That's what I keep sayong, too. And then I go spend whatever little I do have on art supplies. Sigh.

So much this!! When people ask how I do what I do my top response is "I'm incredibly stubborn."

DOoOOOiIiiiiiTttttT!!! Plus they have all of the Maratus jumpers!

When I was a kid (maybe 6-ish) I saw a bit on PBS that featured this artform, and I became obsessed. I just had crayons, paints, and food dye, but my great-grandma and I would blow the innards out of eggs so I could try what I could. And we'd all eat a pile of scrambled eggs!

Spinning.

I'll also mention I love that aside from the dense mdf material for the wheel, all the other parts are just real wood instead of plywood like the one I used in class. And no plastic hardware bits - all metal and wood. The rubber drive band and connectors to the pedal are the only other materials.

I absolutely love it!! Of course I have very limited experience - I spent almost a year working exclusively with spindles, then one modern wheel in a class, and then my vintage double drive. But it feels smooth and I love the control of the double pedals. Soon I'll have the jumbo attachment as well.

Forgot to mention this is the first bouclé I've made where I spun every element myself.

People are missing out for sure! I keep 12 species and they are always a core part of the team for outreach events. Meeting them in person can do wonders. But I've certainly noticed that's the toughest group to open people's hearts to. I hope your roach pics get more attention!

Thrips have the silliest of little heads. I didn't see them super often in my samples but it was always exciting because they are so wonderfully ridiculous.

Oh my god I'm pretty sure we saw that sign in 2020 when we had to drive from Norman to Houston to get paperwork done to leave the country! Because of course that required in-person stuff during covid.