HAPPY HALLOWEEN…

Days are cooler, definitely shorter and most definitely wetter. But I do love the smell of wet leaves layered on the ground! And one of my favourite days (nights!) is HERE. HALLOWEEN! As a child I loved going out for Halloween – usually dressed in an old white sheet with holes cut for eyes and carrying an old pillow case for my treats. The popcorn balls that were not wrapped in plastic wrap (because I am OLD and it didn’t exist back then) would inevitably get stuck to the bottom of the pillowcase and be coated with peanuts shells or pennies or the wrappers of the Kisses. I spent my early years in a northern Ontario mining town where there was not a lot of extra money to spend on nonessentials but we had imagination and Halloween costumes got reused, repurposed and passed down. And! we had fun fun fun.

And we can do the same in our hooking and crafting! This is the time to let the imagination run wild – use those purples and lime greens and oranges together! And play…

I love hooking punkins! Here are a few I have hooked – hope you have fun hooking a few for yourself – or witches or ghosts or black cats and bats!

Halloween Stroll is a wonderful pattern from Star Rug Company…

So who said stockings were just for Christmas?…Cannot remember the designer of this pattern but I loved it!…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND I HOPE THE WEATHER IS WONDERFUL FOR ALL THE KIDS (BIG AND SMALL) WHO ARE OFF TO TRICK OR TREAT TONIGHT!

And a picture of Christine’s wonderful, colourful chair pad (being upholstered over a wooden insert)…

MORE WONDERFUL RUGS IN PROGRESS…

Ruby and her flock visited the other day and brought show and tell…

Jane’s miniature impressionistic done in a class with Laura Boszormeny…

Loon pattern available from Carol Shewan… 

Chelsea’s cat rug…

Susan sent me a picture of her completed Circles whipped with her leftover wool strips…and Janet’s Antique Flower kit – her first piece…

and a wonderful rug that Patricia picked up in Perth – this HAPPENED to be one that I had been eyeballing whenever I went to the Fleamarket but hmmmm guess I moved too slowly 🙂 …

BEFORE THE RUSH ART SHOW AND SALE…

Early this year I was invited to take part in this lovely event held at the Ivy Lea Restaurant and Coach House in Gananoque. Although I am somewhat nervous about being in an “ART” show (how do I display without my trusty suitcases???) I am joining the many creative artists who make up this show which takes place next weekend (Oct 30, 31 and November 1).

Date:
Friday, October 30, 2015 – 6 pm to 9 pm, Saturday 10 – 6 and Sunday 11 – 5
The Ivy Restarant and Coach House

93 Shipman’s Lane

Leeds and the Thousand Islands, On. K0E 1L0

Before the Rush: One weekend. One prestigious location. One Fabulous Show.

If “a thing of beauty is a joy forever,” as poet John Keats wrote, then the Before the Rush Show encourages patrons to discover beauty in the form of a stunning selection of highly collectible fine art and craft from 20 artists and artisans who complement passion and originality with excellence in design & hand-work.

Before the Rush is a show designed to offer customers the opportunity to acquire artwork and gifts for themselves or others before the crushing Christmas crowds descend upon malls and shops, and before the artists and their works are swept up into the big annual seasonal shows.

Generously supported by:

Todd Bickerton and Tony Chard, SOTHEBY’S International Realty, Canada

For more information: http://www.beforetherushshow.com

http://www.facebook.com/beforetherushshow/timeline/
Admission type:
Free

So, if you are out and about or looking for something fun to do or trying to find that perfect gift for someone special come to beautiful Gananoque and visit Before the Rush!

Another Hope For Wildlife successful release took place today. As Gord was clearing out around the pond he discovered a small garter snake caught in the mesh we drape over the pond to collect leaves. Poor little thing was all tangled up and practically choking. Wellllll, Gord screwed up his courage, grabbed a pair of scissors and went at it – not the snake! the netting! Spent about 15 minutes snip snip snipping away as he held the snake (which required a lot of courage as Gord HATES SNAKES!) and finally freed the little critter and placed it on a rock. Wellllll that was not going to work – it was too cold for the snake to recover so out I popped, grabbed a styrofoam cone and placed the little snake in the bottom and brought it inside and gave it some water and covered it with a towel. Within half an hour it was moving – not vigorously but moving so out he went still in his bed. An hour later I carried the container into the woods and released him into the wood pile! Yeah!!! Our good deed for the day!

And now a picture of Denise’s ULTRA WIDE hand torn hit and miss rug – isn’t it wonderful. I can just imagine my toes sinking into this lovely rug…

and Ashley with her VERY FIRST rug – not one to be daunted by a bigger pattern. This is Two Fat Birds designed by Diane and available through my online store…

FLEECE FESTIVAL…

was sooooooooo crazy busy and wonderful! Got to chat with a lot of “hookers” and some potential hookers! I think between the 5 rughooking vendors we might have converted a few! Here are some pix if this wonderful event – if you have never been – you NEED to go next year! The date is October 15 2016!… (and plan on spending the day – many people I noticed arrived at 9 in the morning, shopped, stayed for lunch, visited the animals, shopped some more and had a coffee and dessert before leaving – the food is DELICIOUS!)…

SOOOO Gord took the pictures – while I worked 🙂 – and can you believe he got not one picture of me! but a lot of the suppliers (including the original suppliers 🙂 …

Up coming – our Rideau Valley Boots and Baskets guild in Burritts Rapids will be hosting Vendors Day on November 5.  This event is open to the public so come one, come all to our wonderful event where you will find 7 rughooking vendors!!!! Bring your lunch and a mug and plan on staying a while to hook with the gals.

FLEECE FESTIVAL…

This Saturday is Fleece Festival in Woodstock.  I have been a vendor at this amazing show for hmmmm 3 years now? It is fabulous!!! So if you live in Southern Ontario try to make it to FF and stop by Hooked on the Lake for a visit! Here is the website for more info on the show:

http://www.fleecefestival.com

Fall storms hit yesterday – thunder, lightening and hmmmm torrential rain – 5 minutes before Gord got the boat into storage for another winter.  Dock comes out this weekend as we prepare for winter and snow – oh god that nasty 4 letter word!

But as Wendy says – winter time we hibernate and craft and hook sooooo is snow THAT BAD! :-)))…

 

 

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING…

What a glorious weekend! Blue skies, warm breezes, beautiful fall colours… The perfect Thanksgiving weekend! For those who are close by and not tooooo busy cooking that turkey and baking those pumpkin pies why not take a little drive to the Westport area and visit our Fall Colours Studio Tour(www.westportstudiotour.com) and the Red Door Studio Collective (www.reddoorcollective.ca). I won’t be involved in either this year but there are some amazing artists who will be showing and selling at both. And what better way to spend a day than driving through the countryside enjoying the splendour of mother nature!!!

I have been inspired – have been dyeing all those wonderful pumpkin colours and olive greens and brick reds but then!!!! I dyed purple!!!!  Yup – purple! not a colour I ever!!!! use! unless it is dirty and old and grungy purple. But I did a spot dye that I absolutely love and now have to think of a way to use it (background to some wonderful golden yellow irises? night sky?). I don’t do spot dyes often but earlier this year I did this version for Ruby and it turned out so well I thought I would try to replicate it. The fact that I had not written down what I did made it a bit difficult but eventually I think! I came up with something similar…(kind of washed out in the photo – in real life it is much deeper and richer and darker!)

And now, armed with a big mug of tea, a home made (wow by me!) maple, pecan date scone and a good book, I am heading down to the dock to enjoy one of the last days before the dock is removed. Our red squirrels are busy busy cutting branches full of acorns and dropping them to the ground to be collected and stashed for the winter. Usually one or two get dropped onto the heads of unwary passersby.

Chris sent  a picture of her finished her rug depicting the church in Upper Canada Village (a wedding rug). She decided to whip the edge with her leftover wool strips – sound difficult? not really. As long as you have a needle with a biggggg opening in the head you can whip with your strips. It’s nice if they are long but still doable if they are short…

Gari’s version of a pattern by Cathy Ivory of Baa Baa Bundles…

and Patricia (a new hooker) is well on her way into Winter Town (one of the Karla Gerard patterns I carry)…

While we were in Ottawa recently we visited good friends Brian and Carmen. Brian was almost finished this wild-eyed seagull (now done). I LOVE the expression on this birds face…

CGNA SHOW…

was a fun day this past Saturday. Unfortunately, a couple of our vendors could not be there but the rooms were hopping and we were all busy busy busy in the morning and in the afternoon got a little bit of a breather that allowed us to shop!

Nancy sent me the following story about a piece she just finished hooking:

“Here is the finished bench, complete with legs. A Rughooking pattern by Carol Shewan created, with permission, from a painting by AJ Van Dries (and available from Carol). The painting was called Songs of New Beginnings. I did the bench for my daughter-in-law. The bench had belonged to her late mother & the red wool I used was from her mom’s skirt, so a piece with memories.”

For those of you who speak French there is a lovely article on the history of rughooking in Quebec which mentions not only famous rughookers from the past but ALSO some of todays well known Quebec hookers! Article by Fabienne Couturier 3/10/2015 La Presse ARTISANAT LES ACCROS DU CROCHET You can find it here… http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/f5dadcd5-3304-4b00-a8fc-9001995f3acd%7C_0.html

Tomorrow morning I will again be at Stitch by Stitch with wool and kits and cutters. Hope to see you there…