As an etsy shop owner, we get a lot of requests for custom items. A 5 x 7 foot rug. Black socks in size 9 with pink toes. A needle-felted nativity scene. Many etsy shop owners are happy to work on custom orders, but we find it difficult to get our regular work done, much less taking on special orders. The farming must always come first. So most of the time we decline custom orders, kindly. It is better to say no up front than to disappoint.
But this weekend, a mom from California found our etsy shop, likely searching for Suffolk wool. Her daughter wanted to do a science project on factors that affect pilling in wool. She wanted to knit swatches of different breed wool yarn, and then abrade them to see which wool held up better. She wanted to include Suffolk, but was having trouble finding single-ply 100% yarn.
Who can resist the story of a 10-year old knitter who wants to feature wool in her science project? That's like three of my seven favorite things in the whole world, all wrapped up into one--an eager kid, wool, and education.
It helps that it's the dead of winter, and things are not quite as crazy as in the other seasons. The Farmer agreed to spin a single-ply yarn for her, and it's on its way to California right now.
So if you need a custom/special order from us, it helps to time it right and to have a good story.
What a cute story! I Hope she reports back on the results of her science experiment!
ReplyDeleteLove the story and so glad you and The Farmer could help!
ReplyDeleteStories like this burnish the reputation of the internet. It can be such an amazingly capable connector. Good luck to this thoughtful 10 year old!
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