Love Birds ~

I have made a (very) little progress on Love Birds.  I am trying to hook a half hour a day and I even have a hard time finding that much time to spare 😖

Saundra recently posted about using "ugly" wool and how wonderfully it can hook up.  Sally chose this wool and my first reaction was butt ugly.  But I love the way it hooked up!  It is in the triangle area to the right of the wool.  (Someday . . . sigh . . . I would love to learn to take better photos to capture the true colors of the wool.  The wool is darker than it is showing.)

A little more about the fragment rugs.  Several of you commented that you could not see anything special/different about the rugs.  When you actually view the rugs, you can see that they look O.L.D. and the feel is something you would not believe.  They are so soft and supple.  They just have an old look/feel to them.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Sally's Rugs ~

Here are some of Sally's rugs she had on display.  They are so much better in person 😉

The first three pictures are of a technique called fragments which is a way of hooking that makes the rugs look a hundred years old.  Sally teaches this . . . she purchased the rights from Carole Weatherman who developed the style.  You can only buy a kit if you have taken the class.  **It is top secret** and the technique is not to be shared.  One day I hope to take a class.

This is Lulu Reindeer.  Every loop has been clipped.  If Sally told us why it is called that, I sadly don't remember.

I am working on Love Birds, but mine is the smaller version.  I hope to have a picture to share soon.

Sorry the pictures are so washed out.  The colors are wonderful in person.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

For Saundra ~

I don't want Saundra to have a meltdown while waiting for a post about my Sally Kalin class, so here you go, girlfriend 😁

Sally was a great teacher and the three days flew by.  She is giving us a lesson on different finishing techniques.

Here are projects that were being worked on in class.

I bought this pattern at Cedar lakes rug camp.  This makes me want to hook it!

Two people were hooking the sheep rug . . . one with dark sheep and one with light.

These were the widest hand torn strips I had ever seen.  She said it did not bother her to pull them.  It would have just about killed me!  A proddy border was added.

Saundra . . . this is the Kris star technique you shared on your blog.  It worked out well on the rug.

If my memory serves me correctly, this was being hooked in a 6 cut.  She is a fast hooker!

Two others had to leave early so I did not get pictures of their projects . . . and they were hooking the same pattern.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Summer Solstice ~

Summer solstice is not one of my favorite days.  It means the hours of daylight will begin to get shorter 😢  How can we already be approaching the end of June?  I know, I know.  I often lament how quickly time is passing, but not a darn thing I can do about it except to enjoy and treasure each and every day.

My bags aren't packed, I'm not ready to go.  (Remind you of a song from the 70's 😁 ?)  Oh, except for the wool . . . the important things, right?  Somehow I will get my act together and be ready to head out bright and early tomorrow morning for my Sally Kalin class.  It has been weeks since I have pulled any loops so it will feel good to have hook in hand.

Isn't this just too cool?  What a labor of love!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

A Different Kind of Plant ~

A face plant, that is.  What a klutz.  I tripped over Molly's leash at DSO's last evening and landed face first on the hardwood floor.  Thankfully we made it to the urgent care ten minutes before closing, hoping that I would not need stitches.  The PA determined that glue would do the trick.  She chose a glue she had not used before and was happy that she could see where she was applying it.  She wrongly made the assumption that it would change to clear.  HA!  That did not happen.  It is still purple 😝

Food for thought . . . 

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Stuff ~

When Saundra has no hooking progress to show, she has a rug show.  In the summer when I have no hooking progress to show, I post pictures from my yard.  It has been weeks since I have pulled a loop on my camp rug, and next week I will be starting a new rug in my class with Sally Kalin of Pine Island Primitives.  I chose the small version of Love Birds.

The class is being held in Millersburg, OH, and at the beginning of the week they had hellacious storms go through.  The hotel just had power restored today.  One of the hookers who lives in Millersburg said it looks like a war zone.  Power lines and thousands of trees downed.  Many roads are still closed.  I am very thankful the storms veered south and missed me.  The good news is there was no loss of life.

Around the yard ~

The south side of my house.  Every year the flowering crab (which I planted 15+ years ago) begins to lose leaves in June.  A landscaper was supposed to look at it two months ago and finally got around to it last week.  He gave me a tree service to call.  Well . . . too late to do anything this year.  It has apple scab and needs to be treated twice a year to the tune of $145 for each treatment . . . every year.  Sad to say I will be cutting it down and replacing with a more healthy tree.

My gorgeous clematis I show every year.  Dug from my parents farm.  Too bad the color is so washed out 😞

I am trying to take better care of my roses this year.  I can grow most anything, but roses and I aren't friends.

My neighbor sent me this picture the other night.  Thankfully they were not in the neighborhood to eat my hostas . . .  yet.

And finally.  Molly is having more anxiety issues and does not want me out of her sight.  More on that in another post.  She will "nest" in the plants to try to stay cool.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Flag Day ~

Why is Flag Day on June 14th?  Flag Day, observed annually on June 14, celebrates the day in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first flag.  While its look has changed more than a few times over the years, the American flag has remained a symbol of freedom and justice.

Please pray for this great Land of ours 💔