synchronicity? Luck? Coincidence?

A corrected invoice is sent and customer is (still) happy. Whew!

But while chatting on the phone, I offered to make a prototype weaving hook for her. I’ve already got the idea sketched out in my brain… I’ve got the materials… I’m ready to go… but I’ve still got a stack of TO DOs, too.

Why am I adding to it?

Because I’m a sucker for ideas and inventing!

But this leads to another train of thought.

Do you have an idea and want to see it get built? Drop me a line.

Do you have an order and it’s not shown up (or you’ve not been charged for it)? Drop me a line.

Keep me from further confuzzlement, please…

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