Good news for the Knitters!

If you are a knitter, you probably know that we are preparing for Knit City in Vancouver at the end of September. Our daughter Lisa has been dying her ? off and we have just completed a major restock of the shop.

We are overflowing to the point we are using bins!
WE have another exciting bit of news. Lisa and Vickie have developed a special commemorative colour just for the show! It's called KC Commemorative 2017 and here it is!

I am told that if there are any left over after the show, they will be available on Etsy and in the shop. We'll keep you posted.
We have had a lot of visitors to the shop this week but I have been able to restock the rock specimens as well so if you like rocks, come on by!

Update From the Rock Shop

Well, the tourist season is in high gear with people from literally all over the world dropping in to the shop. In between visitors, I am getting time to work on some of my "inventory"

Here is a piece that Vickie is going to wire wrap to make a pendant.

This is basically porcelain agate with some nice dark brown inclusions. I have only taken it to 100 grit in this pic so it's going to be pretty glassy at the finish.

I also have some beautiful pieces to cut. Take a look!

After I cut, I'll decide if they are good enough for a pendant but there certainly are some amazing fortification agate patterns.

If you are a family planning a trip to Digby and would like to spend a bit of time in my shop watching me work, just contact me and I'll do my best to set something up.

Hope to see you soon!

The Verdict is In on Seawall Fibres!

We have now had our beautiful Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn in the shop for a few weeks and it has been a real eye opener for me- a non-knitter.

Here are some actual quotes from people who have shopped in person and then posted on the Seawall Fibres board on Ravelry:

"...a yarn addict (and yarn snob). Your yarn is orgasmic!"

"I couldn't wait to get home to sit and enjoy the softness and colours of these yarns..."

"...a lovely store with a nice selection of different weights of yarn."

" It's soft and squishy and the colours are amazing."

"...the St. Mary's Bay blue is calling my name. Just need to find the right pattern for the gorgeous yarn."

"The yarn colours are outstanding! As beautiful as they are seeing them online, they are even more beautiful in person."

"...what a gorgeous selection of gorgeous colours! Can't wait to get one of these on the needles."

"I fondled and probably drooled just a little..."

Needless to say, sales in the shop have been brisk and this week alone, through our Etsy Shop, we have shipped yarn to Sweden, Ireland, England, the USA and even Canada!

So if you are a knitter, you owe it to yourself to check out Seawall Fibres!

And now a word to you long suffering non-knitters who know a serious knitter (we'll call it SK). In the words of ex President Clinton, " I feel your Pain!".

When I was in the golf business, I was convinced that golfers were the worst fanatics known to man.

I was wrong.

When I got into the sunglass business I met the surfing community. I thought they were the worst fanatics.

I was wrong.

We sold to bass fishermen. Who but the world's biggest fanatics would spend tens of thousands on a bass boat which is basically an open skiff with a seat in the middle and a honking big motor on the back and then enter a tournament and stuff their fish with lead weights to win?

I was wrong.

I say that because I have now met SK! SK enters a yarn store and starts to drool. Read the above quotes people! SK doesn't just knit yarn, SK has an intimate relationship with it. SK has a "stash" of yarn. If your SK has say, 50 skeins, they can still be saved. I've seen worse- a LOT worse! Vickie's stash is so big that if she dies before me I can sell it and move to Tahiti. Heck I could BUY Tahiti!

So if your SK says "I want to go to The Artist's Mark to look at the yarn, they are LYING! I suggest you bring a good book or hang out with me in the rock shop. In the time it takes SK to fondle every skein in the store before buying (and trust me, SK WILL buy) I can teach you to be a first class lapidary!

Oh, did I mention that rock hounds are the biggest fanatics in the world...?

New Stuff in the Shop

We have been extremely busy of late with stuff fairly flying off the shelf! Our inventory of Vickie's popular purses stands at 2 but she has promised me that if I make dinner for a few days she will make some more. The worst part is since she has celiac disease I can't make Kraft Dinner.

We finally got the last of Lisa's initial shipment of yarn tagged and priced so I think we now have about 110 hanks of wool in our display.

So there's plenty to drool over for all you knitting fanatics out there (you know who you are!).

Our Etsy site for Seawall Fibres is now up and running and fully stocked so if you want yarn and can't make it into the store, just pop on over to www.seawallfibres.etsy.com
And if you haven't yet seen Lisa's "Mineral Mondays", go to www.seawallfibres.blogspot.com
Or if that isn't your cup of tea, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Once we get the shop restocked, our plan is to restart our Etsy shop for The Artist's Mark but until then, if you want to see Vickie's abstract art and gorgeous jewelry, my rock specimens and silver pendant collection featuring local gem stones or Sandra's famous whimsical sculpted figures, you'll just have to come and see us on beautiful Digby Neck- the whale watching capital of the maritimes!
If you mention the blog, I'll give you a nice piece of tumbled agate or Jasper.

Hope to see you soon!

Seawall Fibres is Open For Business!

This summer we have an exciting new addition to the shop.

Seawall Fibres is the brainchild of our daughter, Lisa. An avid knitter, she was having trouble finding premium luxurious wool and fibres in the colours she wanted. So she decided to make her own! (She's a lot like her mom!).

First she had to find a source of natural premium yarn that met her exacting standards and once that was achieved, she set about to experiment with colour/ yarn/ weight combinations using as her inspiration the beautiful Seawall area across from our shop on St. Mary's Bay. The end result is a spectacular array of beautiful yarns, named after gorgeous rocks and minerals and the ever-changing kaleidoscope of the Seawall.

A small sampling of the Seawall Fibres line of luxurious yarn.

We have stock in the store in several weights from "fingering" to "chunky". Eventually, Seawall Fibres will be available through an Etsy sight but for now, you can get it at the shop.

Our exciting Seawall Fibres display

As you can see, we are also carrying knitting supplies (bags, needles) and a selection of hand knitted items made from this fabulous material. Everything is priced below what you would expect for this quality. So if you are a knitter or know a knitter, come on by and check out Seawall Fibres. You won't be disappointed! And remember, we accept all credit cards.

We're Open!

May 1st is the official opening date for the shop. Actually, we've been open from time to time all winter when there are special events in town. It was great fun meeting so many of the senior curlers and their supporters from all across Canada.

But now we notice more and more out of province plates coming out The Neck so tourist season is here!
So what's new for this season? Lots!
First off we have a larger, eye catching sign that details a lot (not all!) of what we sell.

We've even managed to add a few floats to our collection!

Next we changed the entrance to the shop.

We're putting in new planters and creating a great "photo op" for our guests.

Inside the shop, we've really expanded our knit goods and this year we are selling our own line of luxurious, exclusive hand-dyed yarns. These yarns will also be sold online through a new venture- Seawall Fibres, and will reflect the beauty found in the natural materials around The Seawall.

The colours are truly spectacular and sure to delight any knitting enthusiast. We will be starting a new blog and Facebook and Instagram page with regular updates on what's available, and when that's in place, we'll let you know and provide links from this blog.

Lastly, Vickie has been busy in her studio creating some amazing jewelry!

This is her new Mako design, inspired by the shark of thew same name. It has gotten rave reviews to date so we can't wait for you to see it.

Our house renovations are almost finished and soon I'll be able to get started in the Rock Shop. I have some spectacular agate to work with to create specimen pieces and jewelry.

So if you live in the area or are planning a trip to Nova Scotia, be sure to include the amazing Seawall on scenic Digby Neck. We'll be waiting for you.

Also, if you are planning a trip at a time when we might not be open, just email or call and we'll see if we can arrange to be open, just for you!

Digby Area Tourism Association

Those of you who follow the blog will find a change starting with this post.

The above is the logo for the Digby Area Tourism Association- DATA- a group of which I am a proud member.

DATA has as its mandate, the promotion of tourism in the greater Digby area. Digby is a fantastic destination point for any vacation to the maritimes with a wealth of things to do and see. I try to include businesses and groups on this blog but it is impossible for me to cover everything.

The DATA sight has a much more comprehensive listing of what is available as well as festivals, etc. that you might wish to plan your vacation around.

Summer is just around the corner so you owe it to yourself and your family to see what Digby has to offer. Just click on the logo to the right and you will be magically transported to their web site.

Enjoy!.

Exciting New Merchandise:

We will also be featuring our own exclusive selection of ultra high quality, hand dyed wool yarn this summer, so come on by and see them. If you are a knitter, you'll be in heaven. And for those non-knitters, we have a wonderful selection of unique, high quality knit goods. I'll do a post in the near future.

Vickie's Latest Work of Art

Vickie is back on her polymer clay horse and has decided on the theme for her next collection.
She is calling it predator and she is taking her inspiration from the teeth and talons of some pretty nasty beasts whose shapes she finds beautiful (go figure).
The first in the series is the Mako.
When we lived in Jacksonville Florida, Ponta Vedra Beach, actually, we used to find a lot of shark teeth. Each shark has a distinctive tooth design and the Mako's are particularly beautiful.

actual fossilized mako shark's tooth

So starting with this figure, Vickie hand cuts her own forms and uses several different polymer clay techniques to form representational shapes with unique and beautiful patterns. She then combines them with agate and metal spacer beads to produce a beautiful necklace. A set of ear rings, a bracelet and a pendant will complete the set and she plans on doing several in different colour combinations.

The Mako Necklace - no two alike - collect the whole set!

These pieces will be available in the shop next spring and will also be for sale on our new Etsy site (more about that in the next post).
Out here on the Neck, the sun is getting stronger every day and most of the snow has melted. Although we are expecting a big snow storm next week, spring is just around the corner so make your plans now to visit our little piece of paradise out here on scenic Digby Neck.
See you soon.

Great Place to Stay on the "Neck"

We are definitely into winter here on The Neck and the pace of life has slowed considerably. My new snowblower has worked great so far but time will tell. We get huge waves here when the wind blows from the south and today they are spectacular at high tide. It's truly an amazing place during a storm!
Linda Graham from Centreville stopped in this morning to say hi and I thought it would be good to do a post and tell you about her operation.
Graham's pioneer retreat is located in Centreville, about 5 minutes further up the neck from our shop. If you are looking for a memorable, comfortable and unique place to stay, this is it! Four cabins overlook beautiful St. Mary's Bay, providing spectacular views all year. What makes them unique is that they are totally "off the grid" and yet have electricity and all the comforts of home. How? By generators that can be started and stopped with the flick of a switch.

One of the cabins at Graham's pioneer retreat

For more info on Grahams, go to www.digbyneck.com
So plan your next visit to beautiful Digby Neck and stay at Graham's pioneer retreat. You can go bird watching and whale watching, spend time on some beautiful beaches, go rock hounding (if you are nice to me I'll tell you where!), enjoy some local seafood and a bonfire and see a spectacular starry heavens in our world famous dark night sky.
Visit the amazing Balancing Rock and try and figure out how it got there.

And if you stop by The Artist's Mark, I'll tell you all about the geological history of the neck and show you how we create beautiful jewelry from our local agate. If you are staying at Graham's you'll get 10% off all your purchases in our shop.

Beautiful moss agate pendant in a sterling silver setting

So much to see.
So much to do.
You're gonna' love Digby Neck!

New Lapidary Equipment

So after a lot of head scratching and "creative" engineering, the old Mercury arbor is ready to use.
When I got this, there were 4 grinding wheels on it and a gravity drip system to provide cooling.
Since I now have 60 and 100 grit wheels on the other machines, I removed the 100 grit wheel. Also, the 600 grit grinding wheel has been replaced by a 600 grit diamond belt on the new Lortone unit.

3 new diamond belts

Now there are 200 and 400 grit grinding wheels that have been cleaned and leveled using my diamond sintered truing tool.
So in the empty space on the arbor, I added 3 sanding drums (1200, 3000 and 8000 grit).
I also have a 14,000 grit flat lap on one end.

On the other end, there was an old style metal sanding drum which I am now using as a holder for a padded leather polishing pad.

leather polishing pad with felt underlay

The gravity wetting system has been replaced by a "spitter" which wets the wheel being used from below.

So now I can cut rocks up to 2 inches thick, grind it from 60 grit (really coarse) to 14,000 grit (really, REALLY fine)  and then polish it.

cover reinstalled- ready for action!

The weather is getting cooler each day so the timing is perfect since I have a lot of beautiful agate to work with.
If you are in the area, now or next summer, let me know and I'll be happy to show you how it works. We should have some beautiful specimens and agate jewelry next spring.

New Lapidary Material

It is a foggy day on The Neck and I am still waiting for some grinding wheels and sanding belts to complete my lapidary set up so I thought you might like to see some of the material we have found and cut recently.

Beautiful example of fortification

Vickie found this beautiful stone at Gulliver's Cove. We will cut a few more slabs and make some gorgeous pendants.

A golden and red plume agate with fortification found on Seawall Beach by AgateEye

This stone looked interesting on the outside but even we were surprised when we cut it open! The colours and pattern are spectacular and we plan to cut some slabs for jewelry and sell the rest as specimens.

Really interesting chevron type pattern

Gorgeous example of the rare Golden Flame Agate!

These spectacular stones were both found at Seawall Beach after a huge storm. Both will be used to create jewelry this winter. Boy, is AgateEye going to be busy! It's her own fault - she keeps finding 'em.

The Rock Den is really starting to take shape. New (old) 8" sanding drums came from Black Mountain Lapidary in Kelowna, BC along with the leather buffing pad. Just waiting on the belts, and then we'll reconfigure the arbor. 

Watch for a post showing the new setup.