Scrappy Hooking Class

You would never know that this was the first time that Jenny of the Wooly Horse taught her scrappy style of hooking that she developed.  She had inspiration from a punch needle piece, but this is truly her style she has developed for hooking.  (She is a teacher by trade and has taught many other hooking classes.)  Scrappy style of hooking . . . how to describe it?  Uneven loops spaced far apart, long tails, alternative fibers, adding patches as if the rug had been repaired.  

It was easier than I thought it would be, but I had to constantly be reminded to space loops apart and leave lots of spaces because when finished, loops would be squished down and cover most of the spaces.  I used wool in cuts from about an 8 to a 10, a couple kinds of sari ribbon, wool yarn, velvet and stained tobacco cloth.  I came so close to finishing!  Some of the tails may be trimmed later.

Close up.

Had I finished, he would have gotten a walnut crystal dye bath.  Jenny did send us home with walnut crystals so we can do it at home.  Only a few hookers had theirs totally done.

Jenny was THE MOST generous teacher.  She had these basket filled with pieces of wool for us to use as needed.  Plus sari ribbons, wool yarn, velvets, tobacco cloth and more . . . all for us to use and absolutely free to us.

Sue has also posted about the class.  Check it out here.

I will have more rugs to share next time and hopefully mine will be finished soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Sister Visit ~

The eighth grade class of 1966 has been visiting Sister Marian Coughlin since 2018, just missing a couple of the Covid years.  We had her as a teacher in 2nd grade and as a half day teacher in the 8th grade.  Back then, she was known as Sister Mary St. Patrick, but took her maiden name when Notre Dame nuns were able to do so.  She will soon be 97.  Still sharp as a tack but very hard of hearing, sad to say.  Back in the day she was this larger than life figure and she really is such a tiny little thing.  She was so excited about our visit.  One of our classmates also became a Notre Dame nun, so Sister Valerie is there for each visit, too.  I didn't get a picture, but it doesn't seem right that a nun can wear capri pants and sandals 😁

Yesterday's trip to Michigan was uneventful . . . the best kind.  I got most of my little Maria Barton sheep hooked but had not cut enough wool.  When finished it will be attached to a vintage picnic basket and used as a raffle prize at our guild's hook in.

Tomorrow.  ARGH!!!  I have a two day hooking class with Jenny Smallridge of the Wooly Horse.  She is going to be teaching her style of scrappy hooking.  Lots of alternative fibers to be used.  Have I even begun to pull wool for class?  Uh, no.  Somehow it will get done tonight.  I am not a fan of using anything other than wool for hooking (remember Saundra's challenge a few years ago?), but I am putting on my big girl panties and will use some!  I have chosen to hook her scrappy horse.  Sue from Vernon Junction is coming to class and will spend the night with me since I am only 35 minutes from the class venue and she is much farther.

MUST get busy!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

What's Blooming ~

Trying to get ready for a crazy busy week so nothing much in the hooking department.  I did finish yet another door prize cigar box for the guild's fall hook in.  I didn't do anything special on the inside other than put some scrapbook paper on the bottom.

The yard is looking so pretty!  I love this time of year.

I did not have the luck Cathy from Acorn Hollow did with overwintering my geraniums.  This was one of my two successes but it has not yet bloomed.  Love the nut tin.

DSO reinforced my falling apart chair to get another year's use out of it.  

An old chicken waterer missing its top.

Clematis.

Happy flowers.  Evening primrose.

And one happy bee.

Cool old tool box from a friend last year.  Only one or two of the plants survived the winter, but she was gracious and gave me plants from her yard to fill in.

One of my son's old workboots on an old tricycle.  I just love yard junk!

At Aldi's the other day, they had these gorgeous hydrangeas for only $14.99.  How could I resist that color?   Now to figure out where to plant it!

Michigan for the day tomorrow (early Father's Day celebration at DSO's son's house), Monday the annual "nun visit".  She will be 97 soon.  Then Tuesday and Wednesday a hooking class.  ARGH!!!  I am thankful for my crazy, busy life.

Must share.  DSO just stopped by for a minute.  This is the hotrod he built from a kit a few years ago 😁

And the sweetest passenger ever sitting on her custom made "perch" so she can see out the window.  (Yes, that perch makes her a** look fat 😉)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

So I did a "Thing" ~

About 6 weeks ago I came across a wonderful stepback cupboard with the old way glass in the doors.  I told myself I could not buy it because I already have a stepback cupboard in the dining room that had solid doors and I could not be a cupboard over my limit.

My current stepback.  I can't remember when I bought it, but I have had it for 2+ decades.  I was ready for a change.  I always use it with the doors open showing off part of my featheredge collection.

And here she is with the doors closed.

I was hoping the dealer would take my cupboard in a barter deal, but she was not interested, so I again told myself  that I could not buy it.

I need to start listening to myself.  I bought the cupboard 😛.  The dealer took my dough box that has been sitting in the basement far too long as part of the deal.  It was a really cool dough box of Canadian origin.  It is about twice the size as the American counterpart.  In my previous house I used it in the kitchen as a decorative island and it has also been used as a sofa table.  I just don't have a place for it.

We picked up the cupboard today.  DSO had help loading it on the trailer.  Getting it off and in to my garage was not an easy task.  I am a ten pound weakling.  But . . . it is in the garage.  Now to get the old stepback out of the dining room and this one in.  DSO has a plan that he thinks will work.  Not sure when we will get to it but think good thoughts.

Here she was sitting in the shop.  It will be a nice change.

Twenty five of my thirty bags of mulch have been spread.  Sadly I will probably need fifteen more bags, but will wait until they go on sale again.  Current price is double the sale price 😡.  My body is rebelling!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Sunday Stuff ~

Yesterday's hook in was great fun!  Susanne does an excellent job of hosting it.  A one woman hooker operation.  Sales were okay for such a small hook in.  Funny, though.  Most everyone is a repeat attendee to various hook ins where I have vended, so many have purchased my silverplate items in the past.  Thankfully I brought a little vintage cupboard, drawer, and a few lidded baskets.  They made up the bulk of my sales.  Any sales are better than none to help me support my habit 😁

At Crooked River guild the other day, we had a member sale.  I got the deal of the decade on a Beeline floor frame.  In the twenty years I have been hooking, I have tried a couple floor frames that just did not work out for me.  I gave this one a "test hook" the other night, and I think this just may work.  My Snapdragon lap frame works well (I have never gotten around to having DSO mount it to a floor frame) but for bigger rugs I just have trouble with all the excess linen on a lap frame.

If you have Netflix, watch Nonnas.  What a delightful movie based on a true story!  Toward the end of the movie in a group scene at the restaurant, look for the grey haired guy clapping behind the actor who has the lead roll.  He is the real Joey the movie is based on.  I just found it a wonderful, feel good movie.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Teapot Fini ~

At long last the teapot is done.  I mean TOTALLY done and no longer in my house.  I turned it in at guild today, and the next time I see it is when it will be displayed at Sauder Village during rug week in August.  

Thankfully DSO helped me glue the fabric to the board and we even got the lines straight!!!  The finished size is 14" x 16".  This is the back before the label was attached.  One of our guild members made labels for us, but do you think I could find mine?  I'm guessing you know the answer to that.  I was able to get another label at the meeting, glue it on and could call it done.  

That's it, blog friends.  Between trying to get some yard work done, finally buying annuals for the crocks, wheelbarrow, etc,  and getting "stuff" together for vending at a small but very nice hook in this Saturday, there hasn't been time for much else.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Blogger is Messing with Me!!!

My last post had a link to Sue's blog where my zipline video is posted.  Well . . . that link is now gone 😡  For those who could not see the video, click here and hopefully it will direct you to her blog!  I just don't understand what happened.

Our weather is finally improving.  Though still a bit chilly, it hasn't rained for a couple of days and the gardens are exploding with color.  I still haven't bought annuals yet.  SOON!

Siberian iris ~ one of my favorites

My rooster is rusting and I love him. 

I think froggy is praying I will finally get the little pond cleaned out.

Rusting lantern I purchased last year.
The hen and chicks survived the winter
and the squirrels haven't stolen them.

Isn't mother nature amazing? 
There is a tiny rust pinhole and a weed is growing from it. 

Please take a moment to remember why we are celebrating Memorial Day.  To those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, we appreciate your service and thank you for allowing us to be free.  Sadly, there is a price for freedom and we must never take it for granted.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

God Bless America!

Lauren

Zipline Video ~

 

UFO ~

Proud Lion, a pattern by the Sampling, was started in a class in June of 2017.  It has not seen the light of day other than the time I "borrowed" some wool from it.  Can I remember what wool I borrowed?  Not really.  I figure it is about darn time I get back to it.  It is a biggie (for me) at 28" x 43 1/2".  I left the class with no real color plan other than what was started 😡.  I have gone through the wool and have figured some of it out, and even met up with Vernon Junction Sue for help!!!  I now have a pretty good idea but I know I will wing some of it as I go.

I had never hooked antigodlin style (higgly piggly) before this class and did NOT enjoy doing it, but the teacher was insistent that is what I MUST do.  To be honest, I felt a little bullied.  I am now more comfortable hooking in that style but still don't enjoy doing it . . . though I love the look.

{{Sue . . . now I do see the purple in the one flower though I believe it is much more subtle in person.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it since I am NOT a purple person!!!}}

Hopefully this will be my project until my Wooly Horse class with Jenny Smallridge in June.  Jenny is saying that the small mat should be done on the second day of class.  Fingers crossed it will be.  Then I will have until my next class in July to work on Proud Lion . . . unless I get sidetracked 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

374 ~

That's how many days for accomplishing my goal of 10k steps a day.  Last time when I was approaching a year, I fell and broke my leg 😢.  This time my excuse is that we spent about 14 hours travelling home from Branson and there was just no way to get my steps in.  Bummer. 

I was thankful DSO did all the driving so I could get "stuff" done.  I caught up on several magazines, covered ten magnets with wool (a real pain to do, but these strong magnets are used on my scissor minders and if one of the magnets is not covered, the are nearly impossible to separate!) . . .

and got all the hooking done on Scaredy Cat.  Since returning home I got him bound (he is only 9" x 12.25") and now he just needs a label.  One more thing I can cross off my list.

I really must go do some yard work.  I keep finding excuses not to do it!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Branson Highlights (and a Lowlight!) ~

But first . . . you still have plenty of time to send a 90th birthday card to my friend's hubby.  Hookers and non-hookers!!!  Read about it here.  Thanks to those who have already sent a card.  My friend says they are arriving 💖

Titanic Museum ~

Very interesting.  Many original items from survivors and from underwater recovery.  So sad that most of the lifeboats were not even half filled.

An exact replica of the grand staircase.  The original floor was tiled with linoleum.  At that time it was so new it was more expensive than marble!

Ziplining ~

My second time ziplining through the treetops.  I LOVE IT!!!  There were eight lines, the longest being 1/4 of a mile 150' above the ground.

In our group, there were two young boys with their dad.  The younger of the two was turning four next week and his brother was turning seven this summer.  These little guys had absolutely NO FEAR.  It was so cute to watch them.  On the shorter lines, they went all by themselves.  On the longer ones, they went with an instructor.

DSO all suited up!  (Not the greatest picture but wanted to show our gear.)

Darn!  I can't figure out how to post the video!!!  Just believe me when I say that it is just great fun and really not scary . . . and we were by far the oldest in the group 😁

Love this pic with Uncle Sam.

Butterfly Palace ~

I had no idea what to expect, but WOW!!!  It was a wonderful experience.

Check out the butterfly wings.  Can you believe it?

The butterfly room was absolutely one of the coolest things I have seen.  There are between 1,000 and 1,500 butterflies flitting about.  Upon entering you take a flower with nectar in a little vial.  

They are not the least bit shy.

I just have to share the beauty.

These two guys were a little bit raggedy but their colors were outstanding.

After watching the video about the monarch butterfly and learning of the journey they take, it was sad to hear that these butterfly only live about two days to two weeks.

Shows ~

Branson is noted for their shows, but on a Monday before tourist season has really started, the pickings were pretty slim.  We wanted a late afternoon show since we were leaving early the next morning.  Sadly, nothing interested us, so no show was seen.

Branson Scenic Railway ~

The lowlight of the trip!  It was a two hour train ride through the countryside, but all we saw were trees, trees, and more trees!  I guess everything can't be great.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren