This 'n That ~

What has happened to June?  POOF.  GONE.  

I have a houseguest for a few days while daddy is in California meeting his firstborn grandchild.  He is over the moon happy to meet her.  My house guest is a cutie, too, though she does shed - A LOT!

I live in an older neighborhood.  My house was built in 1940 and most of the homes are of that era.  I have no idea when streets were repaved or replaced last and all are in pretty bad shape.  I have no idea why, but my block was placed on the replace list this year.  Why mine and not others?  I haven't a clue but I know residents on other streets are not happy.  This morning when I was heading out for my morning walk, a lady walking her dog asked me why my street and not hers which is much worse.  What do I say?  The ironic thing is that this woman, when she has seen me in the past, never once said hi.  I am guessing that was our first and last conversation. 😁  It is amazing how far down they are digging.  Of course, there are complaints about the inconvenience, but how could they do it without the inconvenience and mess?  First the southbound lane is being done and then the northbound.  As my mother would have said, some people would bitch if they got hung with a new rope!!!

My mat from the Ali Strebel class is finished.  The class was great.  Ali was a fun and very good teacher.  I enjoyed learning some new techniques.  (Will I remember them?  Good question.)  Will I be hooking another mat using these learned techniques?  Probably not.  I am happy in my comfort zone of pulling loops with wool.

It is so strange to see the back of the little mat with all the linen showing where alternative methods were used.

Hopefully now I can get some serious hooking done on my rug started at Cedar Lakes rug camp in May.

I am thankful we got some rain.  My gardens and hydrangeas must be so very happy.  Robin, if you sent some of that Wisconsin rain our way, thank you!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

More of Ali's Creations ~

Ali has so many fun ideas she incorporates in to her rugs.  (I didn't get all the pictures I had planned because she started packing up before I had taken them 😖.  My fault . . . I dilly dallied too long.)  Her ideas just seem to be endless.

A great way to hook a sunflower.

Ali will be teaching this pumpkin in a class at Sauder Village this August during rug week.

I went to a workshop hosted by Ali and Maria Barton many years ago.  This is one of the finished projects.  Mine is buried somewhere partially completed.  This may inspire me to find it and finish it!

Check out the sweet little needle felted cardinal in his pocket!

Happy Sunday and stay cool.  The heat wave is coming to a large part of the country.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Outside My Comfort Zone ~ Day 3

I must say, I almost didn't sign up for Ali Strebel's class because our hooking styles are worlds apart.  I must admit, though, I am most happy I did and thoroughly enjoyed the class.  Ali is an excellent teacher and I would recommend her to any style of hooker.

Here are the projects from class in no particular order.  Somehow I missed one hooker's piece.  So sorry, Sharon 😥  If you enlarge the pictures, you can see the variety of methods and fibers.

close up of details from above pic

The only thing I added to my little piece today are the 3 leaves, called standing wool.  For you hookers out there, standing wool is making round quillies and manipulating them in to other shapes.  Three leaves to go then on to the background.  I must say I am very pleased with it.  Thank you, Ali!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Outside My Comfort Zone ~ Day 2

As I said, Ali Strebel is the queen of working with alternative hooking methods and fibers.  Here are some examples that clearly show what I am talking about.

I just love the finishing technique on this little mat.

Ali hooked this from a photograph of her dad.  He is even wearing wire rimmed glasses.  Absolutely amazing!!!

My progress after two days.  The center of the sunflower is clipped loops (though hard to tell because of the wool I chose) and the round blue flowers are little needle felted "pillows" sewn on with a narrow wool strip.  The only thing left to plan are the leaves and we have a idea for those.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Outside My Comfort Zone ~ Day 1

IMHO, Ali Strebel is the queen of hooking with alternative fibers using many different techniques.  She never just hooks a rug with pulled loops like I do.  Here she is demonstrating needle felting dots on top of an area that is hooked.

With Ali's guidance and encouragement, I am determined to try different things in my little mat.  The top rim of my basket has been appliqued.  The stem is a technique called caterpillar shirring and the berries are fabric bundle shirring.  Whew!  She is challenging me!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Sunday Snippets ~

Yesterday I vended at a small hook in.  Hooker Susanne hosts it annually, generally about 35 of mostly the same people every year.  Always a top notch affair.  I came home with a couple yards of wool (surprised😁?) and a bit of cash in my pocket so it was a good day.  No pictures to share.

Many of you hookers will be familiar with Ali Strebel.  I have a 3 day class with her this week.  She is a lot of fun, but our hooking styles are worlds apart.  She hooks with lots of alternative items and incorporates quillies, couching, needle felting, etc. in her pieces.  I am a just a wool hooker who pulls loops.  It will definitely be a learning experience for me.  I purchased this small 12" x 15" pattern from her a few months ago.

I have been binding Askew and am probably more than 50% done.  I will be happy when that is finally finished.

I am also back to hooking my camp rug.  I have been outlining all the motifs with my background wool.  For now I am going to leave that bright blue in, but will try coffee staining it later and if that doesn't help, will reverse hook it.  Even though I took the rug outside to try to get a decent color representation, it just isn't right 😡

Enjoy your Sunday.  A gorgeous day here on Ohio's north coast.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Tipp City ~

 

Tipp City is a vibrant, upscale little community in SW Ohio near Dayton.  Dayton is the home of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  This is the second time I have attended a 2 day hooking event hosted by Ali Strebel, Jo Wick, Jenny Smallridge and Chrisi Koehl.  This little get-away did not disappoint.  The above mentioned hookers each have a hooking business and offer the most wonderful goods.  One could easily go broke there!

Ali is set to teach at the Crooked River Rug Hooking Guild in June.  I had absolutely no intention of signing up.  Our hooking styles are at the total opposite ends of the spectrum.  I use wool.  I pull loops.  The end.  Ali, on the other hand . . . uses wool, pulls loops AND adds needle felting, couching, quillies, sari ribbon and other alternative fibers.  I am sure there is more 😁  So while Ali was giving her little talk she showed this little "memory" mat.

I thought, "Hey, I can do that and change the date to something meaningful for me!".  So the wheels started turning.  While perusing her patterns, I came across this little one which I like even better.  It is only 15" x 12" and should be doable in a 3 day class.  I purchased the pattern as my incentive to really sign up.

A couple more of Ali's creations.  She loves quillies . . . wool strips rolled in to circles or manipulated in to other shapes.  I, on the other hand, do not enjoy making them so much . . . but they are fun on hooked and appliqued pieces.

Here is my rug progress.  Of course I did not get done what I was hoping to, but I should have known better.  The circles were all hooked and I just did that little bit of background.

Hooker friends are the best.  Deb, a hooker and fantastic appliquer/stitcher who I met last time in Tipp City, gifted me this wool carrot.  It fits perfectly in to the bed spring.

Travel mate Val made these sweet little owls and was giving them away.

Travel mate #2, Linda, shared this gorgeous !!! blue hand dyed linen with me.

Snow was falling from the sky here in northern Ohio earlier today, but thankfully not sticking.  Shouldn't it be green?

Happy St. Patty's Day 💚💚💚

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren