We're back!

Well summer is finally over and what a summer it was.  We weren't very active on here and I do apologize for that.  But we were keeping busy don't you worry!

I had the chance to spend a wonderful month in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia, visiting with family and friends.  Any time I get to spend on the neck in Digby is wonderful!

We had so much fun combing the beach over and over again in search of the elusive (to me at least since everyone else seems to be able to find it all over!) amethyst, and even though it took the whole month I finally found some!  We found tons of agates and other stones and minerals....enough to keep the rock guy pretty happy all winter I believe!

We had some spectacular meals....oh who am I kidding, all the meals were spectacular!  Vickie at the Artist's Mark is quite the chef!

For years Vickie has been trying to get me out of my comfort zone in the studio and has goaded and prodded me to finally let go of my anal retentive and OCD ways and just let loose.  So this summer I got to turn the tables on her and got her to dye her very own yarn.  It was hysterical to see how scared and nervous she was....but after a pretty intense hand painting experience (yes she sat there with a tiny little brush and tried to get the dye to do according to her bidding....silly Vickie, don't you know the dye is the boss not you?) the inner scientist came out and before you knew it she was mixing her colours and adding a little bit of this and a dash of that and honestly came up with some pretty spectacular yarn!  Of course they are OOAK as there is no way I will ever be able to replicate what she did, even with her notes!  But at the end of the day everyone was pretty happy with the results and we may even have a budding indie dyer on our hands!

We ended our trip with a terrific whale watch....anyone who gets out that way must do it!  We had a blast and saw some very active humpback whales!

So much has been happening behind the scenes here at Seawall Fibres and I promise now that fall has arrived I will be posting more regularly and will get everyone up to date with all the great news!

I will sign off for now but check back in a day or two so you can hear about the wonderful collaborations we have been busy with here at Seawall Fibres.

And if you are itching for a yarn fix, there are some very yummy squishy yarns available online at www.seawallfibres.etsy.com and in the Artist's Mark store if you are fortunate enough to be local or in the area!  New colours are coming in the next week so keep checking in!

Ta ta for now everybody!

We have reopened!

Due to what we were told was the pending Canada Post strike we had shut down our etsy store and were waiting with baited breath to hear what was going to happen.

Well it seems like the two sides are back at the negotiating table and postal service is still going on so we have decided to reopen for now and just keep a close eye on things. 

So head on over to Seawall Fibres and check out our lovelies!  Also keep your eyes and ears open, we will be having a huge restock next week at the latest!

Also apologies for not having Mineral Monday for a couple of weeks.  We have had some family health issues but things should be back on track!

Don't forget if you are in the Digby area to drop into the Artist's Mark shop.  There not only will you be able to fondle the scrumptious yarn (yeah, we know you do that!) but you will be able to see the wonderful stones and minerals being cut and polished by the ever so talented stone guy and some gorgeous purses, paintings and wearable pieces of art by the amazing in house artist!

Mineral Monday - Amethyst

Good Mineral Monday all!  Today I want to talk about what is in my opinion a very royal gemstone, a deep and mysterious mineral.

Amethyst is a variety of quartz and its colour can vary from very light pink to deep violet with secondary hues of red and blue.

Why does it vary so much? Because amethyst is simply quartz that has been exposed to radiation or contains iron impurities or trace elements. In fact, amethyst can be made synthetically by simply radiating quartz.

Because of its origin, the violet colour may only be on the surface and the colour may even change when the stone is heated!

Nova Scotia amethyst tends to be light in colour but, as can be seen by the photos, may be dark as well.

Amethyst gets its name from two greek words meaning "not" and "intoxicated" from the belief that it protected its owner from drunkenness. In fact, it was often used for drinking vessels.

Here are some examples of some light amethysts we found on the beach by our home. 

You may not know by now but my fave colour is green.  Next to that is amethyst.  I find it so peaceful and elegant.  You can find some examples of it in our store and in the next few months we hope to have more.  It is such a versatile yarn colour, can go with so many different colours for that "pop" where you might need it. 

I would love to hear what you guys think....what is your favorite colour or mineral?