Rug Show {part one}

We were asked to bring rugs for the Heavens to Betsy rug camp rug show.  We could bring as many rugs as we wished, and for each rug, we received a chance to win prizes.  {I was the lucky recipient of a $10.00 Heavens to Betsy gift certificate.}  Twenty four hookers brought a total of 100 rugs.  I have many, many to share with you.

LOVE the braided edge!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I have MANY more rugs to share.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Hand torn worms ~

In my last post you saw some rugs hooked with hand torn worms made by Betsy and some in-progress rugs being hooked by attendees of Betsy's (oh so) wonderful retreat.  I purchased a simple pumpkin pattern at camp thinking I would start it there but did not want to put down my camp rug and give it a try.  Last Saturday was the last day I pulled a loop on my camp rug . . . {sigh}, but I have been working on the pumpkin.  It is rather large, about 16" wide and 14" to the top of the stem.  I pulled many light value wools that I thought looked good together.  Now I'm not so sure about some of them and have already removed one color.  In looking at the picture, I may be removing one or two more. Has anyone ever given a completed rug a dye bath?  What did you use?  I know it's common with punch needle, but I don't recall seeing or reading about any hooked pieces being done.

In my brief experience with hand torn worms, I have already learned that all wool does not tear equally.  I've also found that strips about 1/2" wide are easy to pull through the linen, but some strips that I tore about 3/4" or more were quite difficult, even opening the hole in the linen as much as I could.  

Here's what I have accomplished thus far.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Heavens to Betsy :)

Betsy, of Heavens to Betsy wool fame, is a master at wide cut hooking.  I'm talking about 1/2" hand torn strips.  I'm guessing this pumpkin is about 13" across.  

I love her patchwork back.  Very primitive looking but also very neat.  The back looks as good as the front!

Here's a large rug she is working on.

I never would have thought you could hook such a small rug with such a wide cut.  I didn't measure it, but I bet it's no bigger than 14" x 18".

 These are even smaller.

Betsy has some wonderful finishing techniques that she shared with us.  

I really do like the patchwork backs.  Looks great and will use up some of those small pieces of wool we all have.

I am so bad at names, that I am not even going to attempt telling you who hooked what unless I am totally certain.  There were 24 of us and we had 3 Kathys, a Trish, a Trishia, 2 Jans . . . argh!  Plus it was Betsy and Bev running the camp with Becky running the camp store.

Anyway, this fun rug was being hooked mostly in torn strips except for the leaves, I believe.

Eric, aka Mr. Heavens to Betsy, drew out this HUGE rug for one of the hookers.  Can you believe this is only her third rug?  She is doing a marvelous job!  What fun colors in the fish.

I haven't had hook in hand since Saturday, but I am off to tear a few strips and give hand torn strips a try!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Shaker Village Animals ~

I have so much to share about my first real rug camp, but I am so far behind here at home that I don't have time to organize my thoughts.  Today I'll just share a few of the animals pics that I took.

Don't you just love this bi-color sheep?

  

This guy was always on the opposite side of the pasture.  

I think he needed his bangs trimmed.

This one was giving me the stink eye.

He (she?) seems to be smiling.

We had heard stories about the bats around the building we were hooking in and one evening at dusk, one of the Village employees moved one of the shutters on the building and there had to be at least 50 or 60 bats behind it.  They started to fly away (really kind of creepy), but I didn't have the camera set properly to take a picture and by the time I was done fiddle-farting to find a good setting, most of them had flown away.

One of the village cats . . .

. . . who decided to visit the hooking room and take a bath in the wool!

I haven't yet unpacked my purchases or had time to even think about hooking.  Well, I'm thinking about it but don't have the time :(  Maybe tomorrow???

Thanks for stopping by.  I am going to bore you to tears with pictures from camp.  The joys of a digital camera :)

Pug hugs :)
Lauren