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| Finally .... Spring Has Sprung! | March/April 2008 |
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Spring means the start of something new, so at FiberFinds.com, we're making some improvements. First you'll see new Store Features. Now visitors can see at a glance what great fibery things you have for sale, how many you've sold as well as your payment & shipping preferences. In addition, you may now add a second graphic or photo to enhance your Store. Remember... adding an attractive logo to your store can make all the difference! Lots more changes are coming soon so stay tuned!
Marketing Your Fiber Products As a handspinner and weaver, I couldn't wait to relocate from the “burbs” to our rural property to raise sheep and Angora rabbits. As I met my neighbors I discovered Alpacas, Border Leicesters, Icelandics, Black Corridales, Clun Forest, Angora goats, Finnsheep and a host of other breeds of sheep and fiber critters, and it seemed that EVERYBODY had some sort of fiber animal. Very different from my former home! I learned that my neighbors are into fiber, hand spinning, knitting, weaving, crocheting and quilting as much as I, and soon the topic of selling our wares came up. What I frequently heard was the complaint that nobody would pay what the fiber or product was worth, leading me to put together a Fiber Guild in my town, for the marketing of fiber and fiber related products. We are devoted to generating income from fiber passions, and building a reputation as “the” source for all things fiber in Central NY state. In this five part series I will lead you through becoming your own small farm fiber producer with the idea in mind of making a profit. In part one, I’ll discuss choosing what your product will be. Let’s Begin! Determining Your Product
Raw Fiber Your fiber has qualified buyers! What I mean by qualified is: people who know what they want, what they can expect to pay, and what they will get for their money. Once you’ve decided which fiber product you want to sell, all you need to do is get the word to your buyer. With the internet, selling is simple and we are no longer limited to selling locally. Continued Do you have a fiber related article to share?Email us at customercare@fiberfinds.com 2008 Economic Stimulus Gives New Boost to Farmers! In general, a qualifying taxpayer can elect to treat the cost of certain property as an expense and deduct it in the year the property is placed in service instead of depreciating it over several years. This property is frequently referred to as section 179 property, after the relevant section in the Internal Revenue Code. Under the new law, a qualifying business can expense up to $250,000 of section 179 property purchased by the taxpayer in a tax year beginning in 2008. Absent this legislation, the 2008 expensing limit for section 179 property would have been $128,000. The $250,000 amount provided under the new law is reduced if the cost of all section 179 property placed in service by the taxpayer during the tax year exceeds $800,000. (The new law does not alter the section 179 limitation imposed on sport utility vehicles, which have an expense limit of $25,000.)  How to Prepare Alpaca Fleece for Processing into Yarn by: Pamela Harwood Part III: Decisions, Decisions! When you are satisfied that the fiber is as clean as possible, place it back in the plastic bag and ship it to the mill with clear instructions for the yarn, rovings, batts, and felt that you want made. But which mill???? The answer depends on what you are looking for. Mini-mills spin yarn in small lots and will return your fiber to you. Your yarn label can include the name and/or a picture of the alpaca that donated the fiber. For this you will pay a premium, but your customers will happily pay the price. Continued |
In This Issue 
April 5-6 The Fiber Event Greencastle, IN
April 11-13
International Quilt Festival
April 25-27
April 26-27
May 2-4
May 3-4
May 10-11
Upper Valley Fiber Fest
New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Fest
May 17-18
May 23-24
May 24-25
Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Fest
Complete information on each event can be found on FiberFinds.com
Know of a Fiber Event
coming up next month? Send your info to customercare@fiberfinds.com and we'll include it in our next newsletter. 
Stuff for Sale on FiberFinds
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