She'll be back....

Hi, guest editor Kate here...

Liz is temporarily off the air. She making a move to pursue dying, spinning and et ceterea on a full time basis and is waiting for internet installation at home which would give me just a beautiful launching pad for yet another tirade on why Aliant, the local phone service company in this part of the world, just totally sucks in stereo but this isn't my 'blog so I'll keep my comments to the fact that the cable guy will more than likely install her internet connection on time on Wednesday. Which is way more than you'd be able to say about the plods at the phone company. Damn, that was so restrained, I think I twisted something.

In any event, the point of this column is to tell you that she's still with us all and this blog will continue to be updated, even if it's by me.

Have a great day everyone; thanks for stopping by.

Singin The Blues

In honour of the blue feelings about my pub and in honour of the two fine musicians who share them. Matt Fitzgerald, and Mike Doherty. I can't play the blues like you guys so I give to you my version of the blues.

It Really is a Small World

For those of you who don't know Freddy, it's a small town. We have approximately 40000 people. I think I know 90% of them, and the minute I decide I have met someone new, I discover I know their mother, brother, sister or husband. It really is a small town. And in the way of all small towns, people care. Case in point: our local watering hole.
For the past several years we have frequented a fine little pub by the name of McPail's Taproom. The proprietor of this excellant establishment being Scotty. We love Scotty, he is like kin to us. The bar staff know us and can pour what we want without us asking, in our own personal steins. They know that India never gets black pop, no matter what and that Kate seldom drinks more than one Irish Red, but often will have a couple of good single malts. Recently our pub was ruined. Through some very odd circumstances the pub changed hands, Scott and the gang stayed on, but it is all wrong.The atmosphere is strained the regulars aren't coming back, and the bar has been renovated -badly. The new owners don't understand their patrons and the patrons are leaving. in droves.
I have to point out that this particular pub was one of a dying breed. There was no TV, it didn't serve food, but you could order in, you could bring your dog, your kids and your knitting. We have celebrated engagements, marriages, and births there. We have cried a few tears there, and we have shared many laughs, loves, and friendships there. We have greeted new friends and said goodbye to old friends, accompanied by fine microbrew, and good single malts. The floorboards were worn, the chairs a bit rickety but it was home.
Yesterday, I went in to the pub and hung out with Barry the bartender, we ordered in supper, and shot the shit for a few hours. Two more ofthe old regulars stopped in for a minute, and had their beer elsewhere. Near closing time they came back to share the walk home. We sat and chatted about the situation, four of us looking around the place where we used to feel at home. The conversation was deep and the subject was our feelings about the pub, and the situation Sipping a beer, acknowledging that it will never be the same again. It is the end of an era. I looked at the guys and thought, where do we go from here?

rovings  

SHEEP THRILLS

Winding yarn for Kate
Herself the cheif dipper at lizzies Yarns. Not the best photo Ever taken of me but, not the worst either. The sweater I am wearing was made by my friend Barb Telford at Woodsmoke Woolworks. It was one of my favourite Christmas pressies this year. Right up there with my cocktail Shaker/bar set and corresponding recipe book that my children gave me. Note to self always send kate's husband Xmas shopping with the kids. He is not so bad. Actually according to my eleven year old son he is the best thing about Kate. who knew.

Kate's Martini

the stash
I have to say that the evening was a hoot. Kate came over toting her camera, and photographed a weeks worth of dyeing. and made herself a raspberry martini. My Kitchen table was covered with yarn and rovings as you can see. I guess when you dye two or three pots at a time it adds up. I am getting better organized every day and things are smoothing out and becoming easier. I now have a huge selection of photographs that I can blog nad use to flog may yarns.
Problem of the day?? need more yarns. We have been waiting and waiting and waiting for our mohair boucle, and it is nowhere to be found. The slubby that I have already done is great but we need some variety. It was hard enough to decide which yarns to order in the first place, and to know what people will want in the end. Lets face it we are not marketing to the average knitter who shops wall mart for the bargain yarns. I am looking towards the true fibre junkies. I know they are out there I just need to tap into them and give them the variety I know they want. Currently I have the slubby, merino rovings, and finn rovings. I have dyed some merino yarns for Barb Telford and some silks from my personal stash but I think developing a personal line will be an ongoing process of supply and demand. I just need to create the demand. Well time to go see what is going on in the laundry room. hoping the faeries have completed the million pounds of laundry while I have been blogging. What are the chances?????
laters
Lizzie

technology, Who Knew?????/

Yesterday I ventured down to York Street, and dropped off the rovings and merino to Trish. While there Barb showed us how to use the knitting machine. Wow. I am so impressed. Here I was trying desperately to make up sample bags to showcaes my yarns slogging away for hours and hours and hours(I knit very slowley)to make little hand bags that I felt anyway, when lo and behold, you can knit the damned things in ten minutes. I love technology. I gotta get me a knitting machine. Well maybe I'll just use Barb or Trish's, since really i don't knit all that much, I am first and foremost a weaver, and currently a dyer. Besides where would i put a knitting machine in my house, perhaps on top of thepottery wheel in my kitchen?
But seriously, I have been getting more and more organised and have I believe got this dye at night thing well underway. I have a bunch of rovings to do tonight, and am home with a sick kid today so there is a pot of Briggs and Little simmering on the stove, just got off phone from Trish and she sold a bunch of Merino last night!! yay!
It is sure a whole lot easier to believe that we are doing the right thing when people have started buying. I am having fun doing it but fun only takes ya so far. I hope to get some bags made possibly this weekend while the kiddies are away. And then there will be stock to sell yay! We will se just how that goes. I have to attend a wedding dance on Friday evening so who knows how the rest of the weekend will go. Me and two girlfriends that grew up on the same street, always a fun combination!
Add to that a bunch of relatives from the Miramichi and it can only be a good party. Well cheers all I must now run off to check my bags that are felting and the yarn that is a simmering.
Lizzie

autumn yummies

more yummies

felted bag, finally done

yummy yarns

yummy yarns
the yarns I have been promising to show are finally here. They really didn't turn out half bad! I have been dying roving the past couple of days and am really pleased with the results. I have photos to share coming soon! happy fibre fun!
Lizzie.

whitefeather

whitefeather's hairnet

the kidlings
here are the darlings I live with, they are the reason d'etre for all the stuff I do. They are inspirational and supportive and just plain cute.

York Sunbury Museum

museum
This Museum is where I work to finance my habits of dyeing weaving and all other creative endeavours. We have an in house textiles gallery, run by String Fever another non profit trying to promote the fibrearts in our community. They run workshops and have artists in residence creating their textiles art throughout the summer. Last summer one of the residents created a hair net, literally Whitefeather spun human hair and created a fishing net using a medaieval hair net pattern. It was a stunning peice and I will post photos for you all to see.

more yarns

Organizing Chaos

For those who don't know, I lead a very hectic life. I have two very beautiful children, A fulltime job as the executive director/chief curator at the York Sunbury Museum here in Freddy, am the president of the New Brunswick Crafts Council, and have been trying to start my own business.
Wow that sounds just as hectic as it is. For those who do know me it is no surprise that though I function fairly well in all of these roles, something has got to give. I have been spending a lot of time thinking through what exactly I need to do to get these things in order of priority.
My first order of business is straightening out the chaos. Physical Chaos, and administrative chaos reign superior. I figure the best way to prioritize is to start with the physical chaos.
Time to organize the shite.
This should bring a giggle from those who have seen me work. I tend to lose myself in the project and create chaos around me. When the project is done and I observe the surroundings I am always surprised at the "hurricane blew through the house" look of the place. I think that the damn mess breeds when I am not looking. Oh yeah -that would be the 9 and 11 year olds that live with me.
Organization will be the key to my success in this endeavour. If I want a home business I need to schedule it all from set up to cleanup and paperwork. Up until now it has been really loosey goosey, and because of that it has sucked a lot of time, time that I could be with the kids, time that I could be productive in the household and time that I could work on my art.
Learning to pace myself and be firm about my schedule will be hard but I am adament that it be done. It is the difficulty of working at home, people drop in or call and keep me from the task at hand. I need to be working and productive. The nice girl in me is terrified that I will offend people by saying no, but the mother, business woman and artist in me is celebrating what I figure is freedom to do what makes me whole.

What a Colourful World

Sorry I haven't updated for a while, been super busy dying yarn, or may hands. I got the slubby in and had the old stove a humping, I of course was having many "OH-My-God-this-Yarn-Sucks" moments, then Barb came, then Kate came and they ooohed and Aaahed appropriately. The damn stuff just wouldn't dry, I was certainly having a fit. got it dyed got it skeined and it was still wet three days later. Poor Trish.Waiting patiently for her yarn. I ended up taking it to her wet, of course it dried immediately.
I was so nervous, I was afraid she wouldn't like it, terrified even. I had spent all her money and made a hideous mistake. She was going to hate it, I just knew it. She was certainly going to wish she had never met me.
So I bundled it all into a bag, took a deep breath and Kate, Oneida and I jumped in the car to drop it off. I got voted to run to the corner for coffee and when I came back they had broken into the stash. witnesses say that our dear Patricia cried. So I guess it was ok after all.
Walking down York street and seeing all that Yarn in the window feels kind of good, people love it. Yay me!!!
Now I feel kind of pompously proud of my Sheep Thrills. I will have to post some photos of it, they are on Kate's blog but I have many many more that I will post soon. Last night was painted merino roving, and I had a blast. more later.