FUN DAY…

in Harrowsmith with the Frontenac Rug Hookers yesterday. I may have to join this group – they have pizza for lunch!!! Actually, they are a lovely, fun bunch of creative ladies. I managed to take a few pix to share…

First pictures of the sunrise yesterday. It was bitttttterr cold out but when it is that cold the sunrises are glorious… Today – snow – Gord was in his glory – he got to use his man-toy tractor for 4 hours ploughing and ploughing and more ploughing. Honestly, I think it could have been done in 2 hours but he loves that machine soooo much that he “manicures” the road! Not a lump or bump remains!

Karen’s bright Karla Gerard sunflowers and houses pattern – when Karen asked me to put together the brights for this I had such fun – it is turning out wonderfully… Lois threw all her left over yellows into a pot, all the greens into another pot and the rusts and over dyed them so that they would marry and be useable together in a rug – love the background in this… Liz is working on this Jane McGown Flynn leaf pattern – the colours are brilliant…

and this fun Karla Gerard pattern was finished by Gladys  as a cushion…Diane sent me a picture of her finished Fish Bones…Alexandra’s Radish Rug (free pattern in RHM Jan/Feb 2014 by Ellen Banker)… Her “C” pillow…

Christine’s sweeeeet cat pillow…

LET IT SNOW… WELL MAYBE NOT…

Whew! Wonder where those 3 feet of snow actually went – or are heading? Just glad for many of our neighbours on the eastern coast that the blizzard warning had been lifted! (although ooops Gord just read CNN to me and it appears some areas are being hit!).  Although it has been a cold winter I have to admit I have enjoyed not having to shovel every day so I have not reallllly missed the huge drifts of snow. We have just enough to cover the gardens and gravel and make it look wintery outside but without all the work involved! Oh am I lazy – hmmmm – yup!

Have been doing a lot of dyeing lately and drawing up of new patterns (some new Karla Gerard patterns and Shelley Atkinson). But have I been hooking – not much. Although I have been repairing a few vintage rugs. These were done by Carol’s aunt many years ago and have the typical edge damage so Carol asked if I could put a show binding over the top of the edges to protect them because you KNOW that once you fix one area by reverse hooking, grafting a new piece of backing and rehooking, invariably another spot will start to fall apart. So I am on the last of the 4 rugs. Then who knows – maybe fish body????

However, I do have a wonderful rug to share being hooked by Chelsea. It is one of her first rugs and I think it is absolutely stunning – loveeeee the background on this rug and the eyes of the cat…

My friend Rachel in Arnprior Ontario has some gripper strips for sale – 40 inches for $40.00.  Please contact Rachel at rachel.dupuis@me.com if you are interested.

GLORIOUS RUGS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY…

One of the most exciting books about rughooking that I have read recently was Bea Brock’s Scrappy Hooked Rugs.  I love the way Bea combines bits and pieces of related colours in an area so that there is wonderful visual texture.  The rugs draw you in – you want to analyze each one to see how Bea achieved her look. Even though I am not a particularly bright person (oops should I qualify that – bright COLOURS) I love these rugs – they speak to me. Recently a friend of mine, Evelyn (who usually does amazing huge oriental rugs in a number 3 cut) asked if I could provide her with some more brights to add to her stash as she was doing 2 of Bea’s rugs. Well Evelyn is a fast hooker!!!! and here are pix of her rugs – I think Bea would be proud!(you can find these patterns on Bea’s website HillCountryRugworks).

Posies in a Row…

Summerwind…

WESTPORT HOOKIN…

Well the house is marginally warmer than it was yesterday morning. Things are working – maybe  not the way they should – but better than they were!  Well, maybe not the tooth! 🙂

A few dates to mark on your calendar – our Rideau Valley Boots and Baskets auction will take place on April 16 at the community hall in Burritts Rapids from 11 – bring your lunch, mug and of course cheques and cash as we have a wonderful stash of rughooking goodies for sale.  Also our second annual Westport Hookin hosted by myself and Carol Shewan will take place as shown below – register soon as we are already up to 20+ attendees.

THREES…

So what is that old expression – bad things happen in 3’s???? Well they started yesterday morning – furnace was running and running and running but only pumping out cool air – no heat. Down to 61 F in the living room – now I like a cool room but that is darned chilly!!! So left a call in with the repairman so that hopefully he would come as early as possible to get us up and warm again. Second disaster – Gord offered to make chicken burgers. Hmmmm sounds good especially since I did not have to cook but put mine on soft bread so that I don’t break a tooth on a ciabatta bun. Well, as I was chewing away all of a sudden crunch – hmmm chicken burgers are not supposed to crunch! What WAS that – tested all my teeth and yup you guessed it – broke a piece off an actual GOOD tooth!!! Well that was the end of the chicken burger. Then this morning it was soooo cold in the house I decided to put on the propane fireplace. Now I am not in love with our fireplace as it takes half an hour to heat up before it starts blowing any warm air but this was at 5:15 a.m. so I figured by 5:45 I should have some heat. Hmmmm tick tick tick – 5:45 went by, then 6:00 then 6:15… Finally a full hour and 20 minutes after I had turned on the fireplace yeahhhhh it started blowing – for a full 60 seconds!!!! then off it went only to come on again about 15 minutes later for ANOTHER 60 seconds.  So now the repairman is here – furnace hopefully fixed and some heat in the house and fireplace thermostat reconnected (it had fallen off) so hopefully that solves that problem.  Tooth will be fixed in 2 days.  And bills will be paid!!! But my three bad things have transpired so I should be good for a while!!!

Did spend a fun morning in Kingston last Wednesday even though only a few brave souls showed up – it WAS rather nippy out there. I think when we left home it was minus 24 celcius – have no idea what that is in fahrenheit suffice to say it was COOOOLLLDDD. Not even the deer showed up! Although today they are outside staring hungrily at the house and waiting for Gord. So some pix – Tuesday Ruby and her retinue! came for a visit so pix of some of their rugs and pix from our morning at Stitch by Stitch (next get together at the store will be Wednesday February 11)…

Sally’s Pine Tree… Linda’s hooked mittens… Lisa’s mittens… 2 challenge pieces based on a free pattern in RHM… Delande’s and Janes… Janice’s scrappy mat… Delande’s Seagull – her second piece… Jane’s punkin… Delande’s Paisley rug… Jane’s birds from her class with Laura Boszormeny… Pearl’s scrappy squares… Pearl’s sunflower…   Diane’s finished Audubon (pattern by Sharon Smith) mounted on an antique pastry board… Karen’s completed Wynter (I now carry this pattern)…

BARB’S FINISH…

Barb has shared more pix up close of her finishing process and a bit of an explanation…

“I backed it with felt so I’d have some firmness to the teeth. I turned under the linen so that created a ridge that the border runs up so the mat is on a plateau above the teeth.”

   And a picture of Shauna’s completed 3 Kings rug which is STUNNING. Don’t you love that background with hints of so many different blues and reds and plums. It is exciting and rich…

STITCH BY STITCH…

I have had a few emails asking if I will be at Stitch by Stitch this Wednesday – Yes! Barring freezing rain, huge dumps of snow or minus 30 temperatures! Hope to see some of you hardy souls there…

In the meantime, a few pix of rugs by friends…

When Kathy Clark of Briarwood Folkart came to visit and teach she gave us a wonderful free pattern she had designed just for us – Beavers! Barb hooked hers and is adding a fun border to the rug. I think this MAY have been inspired by the fabulous and unique borders Kathy had on her rugs… Check out the teeth on that beaver – not a character you want to run into!

and a picture of Dawna with her rug started in her ultra wide cut class with Karen Kaiser…