TWO THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE TODAY…

First a rug by Nancy (design by Carol Shewan) that is beautiful…

and second – but definitely not least – a wonderful video celebrating World Down Syndrome Day (March 21) http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJQAm_uKyg&feature=youtu.be. Some of you may know that I have a sister, Di, who has Down Syndrome. Di is a special light in all our lives. She makes me smile and laugh and sometimes cry. My world without her would be a lot dimmer… and short of many Dianaisms – BIG ONE SIZE.! May this video put a smile on your face on a grey, grizzly day…

NOT MUCH HOOKING GOING ON…

by me (again). However, I do have wonderful rugs to share:

First Alexandra’s adaptation of a design by Jane Steel of River House Rug Studio – love that field of golden wheat…

Judy’s rug Fandango from a class with Carol Feeney in Florida (I have this pattern by Carol in stock if anyone is interested)…

Judy’s stunning Deanne Fitzpatrick rug… 

Did finish hooking my fantasy fish tail – so now I have a head and a tail – do I hook the body orrrrr get my sister to make a wire fish skeleton to hang in between them (when I mentioned this idea to Gord he said – You have to be some kind of wacky to be a hooker – yeahhhhh I like wacky!)…

This weekend I am off to Woodstock vending at the Oxwood Hooking Artisans Hookin. Should be a fun fun day… Maybe I will have pix to share… Will I get any hooking done?

 

TIME FOR A LITTLE SHARING…

A few rugs by friends:

Niece Dayna’s finished painted frame and mimiiii cat rug…

Rachel’s version of Alanna’s Frog and Fishes pattern…
Kathy Clark’s Peacock rug (I am carrying this pattern – isn’t it wonderfully old looking…)
Ruby’s stunning story rug done in her class with Laura B… and Ruby’s DF pattern of the month – as she says she got a little carried away adding things – what fun though…

PRIMITIVE CRAWL…

Ahhhhhh my heart is still palpitating! Went with the girls the other day to Jillian’s and Vintage Junction and the Hidden Goldmine Bakery – all wonderful venues for junkin! (hmmmm my computer keeps wanting to change junkin to junkie – how appropriate is THAT!). SOOOOOO I kept everyone up realllllly late the night before we went junkin – there was method to my madness! I figured if everyone was so zonked from lack of sleep I would spot all the great buys first! But hearts were pumping, eyes were popping and hands were grabbing! Before I even made it in the door Louise had spotted a wonderful little seed box, Wendy had grabbed a vintage tool box and I – where was I – yup playing with the dogs and the cat. Someone trained that cat – he followed me around batting at my hands and I was so engrossed I missed many good sales! But happy to say I DID find a FEW things! A wonderful old oak cabinet with a great really grungy finish, a great little stool (both just the right size for a small hooked rug) and a fabulous small drawer with 4 layers of paint –  yellow, red, green and finally white! Then off we went to VG where hmmm WE COULD NOT BUY ANYTHING MORE cause there were 5 hookers in one car with a TON of stuff in the back hatch! NO ROOM – which was darned good cause I had spent enough. However! some did manage to squeeze in a few more smaller items. All round it was a wonderful day topped off with a great lunch at the bakery.

For the last few days my inlaws have been visiting us. My mother in law offered to clean the really grungy tarnished silver I have collected and placed in a little vintage pressed glass holder in the kitchen. NO NO NO I said – don’t clean my silver!!!! All that beautiful yellow and grey PATINA! gone! who would want that silver if it were clean! I don’t think she gets me!! :-)))

So a few rugs to share…

Linda’s celtic rug…

F’s (my shy friend) big leaf rug…

And my fowl rug (with tree post Weight Watchers!)…

and Andrea’s DF pattern of the month done in yarns and ohhh could that be a foul fowl?…

HOOKIN IN FLORIDA…

Sandi sent me pix of some fabulous rugs on display at a recent hooking event she attended in Florida. I thought I would share these as there are some really fun interesting rugs…

VISITORS …

This week my niece Dayna came for a visit. Dayna is a (oh now so very addicted) hooker! and junker so we hooked, we dyed, we junked. On Thursday we went to guild together where she was inspired by our hooking group and decided to try painting wool for a sunrise sky. During her stay she finished one rug – a geometric done in 8.5 cut that she put into the back of a drawer hanging on her bathroom wall (from a previous junkin trip). Then yesterday morning an hour before she left she decided she needed to get her next project ready so she would have something to hook – well she got home and finished the piece. This was a tougher piece – a tiny cat on a mat done in number 6 cut to fit inside a 3.5 inch opening in a frame! It is done and in the frame (another junkin find) which now just needs painting. Unlike many of us who finish hooking and then dawdle with the actual finishing of the edge (oh hmmm maybe that’s just me!) Dayna gets right in there and finishes off her pieces and puts them in her display frames immediately. No moss grows under this girl – in fact!!!! after Gord and I retired to bed on Thursday night it was Dayna who put together my Ikea cart!!!

The little 3.5 inch square cat rug…
Geometric in the repurposed drawer now a shelf…Painted sky wool for Dayna’s next project…

And here is a picture of Sue’s crazy quilt cat rug. Sue incorporated appliqué, beads, buttons, zippers, etc. in this fun piece…

Alison sent a picture of her first finished fun piece…

This coming Wednesday I will be at Stitch by Stitch – between now and then however, I have the girls coming to stay – the house will be full of hookers on their way to junkin. Oh I did buy some junk this week – a wonderful old very grungy lime green painted drop leaf table. The lime green will have to go – or be distressed! But the table is fabulous. What will I do with it? Haven’t got a clue – but it was pretty!!!!! and REALLLLLLYYY cheap! Which is usually why I buy something! NOT because I NEED it!

MORE RUGS…

Cathy just completed a wonderful story rug – here is what she said about her rug:

“It was a course I took last fall with Laura Boszormeny @ St. Lawrence College in Brockville. We were to design our own rug and tell ‘our story’. So, this 20″ x 30” mat shows the building I live in with my husband Gord. He bought it almost 10 years ago.We live on the 2nd and 3rd floors (that’s our dining room and living room windows on the 2nd floor and guest bedroom on 3rd floor. The building was designated historical about 7 years ago due to the interesting roof line and arch over the top floor window. Our front door is really the side door (where the tree is).There are 3 large maple trees on the property round back.The two cats below symbolize my cat Porkey (who left for kitty heaven 4 years ago, but who had a ball being an outdoor cat for his last 6 months) and our current cat Kitty, who found us 9 years ago.The gold rings and 11-10-09 shows the day Gord and I married. The maple leaves at each corner and golden tree represent the fall season.The heart and birds of happiness holding the balls of yarns are simply whimsical additions to show my love for Gord (and recently wool!). Most of the wool used in this piece is from my recyled wools or wool dyed by me. The green grass was from an old wool coat. The black cat were men’s charcoal trousers…

And Bill (whose rugs you have seen here in previous posts) sent me a picture of most recent rug – another wonderful piece hooked by a man who ALMOST gave up rughooking!…

AND AN AMAZING CART FROM IKEA that Cathy sent me a picture of and that Gord is buying me as a belated Valentine’s Day present tomorrow!!!! Look at that teal cart – isn’t it wonderful! Imagine it fullllll of worms! (woollen of course)…

I’M DREAMING OF…

NO NO MORE WHITE! This is what I am dreaming of…

But I think it may be a while yet!!!…

While the tree in my latest fowl rug awaits a trim job I have been working on the first of the Deanne Fitzpatrick pattern of the month pieces. I found out about this through Ruby and signed up (along with a bunch of friends) immediately. I have never taken a class with Deanne but would soooo like to and have never hooked (not really) in her style or one of her patterns. But these smaller patterns give one the opportunity to experiment and experience her style without committing to a 4 x 3 foot rug! The first one is inspired by a Matisse painting and I have been trying to do this one all (or at least 95%) in recycled wool – the only non recycled was the green background. I wanted to move into colours that were not in my usual palette. I finished it this morning and it was such fun – have also never used a black outline around everything but I reallllly like it in this piece. In addition, I wanted the piece to look more as though it had been painted so intentionally crowded and twisted and hooked in a less orderly fashion…
Now, back to the tree… and then on to fish segments!

The other day, Gari came for a visit and brought along her most recent finished rug. This is only Gari’s third hooked piece and I think she did a wonderful job on this rug (a Karla Gerard pattern)…