Throw Down ~

So many different styles of hooking were represented at the throw down at the Retreat in to the Mountains.  It was held outside on the porch so many of the pictures are very washed out.  I don't understand why the color on some is right on and others not . . . sigh.  In my next life I will learn to take better pictures :)  

I hope you enjoy the show. 

 

I still have a few rugs to share.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren 

It Really Was ~

~ almost heaven :)  Susan Feller's Retreat in to the Mountains . . . two and a half days of hooking, friends old and new, more hooking and in my case non-stop eating.  I am a grazer and with all the goodies in the hooking room, I spent a little too much time at the goodie table.  So many talented hookers ~ so many different styles.  

Karen Larsen of Crows Foot Farm gave a talk on the thought process she uses to design rugs.  She explained how this rug came about.  It was based on drawing by her eight year old granddaughter and aptly named Lucy's Fairy Village.  Isn't it just too sweet?

Another rug of Karen's of a local Pennsylvania barn, Star Barn 1872.

The same barn hooked by her hooker friend Nancy who was also at the retreat.  Totally different but equally as wonderful.

My partner in crime Melissa was hooking this pattern by the Woolley Fox.  This is what she accomplished the first day.  Her color choices were amazing.

Sweet Liz who also attended the retreat last year brought everyone a piece of antique paisley.  Melissa hooked it in the center of her hearts.  

She completed the rug Sunday morning. Absolutely GORGEOUS :)

Some of you may recall I posted a picture of this rug a month or so ago from a hook in and several readers were asking to see it spread out.  Shirley was hoping to finish it before the retreat but had just had a little hooking left to do.  Here she is contemplating her wools in April of 2013, having started the rug that January.

April 2013 progress.

Here she is Saturday evening pulling her very last loop.  She has been hooking since 1974 having been taught by her grandmother.

WOW!!!  What more can you say?  (The background is navy, not black.)  I can't remember if the rug is 5 or 6 feet wide (I think it is 6') by 8 feet long.  It will proudly grace her living room floor.  It is a pattern by Kate Porter of Loopdeeloo rugs of Chardon, Ohio.  It does come in a smaller size, too :)

Not having anything else to hook, she bought this pattern from Susan Saturday evening and by Sunday morning was already done except for outlining the petals, using the same wool from the room size rug.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I have lots more rugs to share in the next post.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Almost Heaven ~

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenendoah River -

Life is old there

Older than the trees

Younger than the mountains

Growin' like a breeze

Country roads, take me home

To the place, I belong

West Virginia, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads.

I am picking up hooker friend Melissa at 5 AM (that's in the morning ~ UGH) on Friday and we are heading to Susan Feller's Retreat in to the Mountains.  This is our third year attending and it is three days of hooking fun.  Have I started to pack?  No, though I do have a list made.  Do I have to work tomorrow?  Yes.  I'd say my evening tomorrow evening will be busy :)

I do have my pattern picked.  It is found in this book . . .

. . . and is a pattern by Barbara Carroll called "Here a Chick".  It looks like a fun hook and friend Sheila, though not going to West Virginia, will begin hooking it, too.

Since I am terrible at choosing colors of wool, I am taking enough wool to hook 3 or 4 rugs . . . and I probably still won't have the colors I want . . . lol!

I am taking the easy way out and posting this from my desktop but I really need to figure out the iPad thing.  Thank you so much for all your comments.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

iPad help needed!!!

Can you believe I've had my iPad for over a year and have never blogged from it? I still prefer my desktop but I'm still operating on Windows XP and today is XP doomsday. I tried once to blog but couldn't figure out how to upload a photo. I downloaded Blogpress and figured how to add a photo, but only if I take the pic while I am writing the post. I can't upload from my photo album. Can anyone offer some suggestions, not only on adding a picture, but any suggestions you have to offer would be most appreciated :)

A new antique shop opened just a few blocks from me. Any shop would be hard pressed to succeed in the depressed city I live in, but this one is just a step or two above a flea market but not with flea market prices. Of course I did find something . . . this basket is much bigger in my house than it looked in the shop. It is about 20" square. Just think how much wool it will hold.



I can't believe how much the hyacinths have grown in a week. Well, two of them anyway. They already smell heavenly.



{{Ok.  I did the post from my iPad but came to my desktop to check it before publishing.  The pictures were sized too big and my font too small.  I guess I need LOTS of iPad practice.  Like I said, any suggestions are most welcome.}}

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hooking F-U-N ~

A few pictures from Thursday's hooking with the Hidden Hills Hookers.  These cool footstools were a group project started last year.

LOVE this face :)

Beautiful finish!

Hooked carpetbag.  I should hook one some day but I'd probably never sew it in to a bag :(

Yesterday's hook in put on by the Wool Yankers was great fun.  All the proceeds were being donated but I can't remember to whom.  (Oh, how I miss my mind . . . lol.)

Enjoy the show . . .

Can you believe this was a first rug?

Go Buckeyes.

I thought these were fun.

One pattern . . . all so different.

Proddy sunflowers and a dimensional crow.

 

 

I've made a little more progress on What Nots though not as much as I had hoped.  The orange is more muted in person (sure wish it was possible to capture the true colors) and yesterday at the hook in everyone said that I should keep the orange bird, so for now I will.

I got lucky and won this sweet little canvas bag and wool swatches in the Chinese raffle.  It will be perfect to carry my hook and scissors.

Well, Sunday is quickly slipping by and I have much to do.  #1 on my list is finishing those darn income taxes.  My taxes are pretty simple but I always procrastinate.  I started them at least a month ago . . . sigh.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Goin' Hookin' ~

A couple bloggers have mentioned buying pansies for a flower fix.  I had to stop at Walmart on the way home today and was hoping they would have some, but they did not.  They did have these sweet little hyacinths for only $.98 a pot.  (I need to get some moss to hide the pots.)  Next to Walmart is a Home Depot and I was sure they would have pansies.  Sigh . . . not at HD either. They did have a sweet little Johnny Jump Up in a burgundy/yellow stripe, but I was too cheap to pay $3.98 for one plant in a small pot.

There will be lots of hookin' going on the next couple of weeks.  Tomorrow night the Hidden Hills Hookers meet.  We will be working on a little mat to trade at Katie Allman's hook-in this June.  

Saturday is the Wool Yankers hook-in ~ only a half hour or so away.  I almost never get to hook so close to home.

I've made some progress on What Nots, though not as much as I had hoped.  I wanted to finish it before heading to Susan Feller's Retreat in the (West Virginia) Mountains on Friday the 11th. This will be my third year going and it's just a great bunch of hookers.  I think I figured out why I stopped hooking this rug.  It is that big orange bird.  It's just too ORANGE!  I may be doing some reverse hooking.  Another problem is that I have trouble hooking inside the lines and using such a wide cut (mostly a 9.5) the motifs tend to grow. I'm trying really hard to do a better job with that. At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel and even if it's not done before WV, it will be close.  All I will have left to do is background and I enjoy hooking that since it's totally mindless ~and I have very little mind left :)

We actually had two days of spring.  We are thankfully not back to winter but it's once again just a little too chilly to be working outside.  (OK. I'm a wuss.)  I took advantage of those two days and started to do a bit of yard work.  Of course, so much more to do but it felt good getting a start on it.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren