Happy 4th ~

~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA ~

I hope your 4th is even better than imagined :)  We had cookouts Saturday & Sunday with fireworks on Sunday.  It has been a perfect holiday weekend.  Today is pretty low key ~ just what I needed.  Did a little hookin', a little yard work, spent a little time with my sweetie.  Heaven.

Last night we had another breathtaking sunset.  Simply amazing colors.

Totally coincidence, but here's what I'm hooking this Independence Day.  Never even thought about it when I was drawing up the pattern the other day.  I've punched this once and this is my third time hooking it.  Just a fun little pattern.  Not using worms this time, though I should be.  Hooked mostly in an 8 1/2 cut (my current favorite size . . . subject to change, of course) it's about 13" in diameter.

I am in love with this blue wool.  Purchased from Rebecca Erb, it's her coverlet blue.  I've had it since it came out, but it's the first time I've hooked with it and it won't be the last.  I only bought a half yard so I think I'd better search out some more.  I also purchased the red and green and haven't hooked with those yet, but I'm sure they will be just as wonderful.

~ GOD BLESS AMERICA ~

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Breathtaking Sky ~

Last night's sky over Ohio's north coast absolutely took your breath away.  So much more beautiful than a picture can ever capture (especially my pictures . . . sigh).  The first three pictures were taken from DSO's upper balcony.  He lives in the former American Ship Building shipyard.  The water you see was a dry dock where they built 1000' ore carriers.  After the ship was completed, the dry dock was flooded and the ship sailed to Lake Erie which is just a short distance north.  You can read more about it here.

DSO's photos . . .

My brother's picture . . .

Just a gorgeous holiday weekend and even better since it's a three day :)  Time to do a bit of yard work, a never ending job. 

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

Another Wormy Mat ~

July!  Wow.  I just don't believe it.  So nice to have a three day weekend but it will be a busy one so I won't get half of what I want done . . . the story of my life.

I finished another little scrappy mat.  Before you get impressed, this one is only about 6" x 9" ~ AND ~ once again hooked ONLY with worms.  Personally I think it looks better in person :)  Digital photos always seem to brighten the colors.

I want to hook one more little mat and one more pumpkin using hand torn strips and then I need to get busy finishing them ~ and we all know how much I'll whine about that.  I'm trying not to wait until the last minute because, unfortunately, the show in September will be here more quickly than I'd like ~ and I'm a great procrastinator. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

100% Worms ~

Greetings and happy hump day :)

I think this is only the second time I've done this.  This little mat was hooked ENTIRELY with worms.  I did not cut in to one piece of wool, not even a small piece.  Measuring just over 8" x 10", it is hooked with worms ranging from an 8 to 9 cut.  Maybe even a couple 9 1/2s, too.  It's nice having the worms separated, but I find it harder to choose from my worm pile than to cut exactly what I am looking for.  I guess that's why I have so many worms :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Hooks Like Butter ~

I have one of these Uncle Sam banks somewhere in the attic.  Not antique but I've probably had it for forty years :)

I'm sure you've heard that some wool hooks like butter ~ just passes so easily through your backing.  This wool truly ranks as one of the best.  It's either Betsy's or Rebecca's.  I'm not good at remembering whose wool it is. 

I'm using it for the background of this little fall mat.  It just makes for a nice, subtle background.  In person, I'm not sure if there is enough contrast between the background and the sunflower stem and the sunflower doesn't seem to stand out as much either.  I think I need to get some opinions at hooking tomorrow evening.  My goal is to finish the background this evening which shouldn't take long at all since the overall size is only 9 1/2" x 11 1/2".

I proddied the sunflower petals.

My hook's been smokin' this weekend.  I finished hooking all my sunflowers.  Now the not so fun part of "finishing" them.  These measure about 8-9" across including the petals.  Some of them have a single row of proddy and some a double.  And, BTW, I still haven't found my proddy hook after a couple years or more.  I refuse to buy another one because they aren't cheap and I know as soon as I'd buy one, I will then find it.

These two measure about 6 1/2" in diameter.

I should be out cutting grass and working in the yard, but there are still some of those dang bugs and I just can't deal with them.  Darn that the weekend is almost over.  At least next weekend will be a three day :)

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

Saturday Quickie ~

I took a quick trip this morning about an hour south to a primitive antique show, Back to our Roots.  Overall, things were much too primitive for my taste, but of course I did not come home empty handed. 

I got the sweetest toy sewing machine from hooker friend Karin who was set up with her daughter Gabriella.  It is about 50% bigger than any of my other toy machines.  Cast iron and HEAVY.  Also some blue and white ticking, a Peaseware jar and a couple pieces from a red coverlet.  The coverlet pieces are much heavier and coarser than the usual overshot coverlets. 

The machine has wonderful graphics.

The Peaseware jar is just slightly smaller than another jar I have by the same maker and has a shinier finish.  What a coincidence that this was bought from another hooker friend, Teri of Western Reserve Mercantile.

Gotta run :)  Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

They're Baaaaack ~

Commonly known as Canadian soldiers (whether true or not, I've heard in Canada they are called American soldiers), the Lake Erie mayflies have arrived.  They are supposed to be a good thing . . . indicating a healthy lake . . . but they TOTALLY freak me out.  They don't poop or bite, but I have this irrational fear of them.  I just discovered there is even a website dedicated to them and a Facebook page.  These facts are from the website.

"Mayflies usually live for 24-72 hours. Don't forget that they've already spent 1-2 years on the bottom of the lake as a nymph living burrowed in the mud. Within that three days, though, they manage to get into about everything you can imagine. You will find dead mayflies lying around on the sidewalks, in spider webs, on window ledges, etc. They'll go anywhere where there's light at night. Wear a white shirt outside at night and you'll see what I mean.

Many mayflies stack up on the streets below street lights. This is where they land after they get tired of flying around the light for hours on end. Once on the street, they are usually run over by cars and make this "snapping" sound and it's all over. If its dry, they turn into a dust after several hours of traffic. If it's raining, they turn into a thick soup that smells something awful (read 'real dead fish'). The City of Port Clinton has gained approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, and a grant from the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, for the very first mayfly composting site in America!  Now isn't that quite a claim to fame for the city that's already The Walleye Capital of the World!!!"

I took a walk late last evening and then sat on the porch until 9:00 pm and nary a mayfly was seen.  This morning I awoke to an Alfred Hitchcock type nightmare.

Millions of them . . .

I won't be doing any yardwork for a few days.

Thankfully they are usually done hatching in a couple days, but then there are skeletons of them everywhere. 

I've been working on a few "hooky" things for my upcoming show in September.  One pumpkin is done . . .

. . . and sunflowers that will be mounted on old bedsprings are in progress.  I'll be happy when the sunflowers on the "bad" linen are done.  Reminder to self.  No matter how thrifty you are, as Kelley stated, "life is too short to hook on bad linen".

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren