Boy do I feel stupid!!!

 

I am losing it.  Lookee what I found.  This is a door leading to a never used in the winter porch on the north side of my house.  When searching for the rooster rug, I NEVER looked in that direction.  MYSTERY SOLVED!!!  (Does anyone else have those kind of senior moments?)

My hooking game plan was to finish hooking little Rudie and then work on a UFO from years ago, but that darn Sue . . . and now Saundra . . . are tempting me with antique heart rugs.  Decisions, decisions.

We have been so damp, dreary and rainy for weeks.  Today there is a light coming from the sky and it is 47*.  I found this in my yard today and snowdrops always make me smile.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Two Finishes and a Start ~

1890 Roosters is finally bound though it still needs a final steaming and a label.  That little rug took way too long, but I am happy with the way it turned out.  It was so hard to hook in that scrappy style . . . but I love it.  Once again, thanks to Saundra for the pattern.  You can find that one ~ and many more ~ here.

I decided to do a little freebie cross stitch Marly (Samplers & Santas) had shown.  The link to the chart by the Primitive Hare can be found here on her blog.  It was such an easy stitch until I had to stitch with the white floss.  I did way too much frogging because I just couldn't count the threads properly.  Didn't have that problem with the darker colors.  There is still one error I did not correct but I am quite certain no one will find it, but I KNOW IT IS THERE.  Ugh.  Stitched on a scrap of 30 or 32 count linen, the finished size is 3 7/8 x 3 1/4.  Unlike Marly who fully finishes her cross stitch, mine will end up in a shoebox with other cross stitch that is not totally finished. 

Last night I decided to start Nancy Agness McGlaughlin, a reproduction sampler I found in a 1988 Traditional American Crafts book.   The chart did not list DMC floss number, just "blue" and "tan".  After stitching for almost 2 hours I decided I did not like the blue I chose so frogged all of that.  (Can you relate, Marly?)  Maybe tonight I can try blue #2.  I am a slow stitcher (still use the stab method) so this will be an ongoing project for quite some time.

And to Saundra . . . No.  I have not started a new hooking project 😢

Christmas is almost down and hauled to the attic.  I need help with the big tree.  Every time I think I have found everything, another tree surfaces.  Thursday my Fitbit went crazy and said I did 159 floors.  Now I know that is not true, but I am sure I did at least 50.  Thankfully it is a walk up attic!!!  

Let the re-decorating begin.  Then maybe, just maybe, I will have time to get something on my frame.

For my grammar nazi friends, I leave you with this.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

It Shouldn't be this Difficult ~

 

This rug was started at a hook in late in October.  The pattern is about 18" x 30" and should not have taken so long to hook!  You would think this is the first rug I ever hooked the way I struggled.  The background was challenging for me, but it was the rooster combs and heads that gave me fits.  They were each hooked a few times.  I also changed the color of the beaks.  Last night I decided to call it done, but upon throwing the rug on the floor I decided left rooster's head was too flat.

Now can I call it finished?  I hope when it is bound I can capture the colors better.   

Thanks, Saundra for gifting me the pattern.  Now to figure out what to hook next.  I can always drag out a UFO 😁

Our weather has been incredible.  Christmas Day it was nearly 60* and sunny a good part of the day.  No complaints from me.  My son and his girlfriend had to get the bikes out and go for a ride!  Here they are at Lakeview Park in Lorain.

Today I noticed plants peaking from the ground.  This is way too early.

Spotted dead nettle trying to bloom.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men ~

 

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL VETERANS.  FREEDOM ISN'T FREE AND WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE.

Sometimes nothing goes as planned.  After waiting 2+ months for a replacement door for the dishwasher that arrived dented, the part had finally arrived and was to be installed today.  BUT . . .  the technician called off.  ARGH 😡  So they could reschedule for Monday.  Of course they can't give you a time and I had a dentist appointment scheduled.  Hopefully I got it worked out to have DSO here in case they come while I am gone.  I just want the new door.  I am tired of the run around from Samsung.

Progress has been made on my 1890 Rooster rug (thank you Saundra!).

Creative time will most likely come to a screeching halt soon, though I am still hoping to make a few gifts.  It is all self inflicted so I have no one to blame but myself.  

My brother is having open heart surgery on Tuesday.  Please keep him in your prayers.  I have very little family and he is the only sibling I am close to.

My Las Vegas son is coming home for Thanksgiving and will be home for a week.  It has been years since he has been home for that long.  I think he is as excited as I am since last year his flight at Christmas was cancelled.  His girlfriend will also be flying out and joining us for a few days.

As Thanksgiving approaches I have much to be thankful for.  I know I am a day early for Veterans' Day, but I am especially thankful for our veterans.  May God bless them.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Hooking Faces ~

I do not do good hooking even the most primitive of faces.  Well, that goes for rooster faces, too.  I am reverse hooking rooster #1's face and have not yet started on face #2.  

Overall, progress is moving along.  Hooking in the blotchy, primitive looking way is not easy for me, but I am trying!!!  Saundra always makes it look so easy.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Tomorrow is voting day in Ohio.  Please exercise your right to vote.  One vote can make a difference.

Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

The Fat Lady ~

They say it ain't over until the fat lady sings.  I think she has sung, but I would not hold my breath 😂

I guess I must start at the beginning.  I have barely hooked in months, but finally dusted off my hook.  I took a class from Cathy Stephan back in May, and the rug I started, an antique adaptation, will be my largest rug to date.  As Saundra puts it, she likes to have a "plus one" to take a break from a major project.  I have many patterns in my stash, but not one I wanted to start.  This antique adaptation has been on my hooking bucket list for years.  

Normally I would enlarge it and put it on linen myself, but with the chaos I am living with, did not have a surface large enough to draw out a pattern.  Enter Saundra.  She offers that pattern in her shop, so told her I wanted to PURCHASE it from her.  She had the size I wanted (though she could have drawn smaller or larger).  When my pattern and invoice arrived, I was told she would not accept my check because she had it on "good authority" that I write bad checks.  She also would not accept payment via credit card because she had it on "good authority" I steal people's identity.  WTH???  There was one more smarmy comment about our "so called friendship" (we go back MANY years here in blogland) but I have lost the invoice so can't share that.  All I can say is THANK YOU, SAUNDRA.  THAT WAS MOST KIND OF YOU!!!  I VALUE OUR FRIENDSHIP 💕 Which leads to this post she made.  I felt so guilty she went to all that work and expense that I had to reciprocate.  She thinks she got the better end of the deal whereas I think I did.  

Here is the pattern drawn to my specs at 18" x 30".  All the little dashes are to help me with the color changes.  This will definitely be challenging for me.

I have not yet started 1890 Roosters, but I have made a little progress on Primitive Horse and Birds.  I finished one of the birds and have started on the branches.  (I didn't realize how off the color was until I uploaded it to the blog.  Hopefully next time I will do a better job!)

XOXO my friend.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren