Slo-Mo Hooking ~

When I got home from my Katie Hartner class just over two weeks ago, I was almost half done with Primitive Chickens.

Since then, I have hooked almost daily . . . and accomplished little!  I am determined to finish this soon.

My teapot challenge rug (that I am dreading hooking ~ teapots are not my "thing") is calling screaming my name.  I have until June to git 'er done, but I want it done now!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Three Finishes ~

 

The last day of March!!!  As I say every month, time is flying by at warp speed 😏

Miss March Hare is bound and labeled and given to my sister-in-law.  The background is much more subtle in person.

Same with Ezra's Farm.  I actually changed out a rug that was hanging in the dining room and here it is.

I had another punch needle piece finished years ago, and he's the perfect topper for a cigar box.  I left the box labels intact.  Wasn't how sure how well they would come off.  I tried removing a label from another box and a little sticky residue was left.  When I tried to remove the sticky, the paint started coming off.  

And the inside!

Just call me bad.  I still need to purge and purge and purge, but none has happened in the last couple of weeks.  It is on "THE LIST" to get back to it.  Well . . . the other day I went to an antique and primitive sale held one weekend a month (March to October?) about an hour from home.  I had seen this crock in the pre-sale video and was hoping it would be sold by the time I got to there mid-afternoon.  Darn.  It was still there.  It is a small Donaghho crock, I'm guessing a half gallon.  It has a huge chip on the rim but it displays well.  I'm sure you've figured out it came home with me.  "Antique pox.  A disease for which there is no cure . . . except to buy more." 😁

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Door Prize ~

 

Crooked River Rug Hookers has traditionally used small mats hooked (or appliqued, punched, etc) by members as door prizes for our fall hook in.  This year member Rita came up with the great idea of decorating cigar boxes in the medium of your choice . . . hooked, appliqued, punched, etc.  A cigar shop near her sells the boxes for $5 each with all proceeds going to the local humane society.  The more boxes sold, the less that end up in a dumpster and a win for the homeless furkids.

Here is my first one.  I punched the piece years ago and never fully finished it.  For me, it's the journey and not the destination.  The "destination" was the perfect box topper.

I decided to add something to the inside, and thought a scrap book page of men's sweaters was a perfect complement to the guy theme.

The backside of the lid had an area where the graphic had been torn, so voila!  A Tim Holtz cutout was the perfect camouflage!

Not bad if I do say so myself 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Spring Fling ~

 

As usual, I failed to take many pictures at the two day Spring Fling!

Here are the few I captured of items being worked on at the table next to me.

This turkey was absolutely amazing.  Linda is not yet a hooker, but does amazing punch needle!  I've never seen a piece quite like this.

She is now working on a turkey table mat.  Simply beautiful and much larger than most punch needle pieces.

Deb, whom we met the first time we attended, has become a dear friend.  Whatever she works on is perfection. With permission, she adapted a hooking pattern (by Connie Bradley) to applique.  Her daughter works for Ohio State.

She was currently working on an applique runner.

This hooker was so close to being done with her rug.  I believe it was started in a class with Donna Hrkman, a name familiar to many hookers.

Travel mate Linda was working on her Lucille Festa design started last fall in a class with Kris Miller.

My other travel mate Val was working on a rug by Wild Cranberry Rugs.  They sell many paper patterns on etsy.  I know some people do not like to transfer a pattern to linen, but I find it very cost effective (maybe cuz I'm cheap?).

I will share the progress on my rug soon . . . since so little progress has been made . . . sigh.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

A Correction and a Crock ~

This rug I showed in my previous post is actually a rug by Chrisi Koehl of Rustic Eweniques, titled Crock-O-Blooms.  Sorry, Chrisi.

On our way to the hook in, we stopped at one of the mega antique malls in Springfield, Ohio.  For the most part I am not a fan of the huge malls.  They generally tend to have the majority of the items in showcases and I would rather see items up close and personal.  I did, however, find a crock to add to my "cracked crock" collection.  Nothing special and the cracks are on the bottom (I am no purist!), but for the price I could not leave it behind (even though I am supposed to be purging 😁).  This pic is the one I took at the mall.  It is currently sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for me to clean the inside.

You know I can't come home empty-handed!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Bad Juju ~

 

I got new tires a couple weeks ago.  The one tire started to leak so I went back to my trusted mechanic.  He added air and thought I was good to go.  A few days later and two days before leaving for PA, the same tire was low again and I went back in a near panic.  I needed a new valve stem.  Whew!

The day before I left for southern Ohio I saw something under my car that seemed to be hanging down.  Then it completely slipped my mind.  When I was leaving the antique mall in Springfield, Ohio, 175 miles from home, it was really hanging.  ARGH!!!  I could tell is was some kind of plastic cover.  Sent DSO a picture and he said I was ok to drive but was hoping I didn't hit a big pothole or some such thing and rip it off.

Then when in Troy going to the hook in, I turned on my back window wiper blade . . . and it was gone.  WTH???

I made it home with the the plastic shield thingy still hanging on and DSO fixed that today.  Now I just need a need wiper blade.

I drive a 12 year old Nissan Rogue with a 131k miles on it that I want to drive forever . . . so I hope the bad juju is gone!

The Spring Fling was great fun!  Hosted by the Wooly Horse, Jo's Folk Art Fibers, Ali Strebel Designs and Rustic Eweniques it was held in a gorgeous restored barn in Troy, Ohio.

Jenny from the Wooly Horse is coming to our guild in June to teach a scrappy hooking class.  It should be great fun!

Here are a few examples of her scrappy hooking.

A close up of the bunny rug.  Besides wool, there is sari ribbon, yarn, velvet, ticking and who know what else?

And a couple of her rugs.  She is an amazing designer and hooker.

Jenny's punch needle pieces.

Her antique rugs that she preproduced.

The ladies' room was in the lower level of the barn, so they had a heated porta-potty trailer for those who could not do the stairs.  The sign just cracked me up!

A bit more to share in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Teacher Rugs ~

Katie Hartner of the Woolley Fox was truly a wonderful teacher.  One of the best!  So many teachers are there to color plan a rug and little to no teaching is done.  Each day Katie covered a topic for us.

Here are a few of the rugs she shared.  There were many more I did not get pictures of.  This rug was gorgeous!!!  I always love a patriotic rug.  So very sorry for the washed out colors.

Close ups . . . 

Part of the flag canton's blue had faded to a totally different shade.

This rug had a proddy edge.

And the backside showing how it was bound.

Katie teaches an online values class that I have heard is a great learning experience.  She is big on using leftover worms in your project.  Here are some of the pattern choices for the class.  (The carpet in the room was a bit on the hideous side!)

Head on over to Sue's blog to see the rugs being hooked in class.

Time to finish packing!
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Meeting Myself Coming and Going ~

My class in Pennsylvania with Katie Hartner of the Woolley Fox was THE BEST!  I would highly recommend if you ever get the chance to take a class from her, jump on the opportunity.

Most of the students in the class were working on HUGE rugs and I was working on a weenie 12" x 36" rug.  The first day I made great progress . . . and this was even after totally rehooking his tail.

Days 2 & 3 I was a real slacker.  I thought I would at least be at the halfway mark.  I was close . . . but not close enough.

I think I need to work on the comb a bit.  It is pretty lost against the background.

Sue and I went a day early and stopped at a few shops in PA.  The one antique mall that was recommended - Laughlintown Antique Mall - was incredible!!!  One of the best antique malls I have ever been to.  Not one of the huge mega-malls, just a nice size with incredible antiques.  I could have totally spent my kids' inheritance 😁 (but I'm purging, remember?).  I did buy a few gifts, a couple pieces of antique coverlet and a cast iron eagle to join my growing collection.

We then headed to the Flight 93 Memorial.  Sadly the GPS was not cooperating, steered us wrong because of a detour and we arrived at the visitor center 5 minutes before closing 😒

Thursday morning I am heading to southern Ohio for a two day hook in.  Nothing for many months and then two hook-y things in a week and a half.

Be sure to check Sue's blog to see what she was hooking!  She was also hooking something small, but it is just beyond gorgeous!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Trying to Pack ~

 

Any of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I always wait until the last minute to pack, and this time is no different!  I finally have my suitcase (overpacked, of course) and hooking supplies ready to load in the car . . . except for wool.  That is always the hardest part trying to choose what wools to take.  What colors am I going to use in my rug?  Perhaps the teacher has better choices than mine (that's why I'm taking a class, right?).  I just figure the more wool I pack, hopefully the less wool I have to buy.  I know I will come home with some.  I hear her wool is just beautiful.  Decisions, decisions.

I am almost done with my little bunny rug.  It is a fun little hook.  A paper pattern can be purchased here.

When I got my oil changed a couple weeks ago, the mechanic (who I totally trust) told me I needed new tires.  I thought I maybe got tires 2-3 years ago.  Nope . . . 4+ years ago and had 44K miles on them.  He suggested I get them before doing any travelling.  I thought better to be safe than sorry, so had them put on last week.  A few days later heading about 75 miles away for a fun day, my tire light came on.  Turned around and went to the mechanic (thankfully 5 minutes away) and he said the one tire was low.  All was good until yesterday when DSO checked the tire pressures.  Argh!!!  Low again.  Went to the shop first thing this morning in a near panic.  A bad valve stem was replaced so I am good to go!!!  It's always something, isn't it?

Hopefully will get lots of hooking done (never as much as I think I will . . . sigh) and have a great time.  If only my travel buddy will behave herself, but with Sue, you just never know.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren