Uncle ~

I had to cry "UNCLE".  My goal was to hook my Chicken Challenge rug using only worms I had in my stash.  When I started on the background, I soon realized I had nowhere near enough antique blacks/darks.  Rather than go to my larger pieces of wool, I went to my wire laundry basket, dug around and pulled all the small scraps of dark I could find.

The largest piece I cut was about 4" wide.

The background.  I am probably about half done with the rug.  It really is a fun hook.

This morning it was a balmy 0*.  Now that's cold, but not nearly as cold as the -34 Lori from Homespun Prims said was their morning temperature.  I can't even imagine and I don't want to find out how cold that really is - EVER.

There are signs of spring in northern Ohio.  My daffodils are popping out of the ground . . .

. . . and my snowdrops have buds.  

Do you think Ellie is just a bit spoiled?  This was taken this morning.  What a life :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'm so happy it's the weekend.  I always say a bad weekend at home is better than a good week at work.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

I Really Shouldn't Have ~

I don't head to eBay often any more.  It's just too easy to find things I MUST have.  I'm not sure how/why I ended up there last week.  I think it was to check out Primitive Junky's latest rug. Well . . . I stumbled upon a rug hooked by local hooker friend Karin.  She hooks the bestest rugs. {{Look for her on eBay as seller primitivespirits.}} She hooked "Red Bird of PA" from a pattern from Saundra of Woodland Junction.  I'm assuming Karin sold it last year on eBay and the buyer decided to sell it.  

I think it's perfect in front of my baker's cupboard.  (That's what the seller called it when I bought it many years ago.  If you enlarge it, you will see holes in the middle of the door.  I'm assuming that was for ventilation when cooling baked goods, though it wouldn't provide much.)

The flash has washed out the colors in this picture, but isn't she wonderful?

I did get the Tonya Robey - Mad Hen Primitives - rug hung that I bought a couple months ago.  This is in my upstairs landing.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Hopefully I will have a Chicken Challenge update soon.  I am ready to start on one of the hit and miss corners.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Hook-in Fun ~

What a fun, relaxing day at the hook-in put on by Donna of Crows on the Ledge.  Twenty hookers ~ actually hooking!

Here's Shirley's rug.  It's HUGE.  If I remember correctly it's 6'x8'.  She started it in January of '13 and hopes to have the hooking completed by April. In between she has also hooked a number of other projects.  

A beautiful rug.  Sorry I did not get the name of the hooker.  Gorgeous colors.

A sweet little bunny pattern by Cathy of Orange Sink being hooked by Deb.

 Deb was also close to finishing her goat pattern started at the Sauder retreat a couple weeks ago.

I don't remember the name of the pattern or the designer, but what a fun pattern being hooked by Teri.  LOVE the polka dot horse.

Progress has been made on my Chicken Challenge rug.  I'm having fun hooking this.  

I could have sworn I took more pictures, but I guess not :(

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Chicken Challenge ~ Rug Update

Just a quick update on my chicken challenge rug. So far I'm liking her even though her beak looks more like a duck bill :)  Not sure about the color of her legs but I'll leave them for the time being.  I've not cut any wool yet ~ working only from my worms.  I hope to have lots of time to hook this weekend.  No real plans for Saturday and Sunday I'm going to a hook in put on by Donna of Crows on the Ledge.  Trouble is I don't do much hooking at a hook in.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Chicken Challenge ~

I've decided to do the Chicken Challenge that I read about here on Saundra's blog or you can read more about it here.  I had mine enlarged to about 14" x 29".  

 It's not that I don't have any patterns to choose from.  Two weeks ago I bought this pattern on sale from the Woolley Fox . . .

. . . and then bought this one from friend Melissa at Sauder.  This rug is 22" x 43".  I've not yet hooked anything that big.

I also had planned on getting back to this UFO ~ Whatnots, a pattern from Woolley Fox.  I started it in the summer of 2012 at the Heavens to Betsy camp at Shaker Village.   I don't know why it got put aside.  I had lofty goals this year.  I was going to spend one week a month hooking on it until it was done.  Maybe next month . . . sigh.

Anyway, back to the CC rug.  I will probably hook it similar to the original, but my real challenge is that I am going to ONLY use worms that are in my stash ~ no cutting allowed.  I thought I would have a problem with greens, but when I was a new hooker, I spent more than a small fortune on eBay buying already cut wool.  I bought so much bad wool, but being a newbie, I had no idea it was bad :( .  I got rid of lots of it, but kept the best of it.  Supposedly it is an 8 cut, but some appear narrower.  Anywho . . . I will use that for the trees if needed.  After having hooked with a wider cut, I don't even like to hook with an 8.

eBay worms

I'm not sure if I'll have time to hook this evening, but I will get started separating worms by color.

Last night we got about another 6" of snow but tomorrow we will be getting warmer temperatures, so instead of getting calls at work about snow, we will be getting calls about flooding.  It just cracks me up.  At least 50% of the calls I got today were from senior citizens who had a doctor's appointment and we NEVER plow their streets ~ and we DELIBERATELY put the snow at the end of their driveway and none of their neighbors.  Some callers truly believe the plow drivers pick and choose where the snow comes off the plow :)  

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

In Record Time ~

I've finished my heart rug (pattern gifted to me by Saundra).  I started it on February 7 and pulled my last loop today.  The finished size is about 20 1/2" x 21".  I hooked it with mostly with a 9.5 and some 8.5, so it went quickly, but I do believe this is the fastest I've ever hooked a rug. The picture was taken without a flash.  The colors are more accurate than a picture taken with a flash but of course it's not a crisp.

Yesterday I headed to the Ault's rug hooking store to meet up with friend Sheila and spend a few hours hooking.  She was making great progress on a hit 'n miss she just started. 

A wonderful poinsettia rug Sheila is working on. She had trouble deciding on the background and did a lot of reverse hooking, but I absolutely love the background she finally chose.  It is many different black wools.  I believe it is a pattern by Joanne Gerwig.

Julie, smiling as always, is working on an amazing rug.  She hooks HUGE rugs and this one must have weighed ten pounds.

I think it's call Tulip Cross.  The sun streaming in the window really washed out the colors.

When Julie told Sheila and me there was a basket of wool that was $5 to fill a bag, we quickly filled our bags.  Can you believe all this was in my bag?  There's at least several yards.  I think it was the wool buy of the century.

My DSO and I have been "dating" for 18+ years. He always puts much thought in to the cards he gives me.  They are usually romantic bordering on mushy.  This is the card I got this year.  I love that man's sense of humor :)

We got a few more inches of snow this morning . . . sigh.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Happy Valentine's Day ~

How true.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

In the Dictionary ~

If you looked up the words sweet, talented or fun in the dictionary, you just might find a picture of this hooker.  Katie, of Kid'l de Divey Woolens is a hooker extraordinaire and the fastest hooker you will meet.  McGowan certified, I bet there isn't a style of hooking she hasn't tried.  She has taught many Deanne Fitzpatrick classes, wide cut shading and the list goes on. Her latest hooking venture is these funky fish.  She wouldn't say what she is going to do with them, but she has a whole school.  I think she finished two or three the two days we were at Sauder. They are hooked with wool, roving, yarn and who know what else?

Her hooking partners in crime are Sue on the left and Deb in the middle.  

Deb was hooking this fun goat . . .

. . . while Sue was working on this design in a 3 cut.  (Makes me want to floss my teeth . . .lol!)  Sue normally doesn't hook this fine, (a couple weeks ago she was hooking with hand torn strips) but she is working on her McGowan certification.  It is beautiful but not something I plan to try in this lifetime.

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends.  Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to pay me a visit.

Valentine angel by
Olde Lady Morgan

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sauder Rug ~

I finally got my little snowman bound at Sauder. I finished him with a crochet edge using an 8 cut wool strip.  It's a sweet little pattern by Star Rug Company.  I just love Maria's patterns.  

I never get as much hooked at a hook in as I think I will and Sauder was no exception.  This is all I got done in two days and the first day I hooked until late in the evening.  Now if you are thinking that's not too bad, consider the fact that I am hooking this in mostly a 9.5 and some 8.5s.  

Here's the progress I've made since coming home Saturday.  At least now I feel as if I've accomplished something.  Of course the reds are more muted in person.

I don't know where my time goes in the evening. I am a master at wasting it.  {This darned machine doesn't help matters any.} I am determined to hook for an hour each evening.  It may not sound like much to you, but for me that's a lot of hooking.  

Guess what?  NO SNOW today.  Woo hoo.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Back to Reality :(

This is the third year I have attended the two day hook in at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio.  This year Bobbie (the Evening Stitcher), Melissa (my hooking partners in crime) and I went up on Thursday evening rather than leaving at the crack of dawn on Friday.  I am so happy we did since it gave me a bit more time to relax and boy did I need that.  This is a fun filled two days of nothing but lots of hooking and lots of eating.

A little throw down was held outside the hooking room.  The light streaming in the windows (I think they call that sunshine) washed out some of the colors.

This gorgeous rug is being hooked in a 3 cut.  I can't even begin to comprehend hooking with something that narrow.  If you enlarge the picture, you will see a red mark on the bottom just left of center.  The current hooker is finishing the rug that someone else started and the mark is where she began.  The transition is seamless.  

This is the same rug that I started and will share with you in my next post.

To say there was much talent in that room is an understatement.  I will share more with you in my next post.

Guess what it did in northern Ohio again last night and today?  If you guessed white crap snow you are absolutely correct.  Enough already.  Even snow/winter lovers are complaining.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren