Spinning my Wheels ~

Once again, it feels that way.  I have been hooking daily, but feel I have accomplished very little.

I did get Goodnight Pumpkin bound and am close to finishing Scaredy Cat, but that is only 9" x 11 1/2".

An update on The Poser 😁  Not that much has been accomplished since my post a week ago, but now the only thing left to hook is background.  I am heading for the $20 Hooker retreat on the 10th of March, so I will hold off on the background until then.  Easy, no brainer hooking.  This was started back in June in a class with Cathy Stephan, so I will be glad to get this done.

My snowdrops and winter aconite are beginning to bloom.  Winter is by no means over in northern Ohio, but these are a welcome sight.  Daffodils are also peeking from the ground.

Boy can I relate to this!  My wool room is once again out of control.  There is wool piled everywhere . . . and not sure I have room on my shelves . . . but as any hooker will tell you, there is never the exact color you need.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Hooking at the Black Squirrel Inn ~

Getting away with hookers for the weekend is good for the mind and soul.  Lots of laughing, eating, (maybe a glass of wine or two), a bit of hooking but most of all friendship 💘

A throw down of the rugs being worked on.  Sadly one of the group left a day early and I did not get a picture of her rug.

Two hookers were working on patterns by Michelle Palmer.

I am in love with this face.

Door prize mats being hooked for the Crooked River Hook in.

Sweet Christmas rug.

Antique rug.  I didn't measure how large, but it is H.U.G.E. and she accomplished so much.

She was hooking this in an 8, cut on a Fraser cutter.  This 8 is as large as my 8.5 cut on my Townsend!

I always think I should get more hooked than I do.  You'd think by now I would learn, but I am happy with the progress made on The Poser.

Blogger ~ what can I say?  I think anyone who blogs knows that sometimes there are "issues".  A couple months ago emails stopped being sent when I leave a comment on a person's blog.  I didn't change any settings.  It is returned to me as an error.  I have no idea why and I know how annoying it is not to be notified and I apologize, but I have no idea how to fix it.  I think it may be my ISP, but you know what it's like trying to deal with speaking with someone halfway across the world.  

Another blogger thing ~ this time good.  For many years I have not known how many followers I have.  Suddenly today, there it is ~ 401.  It has come and gone before so I don't expect it to last . . . sigh.

Oh, my.  Today feels like spring.  60* and sunny.  Mother Nature is just being a tease because Thursday the high will be 28* with a chance of snow.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Just a Quickie ~

I am happy to report that my Granny Donaldson cow blanket rug is already bound!!!  I still need to darken the faces a bit and give her a final steaming.

I whipped the edges with the wonderful, chunky yarn that Ali Strebel sells.  It is THE BEST!

I also finished hooking Goodnight Pumpkin.  It is 6 1/2" x 12 1/2".  As I've said, this will be a door prize at the Crooked River hook in this September.

Next up, I will finally get back to hooking on The Poser, started in a June class with Cathy Stephan.  Also Saundra will reveal the new hook-along tomorrow.  Too many projects, too little time 😁

Late morning I am running away for the weekend to hook with a few friends.  The weather is supposed to get awful overnight with ice and snow on top of that.  Thankfully my personal uber driver has volunteered to drive me.  Ever since I crashed on ice about 10 years ago, I have turned in to a fair weather driver.

Time to finish packing!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Happy Valentine's Day ~

I have heard that a weatherman's worst nightmare is waking up to 6" of partly cloudy.  Sunday morning there was about a 30% chance of snow at 8am and 9am.  What a surprise to wake up to this.

It was the lightest, fluffiest snow.  After these pictures were taken, we probably got another 4" - 5".  So pretty . . . but bring on spring (34 days)!  Our temp has climbed to a whopping 18*, but with sun and low wind . . . it is still cold 😁

My hook has been busy.  The sunflowers are in various stages of completion for the mini class in April so students can see how I do it.  I hooked this pumpkin with hand torn strips and even got it bound!  The orange is really much darker.  No matter where I put it or what background . . . I could not capture the color.

I am working on "goodnight pumpkin".  Such a fast hook.  

I hope your Valentine's Day is everything you hoped for.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren   

Next Up ~

There are so many "next ups" that my head is spinning 😁  Of course binding needs to be started.   That will be a long, slow process at the rate I bind.

I was asked to do a little class at one of the hooking groups I belong to on how I make my sunflowers that get attached to a bedspring. That is scheduled for the beginning of April so I have been working on a little handout so people know what supplies are needed and I am hooking a few sunflowers so they can see the various steps.

Crooked River Rug Hookers, an ATHA guild, is having a hook in.  Since it is always in the fall, it is dubbed Hooktoberfest, even though this year it is in September.  Members are being asked to hook small mats that will be door prizes and the sooner they can be turned in, the better.  I designed a little fall mat that Heidi our webmaster dubbed "Goodnight Pumpkin".  You can access the free pattern here along with a few other freebies.  The larger pumpkin will be hooked with hand torn strips and finished in the shape of a pumpkin.

Then that darn Saundra along with "Heavens to Betsy" Betsy is already planning the next hook-along.  It is supposed to be even easier to hook than Granny and of course I have a problem saying no.

As for a larger hooking project, I hope to soon get back to The Poser, a rug I started in June with Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs.  I don't think I have pulled more than a dozen loops on it since then.  Hopefully I have kept all the wool together and not borrowed any of it for other projects (which I have been know to do 😖).

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Randy's Snowsuit ~

Randy's snowsuit looked a little too light compared to the rest of the rug, so rather than reverse hook, I coffee stained it.  I think it toned it down just enough.  Now I am undecided if I need to tone down the flesh colors of their heads.  Thoughts?

My Granny Donaldson cow blanket rug is D.O.N.E.  I can't believe I have two hooking finishes done in less that a week.  (We are not going to talk about binding . . . ugh.)

A big thank you to Saundra for putting together this hook-along.  I think all the participants have enjoyed the journey.  I know I didn't have to whine like I did for last year's challenge hooking with alternative fibers/using what was on hand.  I found this truly enjoyable.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Woo Hoo ~ Ole Jack is Finished ~

Ole Jack was started at rug camp in September in a class with Cathy Stephan (Red Barn Rugs).  Though many people are now selling this antique adaptation, this is Cathy's smaller version and measures 28" x 39" which for me is BIG!  I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and I could not have done it without her guidance and belief in me that I could really do it.  THANK YOU, CATHY 💗

Next up . . . finishing my Granny Donaldson cow blanket rug.  I am so close.  Only background left to hook.

Our snow storm is over 😁  My son came yesterday after work and used his snowblower on my drive and sidewalks and even cleared a grassy area for Molly.  Two hours later with the additional snow and the wind (it was snowing sideways), you had no idea that it was ever cleared.  I am so thankful he came back today and did it all again.  There is no snow in the forecast for the next week, but this is Ohio and can easily change.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Groundhog Day ~

Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter . . . and it is already starting this evening.  It had been raining all day and has now changed to snow.  The good news is that the rain has melted most of our existing snow.  The bad news is that it will freeze and we are expecting 8" - 12" of that white stuff on top of it.  

My little snowdrops which can now be seen will once again be buried.  Thankfully they are very resilient!

I am moving along on my Granny Donaldson rug.  What a fun hook.
                 

Be sure to stop to stop by Saundra's blog to check out more Granny D rugs in the hook-along.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren