That's ME You Hear Screaming!!!

 

I am having email problems.  I spent over an hour and a half on the phone last night with my ISP and the problem wasn't fixed.  I was told it would take one to two days for them to fix and get back with me.  Shortly thereafter, it was working.  Yippee.  I was able to log on from work today.  Double yippee.  It is down again.  (Insert bad words here.)

 

Chicago was great fun.  Jake was so excited to visit his cousins Alexis, 8 and Sophia who is almost 11.  They are my grand nieces.  Isn't this the coolest street sign?  The area of Chicago they live in is called Ravenswood Gardens (aka Lincoln Square). 

 

 

Every time I visit there, I am amazed at how different it is than living in Podunk, Ohio.  Their neighborhood is so busy with foot traffic and people on bicycles.  Every one seems to know everyone else.  

 

The first day the kids decided to have a lemonade stand to capitalize on the neighbor's garage sale.  Their mom posted it on the neighborhood Facebook page and so many neighbors came.  It was a very successful sale and they sold out of lemonade.

 

 

Friday evening we walked a couple blocks to a small park where a band was playing.  The cousins had fun on the playground and climbing trees.

 

Kissin' cousins



Niece Elise, hubby Michael, older daughter Sophia and DSO Fritz

 

Saturday we took a ride on the El.  

 

 

Our destination.

 

 

Time was spent playing in the fountain.



 

Then it was time for the Bean.  I LOVE the Bean. 

  

A selfie in the Bean.

Cooling our tootsies in icy cold water before heading back to the house for grilled salmon.

 

Saying goodbye . . . until next time :)

My niece sent me some more pictures, but guess what?  They are in an email I can't retrieve.  (Bad words, bad words, bad words.)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

* * * SMILE * * *

 

 

 

I couldn't resist :)

Pug hugs ~
Lauren

Weekend Plans ~

I'm taking this guy to visit his cousins . . .

 

They live here.

 

 

Perhaps we'll go here . . .

 

 

 

. . . and take a ride.

 

 

Or maybe take a cruise . . .

 

 

This is definitely a fun site to see.

 

And this is nearby, too.

 

So much to see and do in a weekend.  Memories being made.

 

I think I'd better go start to pack.  Procrastination is my middle name.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Busy, busy ~

 

Thanks to all who gave me suggestions on how to clean my little hooked mat.  I don't know when I will get to it, but I definitely will not be soaking it in Woolite.

 

Also, when I was talking about the burlap that the yarn sewing mat was being worked on, I called it the wrong thing.  I found my note a few days after posting.  It was called fine weave burlap.  I still have not worked any on it, nor have I started a rug.  I need to get my mojo back ~ and soon.

 

Thursday afternoon I left work a couple hours early, picked up my grandson Jake, and headed an hour west to African Lion Safari in Port Clinton, OH.  It really is kind of cheesy ~ so happy I had purchased the tickets through Groupon.  Jake had a good time so that is the only thing that matters.  Here he is in front of the monkey cage . . .

 

. . . and on his first camel ride. 

Much of Saturday was spent antiquing in Seville, Ohio.  (No.  We did not stop to see the Barber . . . lol.)  They had an outdoor show in addition to the wonderful shops in town.  Not too many vendors and I'm wondering if it was because of the threat of rain.  I did purchase this really cool vintage hooked rug.  It's about 3 1/2' in diameter.  I'm not too sure where it will end up.  It is showing signs of wear, but not too badly. 

 

 You can see the colors are much more vibrant on the back side.

I also got this sweet little ironstone tea (?) pot to add to my small collection of white ironstone.  I don't think it's English, but I like it nonetheless.

 

My find of the day was this wonderful little sampler from Seville Antiques.  It is only 9" square, newly framed but nicely done.  As you can see, there is some damage, but for the price it was a steal.  When I was paying for it, the sales person said it had just come in to the shop and she wishes she had found it first.  That is my third visit in a row to the shop that I have purchased an antique sampler.

 

I am a real homebody and prefer to spend evenings at home, but last night DSO and I went to a dance (even though we both have two left feet).  I believe this is the third time we have had the pleasure of hearing the Swing City Big Band.  They are wonderful and I really do enjoy that era of music.

 

Joanne of Snippets and Scraps (who hasn't blogged in forever) sent me this pug doll years ago to sew.  I am so bad.  It sat in my closet and finally sweet Melinda of Merry Wind Farm sewed it for me.  Isn't he just wonderful???  She even added some rusty bells.  Thanks so much Melinda for being such a good friend.

 

Oh, these weekends pass much too quickly! 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Wool ~ and more Wool :)

 

This little vintage hooked mat was purchased Sunday at the Milan, Ohio, antique show.  I don't think the show was as high quality as in previous years and the threat of storms kept some dealers away, but overall it was still a very good show with lots of great antiques.  This mat measures just under 13" x 16" and has serious damage issues on all four sides, but for the price, I just couldn't not bring it home.  I have an idea for finishing the edges, but am not sure what to do about cleaning it.  There is one area that is stained (on the right, by the fence) and overall just looks dirty.  I don't want to wait until the snow flies to try snow cleaning, but I don't want it to fall apart either.  Has anyone tried soaking a rug like this in Woolite?  Any other suggestions?

 

 

Oh, my.  Have you seen the latest Rebecca Erb wool samples?  They are wonderful.  So wonderful that I ordered six yards of wool.  I shouldn't have, but I just couldn't help myself.  These three are her coverlet colors.  The colors are to die for in person, nothing like is showing here.

 

I am absolutely in love with the top wool.  It is called Portabella. 

 

I also stocked up on two of my "go to" wools, reversible black and flax and linen.  Two "must have" wools.

 



 

Now if I'd just get the hook to linen.  I have a couple patterns ready to go, but just haven't found the time to start either.  Maybe tomorrow . . . sigh.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

More on Yarn Sewing





Kathy Wright (not the same Kathy Wright who organizes Rug Week at Sauder Village) was our delightful teacher for my yarn sewing class.  Here are some examples of her work. 

 

 

Finished with binding like a hooked rug.

I lost my little note, but I believe the backing for our project was a linen burlap purchased from JoAnn Fabrics.  You can also use rug hooking linen, monks cloth or plain burlap.  The yarn used is 100% wool if possible, but you can also use a blend if it's a color you like.  She purchases much of her wool yarn from JoAnn's, too.  Does this mean that I am going to become a yarn hoarder, too?  I have many small pieces of primitive linen that are too small to fit on the hooking frame and this might be a good way to use some of them. 

 



You can read more about yarn sewing in the book "American Sewn Rugs: Their History with Exceptional Examples" by Jan Whitlock with Tracy Jamar.  They say, and I quote, "Yarn-sewn rugs fall into the earliest category of sewn rugs, 1790-1830, and are more closely related to needlework than floor coverings."  I believe there is also information in "American Hooked and Sewn Rugs: Folk Art Underfoot" by Joel and Kate Kopp, but for the life of me I cannot find my book :(      {These books do not give instruction, just talk about it and show examples.}

 

This is Kathy's sample, made in to a little pillow.

Close up.  Sorry this is sideways and I can't figure out why. 

 

Our kit ~

Starting out ~

 

And here's what little I got done.  I hooked his beak blue and will  probably go back and change it (reverse sewing...lol?).

 

I think yarn sewing can best be described as doing the satin stitch on a backing material.  Actually quite simple but it takes some time figuring out the length of the stitch and the tension.  I think Kathy's tension is much looser.  I'll have to work on that. 

 

Start from the top of the backing, insert the needle and leave a tail that will be covered. 

 

Come up very close to your tail.  (I moved the tail aside so you could see where I came up.)

 

 

Now you be doing a satin stitch.  Keep your stitches very close for good coverage.  This yarn is a little thicker than the blue of the bird and covers much better.

 

It's that simple though it will take some practice to feel confident doing it.  

 

 

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to contact me or you can email Kathy.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Since the rains have once again passed us by, I need to head outside and do a little yard work before the day totally slips away.

 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren