Silk Glorious Silk!!!

Here's the latest from the dye wizard Jared -silk caps!!! Colour and texture to "dye for" LOL. Can I keep them all??? Some of them look dull but when you get them close up the colours are incredible!

Jared's new rabbits!!!!!

He's so excited he had to take the pictures himself -I pointed out he wouldn't be in the pictures but he was more excited to run the camera than to pose for it. Fortunately the Diva was more than willing :)
Here's Jareds two newest bunny friends brought back to us by a fellow Rhinelander breeder here in Ontario from Top Note Calico Rabbitry in Michigan. Thank you to all who made Jared's rabbit dreams come true!

Intress is the doe and she's bred to an unrelated buck for a June 15th litter. She's very social and outgoing and has discovered that 10 year olds = treats and head pats. She's the one preening for the camera too -she knows she's beautiful!
Medeenu is the buck and he's a real little spitfire! The names are from Jared's favorite TV show of right now CHAOTIC. Which is why his rabbitry name is CHAOTIC Rabbitry. Hmmm I thought it was in reference to me LOL.

Anyways these beautiful Rhinelanders are an amazing breed. Want to know more ask Jared -he'd be happy to tell you all about them!

New Goodies -part two

Well i'm still going -boxes and orders are coming in fast and furious -spring is so much fun to get all the new items and rabbits coming in :)

Here's the next load of goodies:

Custom dyed ready to knit and felt tote bags - in a wide range of colours! Kit contains everything to make a bag -fibre, pattern and needles. Really fun and easy to make. Retailing at $40 Beautifully modelled by the house diva Lindsay - notice the gap -yes my baby lost her two front teeth -sigh where did my little ones go.....
We're not even talking about her older brother who went to his first dance last week -he had 4 girls call him and ask him to be their date. Do you see all the grey hairs I'm dealing with?

Ready to dye sock kits from Louet - includes three 50 gram skiens of merino yarn, dyes, instructions and pattern! Colours available are Browns, Blues, Pinks, Greens and Blues. Retailing at $35 for a kit.

more still to come........

New Goodies -part one

Trying to update with pictures all the new items here at Cornerstone Fibres:

Dyed bamboo rovings in assorted grab bags
Pastel dyed mohair locks in grab bags
Dyed Mohair Roving by the Dyewizard himself -packaged in 8 ounce lots
Sari Silk Scarf and Hat kits -one skien will make either a hat or a scarf includes patterns and needles for one of them

A day out with the kids

Today we took the kids down to the docks to see the HMCS Kingston. She was in harbour visiting her namesake city. She is the first of her line -commissioned in 1995 and this is only her second visit to the city. Her primary function is a minesweeper but she does so much more. We took the kids on the tour through and on the ship. Jared and Lindsay were both impressed with the ship and her crew.
Hats off to the men and women in the Canadian Navy!!!!

A fibre event cross post-Willow Garden Shetland Shearing Day!

A friend of mine hjere raises some amazing shetland sheep -his fleeces are always gorgeous!!! Here's the information on how you too can get sucked in and end up coming home with more fleece than you really needed :) Get to know your sheep and the fleece you spin !

Willow Garden Shetlands

Fifth Annual Sheep Shearing, Lamb Ramp, Open House, and 4H Barbeque
Monday, May 19 (Victoria Day)

10 am until 2 pm

2033 Salem Rd, Consecon, ON



Take 401 to exit 522 (Wooler Road/County Rd 40). Follow Wooler Road south towards Trenton until it ends at Loyalist Parkway (#33). Turn right on to Loyalist Parkway and follow it into Prince Edward County. Once you pass the 'Welcome to Prince Edward County' sign, you are almost there. You will pass Victoria Road on the left, then Cnty Rd. 19 on the left and then Salem Road. Turn left on Salem Road. We are about 2 km in on the right hand side, just past the first set of jogs in the road.

Admission is free.
Colourful and playful lambs.
Fun for the whole family.
A chance to buy the fleece of your choice, as it comes off the sheep
Call for further details.

Bill Stearman
www.willowgardenshetlands.com
... visit my blog and keep up with what is happening ...
http://willowgardenshetlands.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life!!

Today is mothers day - hmm what does that really mean to us moms? A day off (snicker), a holiday of pampering NOT. To me Mother's day is a day to reflect on what it is to be a mother and of all the mothers in my life. So here is my rambling thoughts on some of the women who I think of this mother's day!!

My mother a wonderful woman- but we'll never understand each other. my life revolves around my family, my work and my passion for fibre and animals. My mother is Martha Stewart on steroids. Both lives are wonderful but are very different in terms of priority and comfort. I respect my mother very much - I look like her -I've come to realize that but inside we are seperate people. I hope I share many of her good qualities -strength, love of family, endurance for the long road and deep abiding faith. I wish someday she understands that I have to be who I am - I am so happy now being mom to Jared and Lindsay and wife to Daryl. Nothing in this life that I do will ever mean more than this.

My mother in law -the woman who gave me my husband - I respect her deeply and have much more in common with her than my real mother. She too loves fibre and the arts that go with it. She too is a great example to me in terms of resilency and strength.

My aunts -My Aunt Karla who has never been a mother herself but has given me more love and mothering than I ever has deserved. To her I salute her dedication to life and the santity of the earth and all that it pocesses. To the other who I am proud to call my friend and mentor Peggy I salute her hard work ethic and her ability to never give up even when life is so bleak it is scary.

To my adopted mother "Jane" I salute her power and ability to keep going when life throws her curves of epic proportions and thank her for being my shoulder to cry on when the world seem tough.

To my grandmothers -all three of them these thoughts.
My Beppe who survived so much terror and pain throughout life and still maintained a smile and the words "God is looking out for us always -life is a joy never a curse" I sit and cry at my loss of you -my mentor and life path guardian.
To my other grandmother who I never met in this life I shake my head and cry at the strength you had to let my dad go to be raised by two strangers knowing he would have a better life elsewhere than with you. I cannot even begin to imagine how much it must have hurt for you to go on, never seeing him face to face. You too have left an imprint on me -to cherish each day with my children knowing they are a true gift of God.
To my Oma who rasied my dad I give you my thanks for raising my dad to be the man he is -he is a rock in my life. He learned to be tough from you and to be strong. He also learned how to be hurt though - you hurt him deeply and for that I can never forget. I also wonder even now why I was never good enough for you?? What had I done to you to always be left out from the others -was it I looked like my mother?? Was it I didn't fit your mold?? We'll never know but I look back now and realize that who I am is who I am -if you couldn't be proud of me then too bad -I am ME!!

I never thought I would be a mom. I was told at 24 that I could never have children -that scarring from fibroids would never allow me to give birth. Well guess what they were wrong - I don't need to win the lottery - I have more wealth than I could ever imagine. Of course I also swore I would never get married and have kids so God is laughing his head off up there.
I have learned strength from being a mom, I have learned soul crashing hurt and pain, I have learned patience (can I please have lots more of this God??), and most of all I have learned there is so much Joy in this world that I never would have seen or felt had I not become a mom.

So to all of you MOMs on this earth (and to the Earth herself -our greatest mother) -I salute you this mothers day. Mom are not the people who give birth to you -there are the people who help shape you and love you, comfort and guide you, and are always there for you!