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

This 'n That ~

Winter returned yesterday . . . sigh.  The good thing about a March storm in Ohio is that it usually doesn't stick around for too long.  With today's warmer temps (in the 40's) and lots of sunshine, most of the snow is gone.  

In my front garden the winter aconite and snowdrops are blooming in abundance.  

As soon as my daffodil buds get to be 3-4" tall, I start cutting them and force them to bloom in the house.  It is amazing how much they continue to grow.  Here are the first daffs of the season.  

Isn't this just the greatest idea?  I snagged it from Facebook.  I have a garden bench that I picked off a neighbor's trash pile a couple of years ago and the seat is rotting.  I think I will try this.  

I am on a roll here with binding my rugs.  I am completely caught up.  I know ~ hard to believe :)  Here's the Chicken Challenge rug all bound.  I was only so-so on the pattern when I started hooking this rug, but it has become one of my all time favorites.  It was just fun to hook.

Here's a super easy way to label a rug.  I just took a piece of binding tape and a Sharpie ~ voila ~ super easy and fast.  If you've bound the rug with rug tape, you can write directly on it there.

These weekends pass too quickly, don't they?  I still have several things on my "to-do" list that I want to get done.  The list is just never ending.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Library Hookers ~

I spent a couple hours this evening hooking at the library.  It was a small group but so much talent. Peggy is hooking this delightful Heavens to Betsy pattern.  Her neutral back is absolutely wonderful ~ so much better in person.

I am almost certain this is the wool she is using but cutting it against the selvage.  It is just an old looking background.

Heidi loves her bright colors.  She is leaning towards a background with just a hint of purple in it.

More bright colors in Jane's Karla Gerard pattern using some alternative fibers.  It is going to be stunning upon completion.

Marsha is a relatively new hooker but you'd never know it.  Her footstool is coming along just great :)

And moi.  I've made a bit of progress on What Nots.  I'm not lovin' it yet ~ maybe that's why I haven't hooked on it in the last year and a half. I'm hoping it will grow on me the more I get hooked.

Not that I'm wishing my life away, but I am happy that tomorrow is Friday.  I have a hot date with my favorite little redhead.  Lake Erie perch for dinner (if you've not had Lake Erie perch, you haven't lived) and hopefully the Muppets movie. Life is good.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

The Fat Lady Sang ~

or . . the Holly Hills Spring Plantings show is now just a good memory :)

As usual, I forgot to take many pictures, but here are a few . . .

There were 3 or 4 ladies that made a variety of wonderful dolls/animals.  

I am not much of a doll person, but I absolutely loved this one.  I was glad when I checked at the end of the show and she was gone!

I'd say putting me next to a wool vendor is like having the fox guard the hen house :)  This gorgeous wool is from the Wool Room of South Lyon, MI.

Teresa Kogut is one of the most talented (and sweetest) people you could ever meet.  A couple of her prints came home with me. She has wonderful punch needle and rug patterns, too.

I am happy to report I had a successful show.  As an afterthought I took a few hooked pieces with me not expecting any to sell.  (At the fall show, I didn't even sell a one.)  I sold two of them ~ woo hoo ~ which really made my day and definitely boosted my profit margin.  I was very conservative in my purchases so actually came home with some cash to put towards my hooking expenses.  As we all know, hooking is not cheap :)

For more pictures, hop on over to Earlene's blog. She was helping Dawn and took some great shots.

I did break down and bought one little bunny . . .

. . . and of course a bit of wool.

Thanks, Dawn, for such a great show.

* * * * *

March is a big birthday month in my family and yesterday we celebrated.  Grandson Jake turned 9 . . .

. . . son J ~ still wearing his "winter face" (with girlfriend Jessica and Loocie) is 33.  How did that happen?

MUCH older brother Bill (2 years and 11 days) also had a birthday, along with yours truly :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren