Kingwood Center Rug Show

I had a wonderful time at the Kingwood Center Hook-in! This was my first time there even though I actually know a lot of the people there including those who run it & help out. My friend Shelia comment that I have really got a lot done on this rug since I posted yet. Oops! Too much hooking & not enough posting is how it has been going. But I can tell you that being home for the summer with the boys in a house with no AC is bringing a screeching halt to that. We have also set our camper permanently in Loudonville for the rest of the summer,& I know that will be relaxing there with no wifi. Maybe I can post here & hook there! I changed some of my color planning as this rug unfolded & I was prepared for that. I was asked several times if Barb planned this for me & I proudly answered that I did it alone. I think this means I'm learning something at class! One lady asked about one of my smaller stars if Barb "made" me put that in there. I take that as a huge compliment! Although, I kind of got the feeling she didn't understand what I was trying to achieve. I had to laugh when another hooker asked me if my hooking is what they call dirty primitive. I told her it very well could be! I've been called fast & loose, but never dirty...I think it fits! This is a view of the room from my seat.
My mom Gloria (adopted that is) selling her wares.
And a few random shots of the rug show. I didn't bring anything to show. I really didn't know I should have, but I guess it was obvious. (Blond moment!)



Thank you Katie for putting together such a great day of hooking!

My Camp Pictures

As usual...I never take enough pictures! I didn't even come close this time. I guess I am just to aggressive of a hooker when I get the chance to be uninterrupted! I didn't even get our whole group or their rugs. Please visit my friend Alice's blog, www.alice-folkartprimitives.blogspot.com/ She did a much better job of taking photos of everything...but herself! In this first pic is Barb's new kitty Posie. She was big big hit & big fun too for such a little fur ball.

We had to search Peggy's bags before we left just to make sure Posie didn't accidentally get wrapped up in her pattern & wool stash.

When she wasn't playing with the kitty, Peggy did make some great progress on her huge rug. I think one night Barb actually trapped the little darling upstairs so Peggy would do her homework & not play too much! This is Heidi hiding behind yet another huge rug. Don't you just love all Barb's wool?

Sorry about this one Gloria, but I had to include you. You look a little puzzled here. Love the vest!

And this is Carol all packed up & ready to head home...If you think she looks like she was pouting, we all were.

Thanks for stopping by. I have two more little rugs done to show soon & my biggest rug yet is about to be my next work in progress posted here.

Kinderhook Flower Basket

As promised, I am finally getting my pictures posted of the rug I did at Thw Woolley Fox. It was a great time as usual! This is a pattern taken from an antique rug that Barb owns. It is a remarkable old rug. I was very excited & packed plenty of wool, but as expected, the rug's color story has us digging through Barb's wool stash as well. I just love building rugs with her. I learn something new every time. After three days, my rug was nearly finished. After we returned I travelled with Larry to vend in Saline, MI. This gave me an entire evening alone uninterrupted in a hotel room to finish it. I love the way it came out. After I returned home, I was still on a roll & hooked up this little Edyth O'Neill pattern "Cricket Whale". This pattern is also available from Barb. I will be posting pictures of class later. Don't forget that this is hook-in Saturday at Aults. See you there!

Finished!

Ault's hook in ended up being a great time this last Sat. I wish Gloria could have been there, but she wasn't feeling well. We had a great group of hookers there. I was able to finish my Magdalena Mayhem rug too! I am including a photo. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. The only wool I actually cut for this rug was most of the background, and the border. Everything else came out of my wiggles basket. (a big mess of wool strips that I over cut & now use up in a make do fashion) Sometimes the best bits of your rug come from using these unexpected wiggles pulled at random. I like my rugs to look old, so to me one element of this is to use what you have. Sometimes you might run short, so you use what you can to match, or add something else interesting instead.

My Magdalena Mayhem Progress

Ever since the Christmas tree went up this last year, our basset hound decided that is okay to eat or chew up anything she can find. She is nearly four & has never done anything like this before. We would come home to chewed up presents, ornaments, and toys. It was decided that the only way to keep her out of trouble while we were gone was to shut her in the bathroom. After the tree came down, I thought she would stop, but she hasn't. So this morning I am hustling out the door & I need to put her away in the bathroom when I find a sleeping Jimmy Dean in there sleeping on the dog bed. I thought maybe I would just move him as I have done in the past, but he just looked too darn comfortable!


Then I look out in the dining room at this poor pathetic creature and I think, there's no way I can interrupt them today. So Wags the dog got another chance. I quickly scanned the floors for anything she might get into. Much to my delight, I came home to a clean house with nothing disturbed.

Here is my progress on my Magdalen Mayhem rug. I may have to change the bird in the top left corner, but I'll cross that bridge later. I will not be able to post tomorrow, but you all are probably tiring of my ramblings any way! I will try to post again later this week. I will be hooking this Sat. at Ault's. If you live in the area, please join us from 10-4. No cost & lots of fun!

Magdalena Briner inspired hooking.

This is the last of my pictures for Barb's class. In this picture Mary is busy hooking away. I think this is Dea's rug. These ladies truly embrace the primitive style.

This is Maria's rug. She biggie sized here animals rather than hooking a lot of smaller ones. She hooks fast like me. Using a wide cut sure does help with the progress.

And finally one last picture of my friend Tammy. This was her first class ever & I am so glad I was able to talk her into it. She is definitely "hooked" & would love to do it again! She did a great job & I will post her finished rug when she gets it done.

Barbara Carroll at Ault's Rug Hooking Store

This is the last picture I took from day one. The ladies are eager to get started on their rugs. Below is a picture of Ginny. She is designing her rug to be a wedding rug. She is a descendant of Magdalen Briner herself.

Here is some more progress on day two. Bobbie's rug is on the left & Melissa's is in the foreground.

This is our lovely host Gloria Ault & Jackie, who's rug is coming along nicely.

I still have a few more pictures of day two to share tomorrow & then I will post my progress on my version of this rug.

The Woolley Fox came to town!

Last week was a crazy busy one, but it was so much fun. Barbara Carroll came to Ault's Hooking Store in Shelby, OH for a wonderful class called Magdalena Your Way. Unlike other classes, in this class we were given a partially draw patter & templates to finish the pattern how we wanted. It made for a very interesting lesson full of self expression. The first rug shown is Barb's and the second is the one her close friend & helper Lisa hooked. Next I have included a picture of the linen as it looked when we got ours. I was working during the class, but I did get a little hooking done on mine already. Tomorrow I will post some more pictures of some of the other ladies & their progress, as well as mine. I have enough pictures to keep you coming back to see more for a few days or so. Enjoy!

Rounding Third and Headed for Home

Wow! I can't believe that I didn't post last week...I'm not even sure what my excuse is. I did work more. I also went to a scrap night and a hook-in, which makes me feel like a very lucky girl! I finished 8 pages and I am almost in 2008. I really got behind last year because I was working on some special projects like a cub scout album for my son & my 1st digital album. It was a family recipe book full of generational pictures and recipes from my grandmother's side of the family. I gave it to four different family members for Christmas. It was well received. I really enjoyed the digital scrapping & plan on using it again. It is so easy to work on when we're camping, because it's all on my laptop (roughing it...what's that?) Also I am a Creative Memories consultant, and their programs make it sooooo easy.
My rug is coming along well. I am still bored to tears finishing, so going to the hook in helped. Don't get me wrong, I love this rug. It's just my ADD kicking in. I want it to be on the wall. Now. I finished the last corner, thus the title of this post. Just another 45 inches or so and the I'll be done. I hooked at Ault's again this Saturday. It was alot of fun to visit with others and see what they were working on.
And now another chapter in the saga of Jimmy Dean. Friday the cable man came to fix my DVR box which had been down since Tuesday AM. Jimmy decided he would have to check this guy out and show him who was the boss around here. He started off nice. Then I warned the cable guy, who was super nice and explaining that he has a cat similar to ours, that he may bite when he has had enough. We never know exactly how much is enough with him, but he always makes sure we get it! With that the cable guy went back to work. He had to get behind the TV, which is in a big cabinet that is on its last legs, so I carefully pulled it out. With this Jimmy realizes he hasn't been behind there in awhile, so he seizes the opportunity dart back there and sharpen the claws he no longer has on the back of the cabinet. Scaring the cable guy half to death. He then started leaping towards the top of the cabinet coming up short and crashing a couple of times. Again, the cable guy seems concerned. I told him not to worry, that's just Jimmy Dean...he's nuts. The cable guy was able to fix the problem, & I didn't loose my recordings. Yeah! He laid a piece of cable on the floor & we were talking when Jimmy came out from behind the tv and attracted it. He started gnawing on the metal end and we both just shook our heads.

In sadder news, I came home from church to find my favorite piece of redware smashed on the floor. Compliments of you know who. I had redo my mantel for spring, and I moved it there full of wool eggs. What was I thinking? Don't call PETA...I let him live. I will try to glue it back together, but it will never be the same. Anyway I have included some pictures of the crime.