Getting Close ~

 

Good Sunday to one and all.  I hope this finds you warm and safe!  I cannot imagine the 2+ feet of snow some areas of the east have gotten.  Even in Florida there are freeze and frost warnings.  My brother and his DSO are currently in Naples and it was 37* this morning.  I told them to watch out for falling lizards 😁

I am getting very close on Ole Jack and I am truly loving him!!!  So outside of my comfort zone.  I never would have put those background wools together.  Thank you Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs for convincing me that I really could do this.

I think we all need to take this to heart.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Randy ~ Not Ralphie

When I posted this picture, I said that the little boy would forever remind me of Ralphie from A Christmas Story when he had on his snowsuit.  Well . . . it was Randy and not Ralphie!!!  OOPS.

I am still hooking one animal per day and after that, now that the tree is done, have been working on background.  I must say this rug is fun to hook and is very easy hooking.  But . . . I think I spend more time deciding what color to hook the animal than I spend on hooking it.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Ole Jack ~

 

Ole Jack, was started at rug camp in September in a class with Cathy Stephan.  It is her version of the antique and I chose to hook her smaller version (28" x 39"), which in my book is not small.  It is so outside my hooking comfort zone, but I think this is going to be one of my all-time favorite rugs.  I was so close to finishing but had not pulled a loop in at least six or seven weeks.  

It is finally back on the frame (alternating time with Granny).  The top border is almost done.  (Neither picture accurately depicts the true colors of the rug . . . ugh!)

I have also finished hooking hearts and sewing them in to little pillows.  I am so bad at "finishing" things, I can't believe I got them all done.

It is so ironic.  How many Kims do you know?  Well, three of nine pillows went to a Kim(m).  Kimm, who won the give-away.  Kim, an Ohio friend.  And Kim my pug sitter.  I am out of the heart business for 2022 😁

We have had such a mild winter . . . but that ended a week ago.  More snow yet again today.  Molly hates winter even more than I do.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Granny Donaldson ~

 

I finally have a Granny update for you.  I know many of you have seen the start on Saundra's blog, but here it is with a bit of additional hooking done.  First a few tidbits of information.

  - it measures about 19 1/4" high x 24 1/2" wide

 - I am hooking it in 8s and 8 1/2s.  My cut of choice is 8 1/2, but for some areas of the rug that just won't work

 - there is a total of 15 animals and people ~ my goal is to hook one of them each day and then move on to the tree, flower basket and background as I go along

Here is my progress so far.  Five days (not counting today), five motifs.

The wool used for the tree.

And finally the little boy.  I have named him Ralphie because he reminds me of Ralphie in the movie A Christmas story.  Remember him in his snowsuit?  Yes, the figure will always be Ralphie to me 😁

Thank you for joining me on this journey that Saundra created.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

More on the Wool Dyeing~

As I mentioned in the previous post, I knew the colors in the picture were not accurate.  No matter where I moved the wool and no matter the light, I could not get an accurate depiction of the colors.  I was just trying to show the different saturation levels of the dye pots.  The most intense color could best be described as eggplant, so yes, that wool has a lot of purple in it.  The subsequent dye pots did come out red.  Pots #2 & #3 are a red I love and could use on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, when following a recipe, I do not measure precisely, so doubt I could ever replicate the color.

I took this picture of hearts hooked from dye pots #2 & #3.  The color is showing pretty accurately on my monitor but that doesn't mean it will show that way on yours.  Ironically after taking this picture, I moved the uncut wool to the exact same location, exact same lighting, and the colors were totally wrong.  I just don't understand 😦  The wools from dye pot #4 (not shown) is what I would consider a faded red.

Next post I will finally post about my Granny rug!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Dyeing Wool ~

 

Welcome!  I hope today finds you all happy, healthy and staying warm.  We only got about 6" of snow from Sunday night's storm.  Some areas not far from me got as much as 20".  Now that's a lot of snow.  I really don't feel bad that they got more than I did. . . 😁

As if I have not been busy enough putting away the Christmas decorations and re-decorating the house with the "normal" stuff, I decided to dye some wool.  This formula was supposed to dye 1/2 yard of wool.

Well . . . I put the first half yard of wool in the dye pot and it soaked up dye so quickly I almost immediately took it out and put it in a basin with fresh water and vinegar.  I then reduced the dye strength . . . a total of three more times.  What was supposed to dye 1/2 yard of wool dyed 2 1/2 yards.  The colors in the photo are not a good depiction of the true colors, but it gives you an idea of the differences depending on the dilution of the dye.  Thankfully they are all useful reds.  I went to the local wool shop and talked with the owner who has been hooking and dyeing for decades.  She said a rule of thumb with dark color dyes is that a recipe should have a total of 1 teaspoon of dye give or take a little.  She said the formula was incorrect.  Live and learn.  

So I did start hooking on my Granny rug and also am hooking more hearts.  I keep giving them away so need to hook two for the auction to benefit the pugs.  Thankfully they hook up quickly but the backs take about the same amount of time as the hooking.  The house is about 98% put back together.  I am not sure why it took me so long this year.  

So tonight I wanted to make stuffed shells for dinner.  I went to two grocery stores and neither had any boxes of large shells or manicotti.  I bought lasagna noodles instead.  Bare shelves are quite common, aren't they?

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Congrats ~

 

Today I am meeting myself coming and going ~ well, not too much different than most days ~ but just wanted to pop in and say congrats to Kimm (kcmrugs) in Canada.  She has a post box in Maine so will have to cross the border to pick up her 💖.  Kimm, you have three days to contact me to let me know which little heart pillow you would like.  {{The red/red orange one that I had shown in the original give-away post has already been sent to a friend, so I hope that is not the first one you would have chosen . . . lol!}}

And the backs so you can see the wool used.  All are as-is wools except for the heart on the far right.

Somehow I will find make time to pull a few loops on my Granny rug today.  My goal is to hook one animal or person a day!!!  Let's see how that works out 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Granny Donaldson ~

 

Welcome friends and happy Saturday!  Did you know it is only 64 days until spring?  Today is one of our coldest days so far this winter, but at 23* it could be so much worse . . . and normally is for mid-January.  No complaints from me.

The Granny Donaldson hook-along (challenge?) begins today.  It is being hosted by Saundra over at Woodland Junction.  Here is my design on linen.  It measures about 24 1/2" x 19".  I quickly chose some wool so I can pretend I am ready to start hooking 😁  I am most likely going with a dark background.  Hopefully the majority of the rug can be hooked in an 8 1/2 cut though I know I will need some 8s for the feet and maybe tails.  My goal is to actually pull a few loops tomorrow.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Still Not Done ~

I am still not done putting the Christmas decorations away.  Usually they come down quickly but for whatever reason it's not happening this year.  I have been working on it for a week.  I am close, but not close enough for my liking.  Then it's time to redecorate.  I hope I can figure out where I put all the "normal" stuff.  I know some is in the attic, more in the basement, in cupboards and even a few things under the bed.  I don't put them in the Christmas totes because I like to take everything down before starting to decorate.  I know that would make more sense, but sometimes I am lacking in that department 😁

I've gotten two of the heart pillows made.  At least three to go but since they hook up so quickly, I may make a couple more.  Two are going to Ohio friends, two for the pug fundraiser and one for the give-away here on my blog.  (There is still time to enter.  See the previous post.)  Santa is ready to bind and I've gotten out Ole Jack and hope to pull a few loops soon.  

So for the last couple of days in my spare time 😂 I decided to dye wool.  Didn't quite go as planned but the last pot is cooling down now.

Saturday the Granny rug challenge starts that Saundra is hosting.  You can find information on her blog if you are interested in joining in.  My pattern is on linen but I need to start pulling some wool.  I really need to pick my background wool first and can't decide if I want to go with my normal dark background or something lighter like Granny Donaldson used.  Here is the Granny I plan to hook.  (Ignore the white dots.  They are from a screen shot.)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

The Best Laid Plans ~

I had planned on accomplishing miracles today.  I was even out of bed a half hour early.  HA!  Not meant to be.  I got a phone call from my brother first thing this morning.  Most unusual.  He and his significant other left for Florida Saturday morning.  Well, guess who left all his meds home?  Important meds.  Yup!  My brother.  So being the good sister I am (lucky for him he is the brother I like 😁) I headed to his house, got the meds, came home, boxed them up and took them to the post office.  That took care of the morning and for just $46.30, he will get them tomorrow (fingers crossed).  Well worth it for him.

I finally have some finishes to share.

I have printed off this little freebie (found here) countless times, but finally got inspired seeing Jennie's finishes.  If you don't follow her blog, you really must.  She accomplishes so darn much . . . cross stitch, quilting, rug hooking, and sometimes applique!  I will add this to the finished but not fully finished pile.

This Santa pattern from Doodledog Prims about did me in.  It took forever and a day.  That face . . . argh . . . gave me fits.  First, I did not have a good color for it.  The wool I had for faces was much too pink.  Friend Melissa to the rescue.  Still, I think I rehooked it a half dozen times and even though I was sure I was hooking plenty inside the line, it was still much too big.  Then trying to do the eyes was the next challenge.  They may be a little big, but at least for now I am calling it done.

I also hooked a few more hearts with handtorn strips.  They measure about 8 1/2" x 9 1/2".  I will back them with wool and stuff them with wool snippets.  I no longer do the patchwork backs.  I am no quilter and they just took way too long.

If anyone is interested, I will be giving one away ~ winner's choice.  As always, entering is simple.  Leave a comment on this post only or send me an email with give-away in the subject line.  Please no sharing on any social media.  The winner must contact me within three days or I will choose another.  A winner will be chosen on Sunday.  (Apologies to my northern friends.  Due to shipping costs, I must limit this to US residents.)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Spinning My Wheels ~

A couple days ago I decided it was time to start taking down Christmas.  I have gotten a bit done, but it is so disjointed.  I am working a little bit here and a little bit there with no rhyme or reason as to what I am doing 😒  In due time it will all get done, but I am getting a bit anxious.  Then after everything is taken to the attic, I need to figure out where I put all the "regular" stuff to put that back out.

Tuesday I decided to head to a local hooking group.  I needed something totally no brainer to hook, so grabbed a piece of linen and drew a couple hearts to be hooked with hand torn strips.  I got one done while there and hooked another that evening.  Then I saw on Facebook that a non-profit organization that provides assistance and support to pugs in medical need was having an auction in February and was looking for items to auction.  I contacted the head of the group (who I know because of pug rescue) to see if she was interested in a couple of hooked pillows.  She said those would be perfect for a February auction so that is my motivation to get them done.

Thanks to hooky friend Lynn for the winter poem!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Secondhand Lions ~

New Years Day I once again watched one of my absolute favorite movies.  This 2003 release starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment and Kyra Sedgwick is such a feel good movie.  No sex, vulgarities nor brutality.   I cry every time I watch it.  If you rent the DVD, be sure to watch the deleted scenes and alternate ending on the reverse side of the disc.  If you decide to watch it or have seen it, please let me know what you think,

As Robin so depressingly aptly pointed out, 2022 sounds too much like 2020, too.  ACK!  Scary thought, isn't it?  I am hoping and praying for a better year in more ways than one 😏

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren