Happy World Theatre Day!

Message of the 50th anniversary of World Theatre Day – John Malkovich

"I'm honored to have been asked by the International Theatre Institute ITI at UNESCO to give this greeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of World Theatre Day. I will address my brief remarks to my fellow theatre workers, peers and comrades.

May your work be compelling and original. May it be profound, touching, contemplative, and unique. May it help us to reflect on the question of what it means to be human, and may that reflection be blessed with heart, sincerity, candor, and grace. May you overcome adversity, censorship, poverty and nihilism, as many of you will most certainly be obliged to do. May you be blessed with the talent and rigor to teach us about the beating of the human heart in all its complexity, and the humility and curiosity to make it your life's work. And may the best of you - for it will only be the best of you, and even then only in the rarest and briefest moments - succeed in framing that most basic of questions, "how do we live?" Godspeed."
- John Malkovich

Celebrating fond moments of being involved in Theatre over the years!

As Mrs. Harcourt in Anything Goes.

Patsy & Tess in Crazy for You

As Kate in Kiss Me Kate

As Conchita in Copacabana

In Key for Two at Century Church Theatre

Cast Photo: Once Upon a Mattress

Cast of Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun at Theatre Orangeville

The cast of Looking at Century Church Theatre

Cast Photo: Sweet Charity

The Decorator at Century Church Theatre

The Songs of Mary Poppins

The Banks' Parlor

The Banks' Parlor with door to exterior.

BusyLizzy is living up to her name this week enjoying the outcome of a creative theatre project!

Creative Partners on Stage is a collaborative drama program between Community Living Dufferin and Theatre Orangeville. In this group, performers from our community celebrate their abilities on stage through a professionally supported production, while developing drama skills. I have had the pleasure and the privilege of directing this year's production, entitled "The Songs of Mary Poppins."

We began our rehearsals in September of 2011, and have had wonderful moments of joy and discovery! All along the way it is the process that has been the focus as this amazing group of individuals has developed their unique talents and voices in the “Spotlight Players.”

(Our sister group,"The Footlight Players" performed to delighted audiences in February!)

Captain Boom's Boat 'house'.

See "The Songs of Mary Poppins" 

Tickets are $10 (all inclusive) and can be purchased on-line or by calling the Theatre Orangeville Box Office at 519-942-3423 or1-800-424-1295. Tickets are also available by calling Community Living Dufferin at 519-941-8971. 

Tucking in your Tails

Our Hooking up to Crochet group is working on some squares to donate to a local Senior's Santa Hamper project. Volunteers will assemble the squares into lap afghans, and these, along with other necessities and goodies will be delivered to seniors in local retirement and nursing homes at Christmas!

The conversation over coffee at this month's Hooking up to Crochet meeting was all about tails! There were some seasoned 'hookers' around the table too, so it was great to hear the methods and reasons behind them:

Dale M shared a story from an experience with a similar "squares" charity project. After many hours of volunteers stitching the donated squares together, the final products were washed before being sent out to the needy recipients. To the horror of the volunteers, some of the squares came UNRAVELED in the wash! Some of the creators had left only an inch or less when switching colours or tucking in the ends. This caused them to come apart on the first washing! Dale's advice: Always leave at least 4-6" tail when switching a colour or ending off. When weaving in the tail, use a darning needle and travel along the base of a row of stitches to hide it well and then make a sharp turn (90 degrees or more) somewhere along the length of the tail. That way it can be tugged and stretched in different directions with less chance of unraveling.
After their experience, Dale's group actually requested that tails be "left dangling" on all donated squares. Volunteers felt it was preferable to tuck those pesky tails in securely themselves, rather than do all that assembly only to have a stray square or two unravel in the wash!

Sarah W-L ties a small knot when finishing a colour or ending a project. Many of her items are wearables for babies and children, and therefore subject to many washings! The knot means extra security and durablity. A shorter end is then sewn back through a few stitches to hide it inside the work. She is not too worried about the length of the tail, as it is not going to unravel with the handy little knot in place!

Liz (me) was experimenting with a couple of techniques recently learned online:
First I tried the Russian join. Thread the new yarn onto a darning needle and thread it through your last loop. Then splitting the yarn as you go, splice back through the length of your new yarn a few inches. Remove the needle, give the yarn a tug, then just cut off the small remaining end very close. Advantages: it is neat and quite invisible and conserves yarn. Disadvantages: it's a bit time consuming and fiddly for those who avoid the use of a darning needle, and can add a bit of bulk to the few stitches where the yarn is double thick from the join. (This is not very noticeable on most projects, though). I like this method, and will definitely use it when joining same colour yarns, as well as when I'm looking for that "extra neat" finish.
I also experimented with a simple 'invisible join' I found and re-pinned on my "Crochet Love" board on Pintrest. This one is a single knot, slipped down to the right of the last loop of the old yarn. You just continue crocheting with the new one and the knot slips neatly inside. This method doesn't address the 2 tails that are left hanging, but one assumes you could still "work over" them or weave them in later with a darning needle with whatever method you favour.
My favourite tail tucking method with finer yarns, is simply to crochet the next few stitches while tucking the new tail this way and that through the work (basically tangling it up neatly inside the next 5-10 stitches in the row - following whatever pattern I'm working on).

Care to join us for a Hooking up to Crochet (daytime) meeting? Or our sister (evening) group PUBlic Crochet? Here are some links to upcoming events!
Wednesday April 11th, 11 am, Mochaberry, 177B Broadway, Orangeville, RSVP on Facebook
Monday April 16th, 8 pm, Winchester Arms Pub, 171 Broadway, Orangeville. RSVP on Facebook

PUBlic Crochet

The highlight of the meeting was having a newbie along to learn to crochet! We welcomed Janice D to crocheting and among many great laughs about "crochet virgins" and all the associated puns, we got her going on a practice swatch. Best known as a photographer, writer and blogger, Janice came along to "try something new." The lure of a glass of wine and hanging at the pub for a few hours might have had a bit to do with it too! Here are Janice's first stitches and a bit of the swatch that the ladies dubbed "the banana worm"... because that's what it looked like!


This was only our 2nd time getting together at the pub. It was quiet on a Monday night, and the while the waiter didn't quite know what to make of us... he did keep sliding by the table at the most awkward moments in the conversation... you know, when we were telling our newbie "it is often tight when it's your first time!" Of course we were referring to the stitching on the practice swatch, but he didn't know that!

Current Project: Crocheting Squares for the Senior's Santa Hamper project in Orangeville.
Next Meeting:
Monday April 16th, 8 pm, Winchester Arms Pub, 171 Broadway, Orangeville. RSVP on Facebook
Or join our daytime group:
Wednesday April 11th, 11 am, Mochaberry, 177B Broadway, Orangeville, RSVP on Facebook

Kat has a "virgin" drink -- Baby on Board! Congrats, Kat!

Sarah is working on "wings" for a photography prop!

The Rainbow Rug

Crafters build relationships with their handiwork. It sounds odd, but it is true. Take the Rainbow Rug, for example. This was one of my first T-shirt Rug creations. I chose the colours to be bright, fun and happy! Working on it made me feel that way, even when it wouldn't lie flat and I had to rip it out and re-work it a bit. When it was finished people smiled when they saw it on my table at the market, it was marked "favourite" with a little heart on my Etsy Store and it was even included in a treasury list. It's a nice rug. I liked it, others liked it, and my daughter had her eye on it (she was angling to beg for it if it didn't sell!).

But sell, it did! It was on display at Access Fitness during the weeks approaching the holidays, and it happened to sell on a day that I was not at the club. Cash sale. Great! I was glad someone chose it. Someone, somewhere. Maybe a member of the club? Man, woman? I didn't know. I was glad it sold, but it was one of the first things I've ever sold and NOT known to whom I sold it!

Crafters build relationships with their customers too! One of the things I really enjoy about selling BusyLizzy Boutique items at markets, craft fairs and festivals is the contact I have with the shoppers. I love to chat with the patrons as they select a unique gift for a special person, hear their comments as they linger over the table, and watch their excitement as they pick up something that "spoke to them" from my table as a little treat for themselves. Perhaps it is a little easier to "let go" of my unique handmade creations when I meet the people who will enjoy them.  Even with online sales, I often have a chance to have some dialogue with the buyer via email, and I know where my creation is going to live. I am thrilled to know that refashioned T-shirt Tank is being sported in Dublin Ireland, those Barefoot Sandals are being enjoyed in Brooklyn New York, and that slashed up Zumba® T-shirt is "joining the party" in Texas. I always send a hand-written thank you along with their package when I send it, and quite often receive an email back with thanks and comments; the personal touch means a lot to me.

Back to the Rainbow Rug.... A few months have passed and I've often wondered where it is and who is enjoying it. In fact, we were chatting about that very subject during our recent "Hooking up to Crochet" meeting at a local coffee shop. As the meeting disbanded, I turned to notice a woman I know from the gym sitting with another lady, who was not familiar to me. We had a quick chat about the crochet crowd and the new friend asked for my card. She might join us to learn to crochet next time we meet. I was floored when she took one look at my card and said, "Oh, BusyLizzy Boutique... I bought your Rainbow Rug!"

There she was, sitting right there in the coffee shop while we discussed that very item! (Insert "Twilight Zone" theme music). I learned that the rug was a gift for her son, and is sitting by his woodstove, brightening up his first apartment.

<Sigh> I feel better now!

Cheers!

P.S. If you'd like a rug, there are a few more of my rugs on ETSY or I can make you one in your colour selection... just be sure to say "hi" when you purchase it! :o)

Hooking up to Crochet - February 2012

Working on a Barefoot Sandal

I just realized with some embarrassment that my last post regarding our Hooking up to Crochet (January 2012) gathering was still sitting in the "draft" folder unpublished! It has a great list of online resources for yarns and patterns, so do check it out! Better late than never, right?

Here are the highlights of February's Hooking up to Crochet ...
We met Monday, February 13th at Mochaberry 11:00 am.

Stash-busting with Granny Squares!

In attendance for this month's gathering were: Beckie M, Sarah L, Sarah S, Elizabeth G (me), and Sheila, who joined us by chance. Sheila knits and crochets, and often enjoys stitching away at the coffee shop (or wherever she is). In fact, we've spoken casually several times but today our crafting brought us together further... a chance to exchange names and welcome her to the group. That is what it is all about, right!

Sarah and Sheila

Sarah S - knotting a shopping bag.

As a group, we bounced around several topics over our coffee including the 'street art' known as "yarn bombing" or "guerrilla crochet." It is essentially a public act of covering a natural or man made item in crochet or knitting - here are some photos for reference). Of course I can neither confirm nor deny whether we actually hatched our own plan for a local bombing.

PUBlic Crochet - the evening chapter! 
Winchester Arms, Orangeville, 7 pm Wednesday February 15th
This was the first attempt at an evening gathering of Hooking up to Crochet. As it turned out, the date and time fell off the radar for some, and others had last minute duties that prevented them coming. I spent about an hour in the local pub feeling a bit like I'd been stood up... until Virginia arrived! Virginia is actually a knitter, but I wasn't about to be picky about my company considering hanging out at the local watering-hole by myself is not exactly my usual Wednesday night activity! We chatted away while Virginia worked on a long-term project -- a tunic that she's hoping will be done in time to wear this season! Tiny yarn, tiny needles... I was certainly impressed! I have a bit of a commitment issue with my projects. I tend to favour those projects that can be tucked in a purse, and completed in a few sittings. I sometimes venture into those that could last a week or even a month or two (afghans and the like) but that is much more rare! Joining us about a half hour later was Kat A. She was sporting a new "baby bump" so with all of us being moms, the conversation turned to plans for baby and our 'war stories' about birthin'... and we won't get into the details in this forum! Despite a slow and low-key start, I believe the PUB-lic Crochet nights will also become popular over time. Again we'll aim for a monthly gathering and see where it takes us!

Bottle Tags: available on ETSY

Upcoming Events:
(Just a few shifts in "regular" days and times to avoid "March Break" and to adjust for some less busy times at our coffee shop... let me know how these work for you! Please RSVP by adding yourself to the group on Facebook. Just follow the links below!
Hooking up to Crochet (PUBlic Crochet) - MON MARCH 5th 8pm at Winchester Arms 171 Broadway, Orangeville
Hooking up to Crochet (Coffee Club) - WED MARCH 7th 9-11am, at Mochaberry 177b Broadway, Orangeville

We'll talk soon!

Jelly Bean Jar Game... sort of!

What a FUN project! I used up a ton of those tiny little skeins of yarn in my stash that were, well, to good to throw away... but isn't ALL yarn too good to throw away? In a lot of cases, I hang onto bits and pieces that would never make a full project. Finally some validation for my pack-rat yarn habit!

Here is the pattern I used for inspiration! Scrappy Steps Afghan. I sometimes have commitment issues with a newer technique or pattern, so I decided to create a scarf for starters.

When I was nearly finished creating the scarf I realized I had not yet repeated any colour! Game on! I hunted, scrounged and dug into old-forgotten project bags, and even my daughter's craft bin to find just a few more yarns to complete the scarf. I had to use 2-strands of a lighter weight yarn a few times, but I did it. No two stripes were the same!

I love wearing this scarf, and it is a great conversation starter:


Stranger in coffee shop line up: "Wow, did you knit that?" (I know, it's crochet, but I'm usually too polite to correct them. I'll sneak that information in later in the conversation!)
Me: "Yes, this is my own work!"
A-bit-less-strange Stranger, smiling: "Cool! It's so colourful!"
Me: "Can you guess how many different colour yarns are in it? It's like the jelly bean jar game at the fair... if you guess right, I'll buy your coffee!"

It sure beats discussing the weather! And nobody has guessed right yet... usually too low! ;o)

Sooooo?.... How many different colours (verigated yarns count as one colour) are there represented in this Scrappy Scarf? Drop me a comment or Facebook post and have a guess!

Cheers,

BusyLizzy