A GOOD DAY FOR DYEING…

Ahhhhh, after the heat and humidity of last week finally we are able to open doors and windows again (hopefully all the pine pollen is gone) and freshen the house. Spent a good part of the morning vacuuming up all Diane’s snippets (well there might have been a few of mine in there as well 🙂 and while I was working, the dye pot was bubbling. Dyed up some wonderful colours using Carol Shewan’s new dye book Colour Magic which uses Majic Carpet dyes. If you have these dyes, (or covet them) this is a wonderful book to have in stock along with the swatches. You can find these at http://willowcreekrughooking.com/index.php/tools/books.

In the meantime, we had a wonderful rainstorm last night which filled the pond (no more using our well water to fill up the pond!), cooled down the temperature and brought our friend up from the lake. So while I have been busy dyeing she has been busy laying!

Make sure you get my good side!

hmmm… now where can I dig ANOTHER HOLE in the driveway for more eggs???… 

 

 

FUN DAYS …

It was hot and humid but fun!!! Diane from Montreal visited over the last week or so and we had a blast between going to the punch needle class at one guild, hooking with friends in Kingston at Stitch by Stitch (well hmmm who was hooking? not me!), visiting the Harrowsmith rughookers on Thursday to hook and afterwards going to the antique store in Harrowsmith (Huffman’s Antiques) where we spent a little money! So a few pix of what we and others have been hooking and what we bought…

Anne’s beautiful rug done in a class with Gene Shepherd… Punch needle started by me but hmmmmmm finished by Diane… to be attached to the little box pictured (after painting and distressing…)… Diane finished her Maud Lewis rug – yeahhhh… Started in a class with Pam Langdon a LONGGGGG time ago 🙂 … Diane bought this chair at the antique store – it is sooooo pretty… And I got this wonderful mirror… If you have not been to this antique store ohhhhh go… They have wonderful antiques at reallllly good prices!… Closeup of the punch needle piece Diane finished for me… Niece Dayna’s finished purse (which she knit) with hooked panel and tassels… Susan’s finished tea cosy – her first piece… Jill’s finished Summer 1811 (a Joni Black pattern)… Next date at Stitch by Stitch will be June 30 – hope to see you there…

PUNCHING…

a miniature punch needle – not! Gord. Last week at guild Karen taught a group of 19 how to do miniature punch needle. It was a great class and a fun day – here are some pix for you to enjoy…

Karen’s display of her finished pieces and supplies… you should be able to click on the picture to see a close up of Karen’s wonderful punched pieces… Punchers hard at work – well some 🙂 … Maureen’s funky teacup and star… Norma’s beautiful rugs… This was based on a painting she did as a young woman of their sugar shack… 

A MILLION AND ONE USES FOR DUCK TAPE…

Hope you all had a wonderful Canadian long weekend. Weather was perfect!!! We had company from Montreal so Saturday we took them to Seed to Sausage south of Sharbot Lake for their spring opening. Lots of artisanal food vendors, crafts people and yummy food tasting. And of course we came home with a ton of sausages, cheeses and baked goods. Andddd the Purlin J roving yarn truck was there so came home ALSO with some yarns to work into our hooking. Sunday and Monday Helen and I hooked all day on the porch with windows wide open so that the breezes could blow through the house. It was so lovely. And as we hooked we cooked! The Haggis!!!! This came all the way from Montreal where it was made by a true Scot (Vive L’Ecosse). Instructions were to poke a few holes in the skin and boil for 2 hours. Well as I was turning the haggis I accidentally poked an extra!!! hole in the skin and out oozed a continuous flow of haggis. Which is NOT GOOD if there is still half an hour of boiling time left – that skin would have been empty at the rate it was oozing. What to DOOOOOO. Ah ha I thought – Duck Tape fixes everything! Some hookers I know use it to cover the edge of their rugs as they are hooking (rather than zig zagging). But we used it to bandage the haggis!!! and it WORKED! NO MORE OOZING OF DELICIOUS HAGGIS! And it was quite a lovely piece of duck tape!!!! Art in a Pot! What did we work on – well Helen was working on a few lovely little abstract landscapes made of wool strips, yarns and lovely sari silks… I worked on an antique geometric reproduction using ONLY recycled wool that I had over dyed in teals, brick reds, golds, greens and neutrals… but will post when it is a little further along and a little cleaner!!!

And what are others working on – well, Ruby sent me a picture of her almost finished Wynter… and Lyn finished hooking her Karla Gerard 5 Sailboats… I love the impressionistic look of this piece…

ANOTHER FUN DAY AT GUILD…

Some were taking a braiding class with Betty Gill from Kingston…

Some were hooking and finishing off rugs started a while back…

                

Some were making door prizes for our upcoming RVBB hookin in June… (shhhh those are a secret!!!)

And some of us just ate and yacked and had a wonderful day!

BIG FISH…

FINALLLLLLYYYY I finished my fish belly so that my poor fish head and tail have a place to go! Fish Tych is done! yeahhhh!!!  It is pretty colourful but I actually kind of like it. I know the colouring is a bit wonky – fish are supposed to be darker on the top and lighter at the bottom but mine is a FANTASY FISH – not real fish! (kind of like most of my rug animals!). Had to rehook a few strips in the head and tail so that the colour transitioned the gaps smoothly (and yes after I looked at the photo I removed that teal sari silk that was glaring amongst the orange circles and hooked in something more appropriate – aren’t digital cameras and computers great!). Now, people keep asking what I am going to do with him – hmmmm I have no idea! Well I have a few ideas – someone suggested making him into 3 separate funky pillows; or hanging him vertically on the wall from a fishing rod!!! oh oh that would require a visit to the junk man! hmmmmmmmmm…

and a few pix from friends who have finished their rugs… Yvonne’s wonderful Market Day (Joni Black Pattern)… and Nancy’s Jeanius Bags (Wendy Scott Davis design) – do you think there are enough for Nancy to share!!!!…  Janice’s Antique Rabbit – I love the textured look of this piece – really does look antique…