Goodbye June ~

 

Well, I finally have a finish.  Woo hoo.  This rug seemed to take forever.  The finished size is 16" x 50".  Pattern by Red Barn Rugs.  Class with Cathy Stephan.

I love the center flower.  (Thanks, Cathy!)  The first picture was taken with a flash and the second without.  The color is somewhere in between.

 

I'm not too sure about the star flowers.  I hooked them slightly different. 

Of course I won't be rushing to bind it before vacation, so will take another look-see when I get home, but I most likely will leave them as-is. 

 

Tomorrow I have a class with Rebekah L. Smith.  It should be fun but I sure don't need another project.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Getting Close ~

It feels like I have been hooking this rug forever.  It was started about six weeks ago at Cedar Lakes rug camp in West Virginia.  I am finally close to finishing.

 

 

 It's Mayfly time in northern Ohio.  (We also call them Canadian soldiers and supposedly the Canadians call them American soldiers.)  Mayflies are aquatic insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera. This order is part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies.  It is supposed to be a sign that the lake (Erie) is healthy, but they just totally freak me out.  They don't bite or poop and only live about 24 hours, though they hatch for several days.  I have this crazy fear of them.  It's totally irrational, but when one lands on me ~ ARGH!  I'm like a crazy woman.  (And the area of town that I live in doesn't have them nearly as bad as some other areas.)

 

 

On that disgusting note, thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Zip Line ~

Not far from me is a place called Common Ground that offers a zip line adventure.  Last year for DSO's birthday, one of his gifts was zip lining through the tree tops, but we never got around to it.  Grandson Jake found out and wanted to go and since I was taking him, had to ask my son J, too.   Wednesday was finally a day without rain in the forecast, so off we went.  There were nine of us in the group plus our guides Leslie and Adam.  We started off with a little ground school and passing that, we were off.  It was a first for us, though some others in the group had done it before.  It was a bit scary (for me) and exciting at the same time.  There were seven carefully and artistically engineered zip lines, each one longer than the last.  The last zip line was 800' long.  What a thrill.  Suspended bridges (scary!) and a floating staircase also took you from one platform to the next.  All the pictures were taken by the guides.  We weren't willing to risk losing a camera/cell phone, plus we were not supposed to remove our gloves.

The group ~

Our first "lean" at the edge of the platform.

I think the bridges were scarier than the zip lines!

 

At one time this was the only floating staircase in the US and it still is the only one in Ohio.  We all had to strike a pose before ascending. 

 

Jake smiling for the camera.  Too bad the sun was in his face.

Son J

 

DSO decided to scream like a girl instead of smiling :)

That was really cool leaning over the edge!!!

Hard to tell but DSO and son have bunny ears.  It's a family thing :)

At the very end, another first for us.  Rather than stairs to exit the last platform, we had to rappel down.

 

 

What a fun adventure.  DSO and I were the oldest of the group and Jake was the youngest, but we all had a great time.  Even J, who is afraid of heights, really enjoyed it.  We would all do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Senior Moment ~

Don't you just hate senior moments???  Have you received Rebekah L. Smith's new applique book?  Well, I have and it is wonderful.  But . . . I had my son order me one for my birthday.  Forgot all about that and ordered one myself.  ARGH :(  If interested in purchasing, I will sell for $20 which includes shipping.  List is $29.95.  There is a slight wrinkle on the top left by the spine.  I received it that way.

~ ~ ~ SALE PENDING ~ ~ ~ 

Sorry for the flash glare :(

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

Floral Scroll ~

 

I've made a (very) little progress on my Floral Scroll rug that I started at Cedar Lakes rug camp with Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs.  This rug seems to be taking forever.  I don't know what I'm doing with my time, but it sure hasn't been spent hooking . . . sigh.  We leave for California in less than three weeks and I would like to get this done before I go.  I'd also like to get my Horse rug done, but I sure don't see that happening.  Since we are flying, I plan to take a punch needle project or two and maybe an applique project to work on.  I am taking a Rebekah L. Smith class the week prior to leaving, so I'm sure that could keep me plenty busy.

 

These pictures were taken outside.  The most accurate colors are in the last picture.  There are a couple pulled worms where I need to tweak a little and the star flower still needs "something" different.

 

 

Saturday I went to the Garden Fair at Quailcrest Farm.  I got another wine bottle tree.  My neighbors must think I'm a real wino . . . lol. 

 

My cheesy Dollar Tree flamingo 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Rug Patterns for Sale ~

~ ~ ~ Happy Tuesday ~ ~ ~

 

Another steamy day in northern Ohio.  Last Friday it was too cold for grandson Jake to swim and now we've been in the low 90's for a few days.  It's a bit hot for me, but I will take this over winter any day :)

 

I have too many patterns that I will most likely never hook, so I thought I'd offer a few of them on my blog.  All the patterns are on linen and include first class postage in the U.S.  If interested, please send an email to lauren@centurytel.net and put "rug pattern" in the subject line.  A check is fine or I can send you a PayPal invoice.

 

From the Heart - pattern by Woolley Fox.  15" x 24"   $35.00

 

Star in Heart Inn ~ pattern by Salem Saltbox.  22" x 28"   $35.00

 

Penny Flowers by Red Barn Rugs.  20" x 25"   $28.00

 

Lone Star by Anne Bond ~ Visions of Ewe.  22" x 30"   $35.00

 

Dog ~ pattern by Woolley Fox.  The pattern is actually drawn 29 1/2" x 21"   $40.00  (List on this is $63.00)  SOLD.  Thanks, Sue.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Rugs on the Floor ~

 

After my last post, several hookers gave their input as to putting rugs on the floor, especially in high traffic areas.  Some do.  Some don't.  These are the rugs I have on the floor in the living room.

 

Magdalena runner ~ a no traffic area :)

At the base of the stairs.  This is a high traffic area, but this is a rug purchased on eBay years ago, hooker unknown (a great reason to label your rugs and of course I am guilty of not doing that often).

What Nots ~ pattern by Woolley Fox.  My TV is hiding in the bottom of the cupboard.

My Ellie rug ~ pattern by Cammie Bruce, Baskets of Wool.

I think pattern is called Red Bird of Pennsylvania, by our dear Saundra of Woodland Junction.  Hooked by Karin, a local hooker and friend.  The colors are so much better in person!  She sold it on eBay and I purchased it when the original buyer placed it up for auction.  Karin's seller ID is Primitivespirits.

I also have a few mats on antique stools. 

 

I purchased this MANY years ago on eBay when I first started hooking.  Hooked by Jane Augenstein.  I believe she was Liberty Homestead.

 

This pattern was from one of the primitive/stitchy type magazines.  Of course I don't remember which one :)

 

Finally, another eBay purchase from years ago.  Not labeled so hooker/designer unknown.

 

Grandson Jake and I made some memories this week.  We went and saw Captain Underpants Thursday evening and yesterday we went to Seneca Caverns.  I hadn't been there since my boys were his age. 

Panning for gems.

In a couple hours DSO and I are heading to Michigan for the afternoon and tomorrow I hope to get to the Garden Fair at Quailcrest Farm.  And I wonder why I'm not getting anything done :)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Binding ~

 

Several of you commented about my binding that I showed in the previous post.  For many years, I struggled getting the binding snuggled up to the last row of loops without any foundation showing.  After watching this video by the Old Tattered Flag, I find it much easier to do.  I still don't like to bind, but at least I'm not frustrated that the foundation is showing.  I generally use strips of wool instead of twill tape.  I like it better because I find it easier to work with and I can cut it as wide as I wish.  As a rule of thumb, I use about a 2" strip on small to mid-sized rugs.  On the large rug, my binding strips are about 2 1/2" wide.  You can use regular sewing thread, 2 strands of embroidery floss or I recently started using this thread.  I had purchased it many years ago from Kris Miller but never used it.  After finally binding with it, it is  now my go to thread.  It's strong and does not tend to tangle and knot. 

 

 Finally done ~ except for the label.
 

 

My original intention was to put this by my bed, but I think I am going to get brave and put it at the front door.  That's what they are for, right?  I have many rugs on the floor ~ but in low/no traffic areas :)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

In Progress ~

 

I typically have one, maybe two hooked projects at a time.  Well . . . I have three in the works.  I have not taken Proud Lion out of the bag since my class in March and it's a biggie.  Here he is.

 

 

Horse by Winter Cottage is getting close.  I need to redraw the corners and I'm stumped on what colors I want to use.  There is so little color in the rug and I don't want anything dramatic.  I think I'll get some help with the planning on Monday night.

 

Since I've set Horse aside, I started back up on my Cedar Lakes rug that was started in a class with Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs.  I've made a little progress and hope to get lots more hooked soon.

 

 

I am also binding my Scrappy Crosses rug, an antique adaptation by Polly Minick.  Since I (along with most of you hookers) despise binding, I am trying to spend 20-30 minutes a day on it.  I'm getting close.  It's the largest rug I've hooked to date at 30 1/2" x 45".

 

 

We've had several gorgeous days here on Ohio's north coast.  I've finally gotten back to yard work.  The gardens look great from a distance - lush and full, but close up they definitely need attention!  The joys of home ownership.  There is always something that needs done. 

 

Thank you so much for all the kind comments on my last post.  You all make it worthwhile.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren