ysabetwordsmith | Welcome to Winterfaire 2022

The Winterfaire spreads out as far as the eye can see. Some booths show streamers of red and green, while others sport blue and silver. All of them offer treasure after shining treasure. Music fills the air with lyrics of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Yule. From the Wordsmith's Forge comes the bright chiming of words being hammered into literature. Delicious scents of hot chocolate, spiced cider, peppermint, baking cookies, and gingerbread tantalize the appetite. Smiling, laughing shoppers amble from booth to booth with lists in hand. Vendors grin back, calling out, "Come try, come buy...!"

I know a lot of artists, writers, musicians, crafters, and other talented folks who make some of their living from their creative endeavors. I don't always have the money to support them as much as I'd like, but what I can do is set up a virtual faire where vendors can offer their wares to an audience that likes crafts, literature, and small businesses. For those of you doing your holiday shopping, here's an opportunity to buy something made with love, something unusual or unique, in a way that helps make it possible for creative people to go on creating wonders. And there will be no traffic jams, stampedes, or gunfights at the Winterfaire!

This holiday season, support local and independent artists, designers, and crafters.

This holiday season, support local and independent artists, designers, and crafters.

Vendors: If you have goods or services suitable for holiday gifts, please put up a booth by replying with a description of what you sell, an estimate of your price range if possible, and some kind of contact information so shoppers can reach you. If you have a website (Etsy, Patreon, personal, whatever) showcasing your work in more detail, include the link(s). If you have holiday freebies, such as downloadable greeting card imagery, you're welcome to promote those too. For ease of identification, I recommend titling your reply starting with "BOOTH:" followed by the name of your business or type of goodies.

Shoppers: If you're looking for something specific and it's not posted yet, feel free to ask. Someone else may know where to find it! "SHOPPING FOR:" and the topic would be a good title.

Everyone: You may help promote the Winterfaire by linking to this post from your own blog or site. If you have a similar holiday-networking post, you may link to it in a comment on this post.

Participation Perk: I'm offering poetry for participation. The following linkback poems still have verses available:
"~~In the Shade of the Mighty Oak~~,"
"Let the Children Lead Us,"
"Autumn's Palette,"
"Pumpkin Spice Prosperity,"
"Delight in Another,"
"A Sense of Weather Changes,"
"Ouroboros Insects,"
"The Loving Embrace of Night,"
"Generations of Cooks Past,"
"Begin to Understand Ourselves,"
"Homefree and Clear, "
"One Bite at a Time,"
"Stars and Diamonds,"
"Mishpocha,"
"There's an Art to It,"
"The Glass Cat."

Linking to this page will reveal new verses in whichever one you request. Because, you see, all of these activities will unlock a verse each time someone does them:
* link to this Winterfaire page to boost the signal
* comment posting a Booth of your wares/services in the Winterfaire
* buy something from a vendor listed in the Winterfaire
* promote Winterfaire in another holiday market
* host a similar holiday market in your own blog or other venue
Dreamwidth will notify me of comments to the Winterfaire post; for everything else, you need to TELL ME in order to get credit for it.

Similar Markets:
Do you know of another indie holiday shopping post? Let me know and I'll link it here.

Happy holidays!

Current Mood: excited

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

tarasacon

Nice idea. Thanks!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Feel free to copy this concept in your blog, or refer people to it here. If you decide to do your own, let me know and I'll link to it. The more, the merrier!

From:

tarasacon

I already messaged my friend

dantesspirit to let her know about it so she can post! She’s a weaver and crafter. :)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Thank you so much. Weaving is awesome. :D

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Also, forgot to ask in my earlier reply: What perk poem do you want a verse of?

From:

tarasacon

I can’t decide between Autumn’s Palette and Delight in Another, so you can choose which one. :)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

I put your new verse in "Autumn's Palette" since it's closer to completion. :D

From:

tarasacon

Thanks! :)

From:

jtthomas

A purple vardo pulls in, with an orange cat peering out excitedly in anticipation of pets. The other cats join him as the wagon slows, then clear out of the way as a large black puppy comes bounding out in greeting. Everything smells wonderful, with a new undertone of leather in addition to the standard soap.

I'm doing the Vagabond Tabby post this year, because kellan_the_tabby is busy with packing orders and catching up on computer stuff. We've got soap, herbal salves and oils, lip balm, tea, and incense makings in the standard collection. Off in the Trickster's Trash corner, you'll find jewelry and faery home decor made from scrap that other folks discard without a second thought, not seeing just how much potential remains. And new for this year, we've got leather goods, so far only pouches and straps but likely to expand soon enough. (That last bit is called I got bored and there was leather.)

Now that the cabin is built enough to live in, we're back to being able to make custom stuff, and monthly things will be returning to their standard schedule! I'm also able to take custom leather orders, through the website's contact page for the moment.

Site's over at thevagabondtabby.com for all your shopping needs!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Yay! I'm so happy to see you here. What perk poem do you want a verse of?

From:

tarasacon

Sounds like neat stuff, but the link is not currently working?

From:

dantesspirit

Here we go!

It looks like the original link was a mashup somehow.

And thanks for telling me about this, I'll do a 'Booth' post this afternoon.

From:

tarasacon

🙂🙂🙂

From:

dantesspirit

A rustic wagon... yeah I got nothing, sorry.

I'm Wolf, of Dante's Spirit, purveyor of handwoven, handmade goods- scarfs and shawls, ornaments and wearable art, fiberart soft sculptures and stuffies. Jewelry ranges from fiberart to dice jewelry to somewhat elegant pieces to outright whimsical brooches and pins.

Have a tabletop gamer in your life? Check out the fiberart stuffies. Most have a built in pouch for holding dice or other TTRPG implements. And the dice necklaces/bracelets feature removable for use full 7 piece sets of dice.

Like gingerbread houses, but not the hassle and fuss to create them? Stay tuned for our handmade fiberart gingerbread houses in 4", 3" and 2" sizes!*

(*More stuff to be added, the houses hopefully this week, if the weather cooperates. I literally have a tote full of stuff that needs to be listed.)

"In the Shade of the Mighty Oak", if you please. Off to post your link to, well, nearly everywhere.

Edited (Fixed the broken link. Sorry, blame the brain squirrels.) Date: 2022-11-28 06:29 pm (UTC)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>>I'm Wolf, of Dante's Spirit, purveyor of handwoven, handmade goods- scarfs and shawls, ornaments and wearable art, fiberart soft sculptures and stuffies.<<

Your stuff is soooo pretty. I am especially impressed by the weaving. The colorways look a lot like knitting or crochet done with variegated yarn, only it's woven instead of looped.

>>"In the Shade of the Mighty Oak", if you please.<<

Your new verse is up.

>> Off to post your link to, well, nearly everywhere.<<

Thank you! :D Count how many different venues you posted it to (e.g. Facebook, Tumbler) and tell me, then you get that many more verses.

From:

dantesspirit

Uh... Twitter, Mastodon, Tumblr, my DW, InsaneJournal... I think that's it so far. Heh.

And thanks! I have stuff photographed that'll be listed over this week. Weather cooperates this weekend, I can get the inexpensive scarves photographed and listed.}:)

I get a lot of people (in person) asking if it's knitted or crocheted and they're surprised when I say it's all woven. It's amusing.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Uh... Twitter, Mastodon, Tumblr, my DW, InsaneJournal... I think that's it so far. Heh.<<

So that's four new verses, since we already covered DW. I used three to finish "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak." Where do you want the last one? If you're looking for more nature poetry, "Autumn's Palette" only has about three verses left to reveal.

>>And thanks! I have stuff photographed that'll be listed over this week. Weather cooperates this weekend, I can get the inexpensive scarves photographed and listed.}:)

Yay!

>> I get a lot of people (in person) asking if it's knitted or crocheted and they're surprised when I say it's all woven. It's amusing.<<

The colorways really do look very similar. Most modern people can't distinguish fibercrafts at a glance, they have to look really close to see the differences. It doesn't help that some self-striping yarns will make not only simple stripes but actual plaids if you hit the right stitch and gauge in knitting or crochet.

Me, if I see stripes or especially crossing stripes, I check for a weave. But then I like historical reenactment and crafts. One time someone had a card-loom booth at a faire, and Mom went on a long spiel about the oldest computer.

From:

dantesspirit

"Autumn's Palette" sounds fun! Let's do that one.

I *love* the multicolor yarns that plaid. they are so fun to weave with.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> "Autumn's Palette" sounds fun! Let's do that one. <<

Your new verse is up. \o/

>> I *love* the multicolor yarns that plaid. they are so fun to weave with. <<

LOL yes, I did not even think of that, but they would be perfect. If you're using the same yarns, though, that probably contributes to people thinking of crochet/knit. I am a big fan of handmade yarns (and other things) even though I'm allergic to wool and most of the prettiest ones are wool.

From:

dantesspirit

My more expensive items are either artisan hand dyed on luxury fibers, or handspun, so yup, I hear ya.

I do have alpaca, cotton and silk too, that all have zero wool, merino or otherwise. }:) The alpaca is really fine, almost laceweight, more akin to a light fingering weight. Unfortunately, I have to price them accordingly, so they tend to stick around in the shop for awhile before the right person for them comes along. I also tend to hoard specific luxury fibers to use in handmade gifts. (Doesn't everyone who works with fiber? Heh.)

I like the acrylic and acrylic blends for soft sculptures, stuffies and ornaments. I can price them lower, generally, and they tend to get a lot more wear and tear than the shawls or scarves do. *Especially* the stuffies that double as dice guardians (ie, have a built in pouch).

Around here too, the most weaving types that people see are tea towels, wash cloths, or rugs. So scarves or shawls woven on a triangle loom make them think crochet or knitting, understandably.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> My more expensive items are either artisan hand dyed on luxury fibers, or handspun, so yup, I hear ya.<<

I love to look at art yarns.

>> I do have alpaca, cotton and silk too, that all have zero wool, merino or otherwise. }:)

Alpaca is nice. I love silk yarn, and cotton is good too. Silk-angora makes a great blend, I've had sweaters of that.

>> The alpaca is really fine, almost laceweight, more akin to a light fingering weight. Unfortunately, I have to price them accordingly, so they tend to stick around in the shop for awhile before the right person for them comes along. <<

Yeah, the fancy stuff costs more, but in most cases you get what you pay for. At least it's not qiviut, eh?

>> I also tend to hoard specific luxury fibers to use in handmade gifts. (Doesn't everyone who works with fiber? Heh.) <<

Sensible. I've seen references to people collecting art yarn as a sculpture unto itself. I don't see why not.

You might get a kick out of some things I've written about characters who are into fibercrafts. The fiber fair poem took me three days to write, because I was following two people who kept going "YAAARRRN."

>>I like the acrylic and acrylic blends for soft sculptures, stuffies and ornaments.<<

I like acrylic yarn when it's soft. I have some sweaters of that. But some is scratchy and awful.

>> I can price them lower, generally, and they tend to get a lot more wear and tear than the shawls or scarves do. *Especially* the stuffies that double as dice guardians (ie, have a built in pouch).<<

That makes sense.

>>Around here too, the most weaving types that people see are tea towels, wash cloths, or rugs. So scarves or shawls woven on a triangle loom make them think crochet or knitting, understandably.<<

Huh. I haven't seen handwoven tea towels, and the only washclothes were the kiddie kind with nylon loops. Rugs, yes. Around here -- I'm in central Illinois -- the art fairs and Renaissance faires have woven shawls and scarves, occasionally placemats or coasters, belts and similar narrow things are popular too.

From:

dantesspirit

Huh. I haven't seen handwoven tea towels, and the only washclothes were the kiddie kind with nylon loops. Rugs, yes. Around here -- I'm in central Illinois -- the art fairs and Renaissance faires have woven shawls and scarves, occasionally placemats or coasters, belts and similar narrow things are popular too.

Back when we were active in the SCA, oh, 20+_ years ago, there was a lot of inkle loom weaving, tablet weaving, etc.

Then we moved to Virginia where... that's not near as common in SW/SouthCentral Va for some reason. but towels, rugs, scrubbie clothes, regular washcloths.. yup, every artisan event, someone is selling them. Go figure.

Oh! And pottery is big here, stained glass art, those quilted bowls, anything VaTech/UVa themed...

Edited Date: 2022-11-30 05:53 pm (UTC)

From:

dantesspirit

Also, "In The Shade" sounds very similar to what is actually happening under my Fezzik.}:P

Native American Holly has seeded itself there, native Red Juniper, native Virginia Blue Bells, native Witchhazel, native Dwarf Crested Irises, native Virginia Creeper, even native Poison Ivy tenaciously grows despite our attempts to remove it, because it's too close to the house & I'm allergic. Every other year we get Echinacea, native Johnson's Beardedtongue...

Edited Date: 2022-11-29 08:56 pm (UTC)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Also, "In The Shade" sounds very similar to what is actually happening under my Fezzik.}:P

Yay! :D

>> Native American Holly has seeded itself there, native Red Juniper, native Virginia Blue Bells, native Witchhazel, native Dwarf Crested Irises, native Virginioa Creeper, <<

Oh, how lovely. I have a lot of native plants here including several oaks, maples, mulberries, elderberries, black raspberries. I planted the bluebells and some other wildflowers.

>>even native Poison Ivy tenaciously grows despite out attempts to remove it, because it's too close to the house & I'm allergic.<<

Yeah, I have the same problem. In small areas: try mulching with concrete blocks. In large areas, I resort to weed spray.

I realized the problem was my yard wanted a vine layer. Eventually Gaia tried planting wild grapes and I was happy to leave those growing. I keep wanting to make dolmades with the leaves but haven't found the time yet. There is still poison ivy to hunt down and kill, but at least now I also have pretty grapevines.

>> Every other year we get Echinacea, native Johnson's Beardedtongue... <<

Echinacea, yellow coneflower, cup plant, and sunchokes are among my well-established prairie plants. The cup plant was another that sprouted on its own. I've planted beardtongue a few times in my wildflower garden but it's iffy. I've tried for asters but the only ones that seem to thrive are the wild frost asters. This year my marigolds lasted well into autumn and were quite popular with late-foraging insects.

From:

dantesspirit

I'm ok with the Poison Ivy at the edges of the property (It's 1.74 acres platted), it mixes nicely with the Creeper and Wild Grape. I do have an on going battle with invasive Bittersweet and Porcelain Berry has shown up (boo!).

We planted the Bluebells, Beardedtongue and Crested Iris. They're slowly spreading more every year.

We have native Black Eyed Susans in the brushy area that are biennial. The first year after we cleared out the bittersweet, a lot of deadfall that got moved into wildlife hiding piles and removed a good number of invasive Ailanthus, it was covered with yellow blooms. It was amazing.

Found some native Spotted Wintergreen a few years back, after we really focused on trying to care for the land, and now, every year, I find another, larger patch.

We've planted native Redbud, Red Maples, Ninebark, Persimmons, Hazelnuts, a Deodar Cedar and a Pecan so far. Lost our two mature White Pines 6 months apart, - they were left in place as it's at the back of the property, we just cleaned up a bit and created more deadfall piles for wildlife, and recently found 2 offspring, so that was exciting. Heh.

We have literal groves of Red and White Oaks and Black Walnuts now. And unfortunately non native red Mulberry. And still so much Ailanthus that we'll be working to remove over the winter. And invasive Privet is trying to make inroads along with invasive Burning Bush. Ugh.

But it's fun, and finding yet another new native that establishes itself here as a result, makes it worth it. So do the visitors in the form of deer, turkey, an occasional fox and bear, numerous rabbits, the opossums, a raccoon or two, and Woodrow the Groundhog who lives under the shed.}:P

Edited Date: 2022-11-29 09:16 pm (UTC)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> I'm ok with the Poison Ivy at the edges of the property (It's 1.74 acres platted),<<

Mine is about 2 acres.

>> I do have an on going battle with invasive Bittersweet and Porcelain Berry has shown up (boo!).<<

Alas!

>> We have native Black Eyed Susans in the brushy area that are biennial.<<

I have those too, mostly in the wildflower garden. The prairie garden is primarily giant plants. The goldenrod and bluestem are about 5-6 feet, the cup plant 8-10', and the sunchokes 10-12' in late summer. Yellow coneflowers range about 3-5' and appear in several places there, but shorter plants aren't competing well except a few patches of wild strawberries at the edges.

>> The first year after we cleared out the bittersweet, a lot of deadfall that got moved into wildlife hiding piles and removed a good number of invasive Ailanthus, it was covered with yellow blooms. It was amazing.<<

Yay!

>>Found some native Spotted Wintergreen a few years back, after we really focused on trying to care for the land, and now, every year, I find another, larger patch.<<

Now that's impressive.

>>We've planted native Redbud, Red Maples, Ninebark, Persimmons, Hazelnuts, a Deodar Cedar and a Pecan so far. <<

I've planted redbud, persimmon, hazelnut, and a bunch of other stuff. I don't think the ninebark survived but the nannyberry did.

>> Lost our two mature White Pines 6 months apart, <<

Alas!

>> they were left in place as it's at the back of the property, we just cleaned up a bit and created more deadfall piles for wildlife, <<

Yeah, I do that if they're not in the way.

>>and recently found 2 offspring, so that was exciting. Heh.<<

Awesome.

>>We have literal groves of Red and White Oaks and Black Walnuts now. <<

I have tons of black walnuts but only one mature oak. The others are saplings or seedlings.

>>And unfortunately non native red Mulberry.<<

I have mulberry, not sure what kind, but it is all over Illinois and fits nicely in the ecosystem, so I'm fine with it.

>> And still so much Ailanthus that we'll be working to remove over the winter. And invasive Privet is trying to make inroads along with invasive Burning Bush. Ugh.<<

Here it's honeysuckle. :/

>>But it's fun, and finding yet another new native that establishes itself here as a result, makes it worth it.<<

A lot of the natives I plant have flourished, and a few have appeared that I didn't plant, which is exciting. Over time I've become more inclined to plant natives than foreign plants, except for a few herbs, flowers, and vegetables in pots or beds.

>> So do the visitors in the form of deer, turkey, an occasional fox and bear, numerous rabbits, the opossums, a raccoon or two, and Woodrow the Groundhog who lives under the shed.}:P

We've had deer, pheasants, foxes, raccoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, both fox and gray squirrels, bats, a weasel, snakes, toads, and birds including resident great-horned owls and fly-by red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, and twice a bald eagle. :D I am all asquee that in the last couple of years, tree frogs -- two species, one green and one gray -- have established themselves enough to be seen regularly instead of once every two years.

From:

fuzzyred

I spread the word on my DW page. I plan to check out the vendors tomorrow when I have more spoons; the booths sound interesting!

Would I be able to get a verse in "Autumn's Palette" please?

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Your new verse is up! :D One more will finish off this poem, so remember that if you do anything else at Winterfaire.

If I remember right, you like fibercrafts, so check out the weaver -- gorgeous stuff.

From:

fuzzyred

Yay! I will keep that in mind, I like being able to finish off poems.

I do like fiber crafts. I'll be sure to give that one a look in the morning. :)

From:

bardicraven

Come and join us in the various places in the Winterfaire (and the Internetz beyond!) where we can be found, hawking our wares (for we are avian as much as feline), and looking for company and customers alike!!!!

We are Bards and wordsmiths, hammering out our wares in stories of fine metals, poetry of delicate weaving, and mewsic of melodious form.

🐦 Etsy: P.O.D. items for fans, by fans (~20.00 +)
https://www.etsy.com/shop/boldkittenspounce

🐦 PayHip: our words and our works, our pawdcats and purrformances (Pay from the Heart, starting at $4.00)
https://payhip.com/boldkitten

🐦 Patreon: where you can support our words and works, pawdcats and purrformances (starts at $4.00/mo.)
https://www.patreon.com/BardicBirds

Services: If you are – or know somebody who is – looking for help with the following things, please connect with us and connect us with them.

🐦 Betaing, Editing, and Writing Support
🐦 Graphic design & typesetting, including card decks
🐦 Narration
🐦 Writing
🐦 Audio post-production

🐦 Poem Purrk: The Glass Cat

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Thank you! These things sound lovely.

Your new verse is up.

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