Cat Scratch Fever

Mom's been busy the last day and half baking and wrapping things and doing errands so I took over working on Grandma's rug.  I tried to get Riley to help but he's too busy "napping" he says, and we don't ask Miles to do anything he's too sick.  Mom's worried about him and she keeps calling the vet.  Apparently his new meds aren't helping (and boy oh boy you should see that little guy fight Dad when Dad tries to get a pill into him. He's a scrapper like me!) and Mom and Dad are worried - I don't even get jealous when Mom gives him hugs and rubs - well not too jealous.

Anyway - it was left up to me to work on the rug - I have a different technique than Mom.  I don't use a hook - I use my nose and teeth...

Just admiringg me work...

Now and again I have to wave the magic paw...

It's hard work being a hooker you know...

Well like I said - this is the progress I made since yesterday!

Okay - gotta go help eat some treats...Jonesy

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

Yesterday it was flurriering here but it didn't leave any of the white stuff on the ground.  It was and still is cold however and today it's "blustery" - the neighborhood trash cans and recycling bins are blowing all over the place!

I spent the day putting the candles in the windows and putting up a few of the Christmas decorations.  Was being more choosy this year - maybe I'm getting tired of some of the same things year after year and other decorations I just can't not put up! Last year I had pretty much weeded out a lot of it and freecycled it.  This year I think - get rid of or keep but some things I'm just not sure of so will just save for now (like i said I really weeded out last year so there is room!)

I sat down to start hooking the big hit and miss rug (my goal is to finish it by Christmas for my Mom) late afternoon and sat and hooked all night after dinner.

This is my (or should I say our) progress so far...

This morning I'm looking around at my worm baskets and I'm thinking I still haven't put a dent in them!   The only wool I cut for this rug is the reds and blues for the border!  Hoping to use up ALL my worms so I can start the new year fresh!

I will not be hooking too much the few days - have too many little things I have to get done and errands to do - but as I make progress will post pics.

Only 10 1/2 days until Christmas!

Blue Christmas

December 13, 2010 - I'm about to embark on this journey of trying to get a large rug done by Christmas.  Please note - I said TRY!  If it's not done - then that will have to be okay, but I'm going to try my darnedest!

Here are the results of my reds....just love how they turned out - the ones on top are the ones I used as bleeders...

Seems every rug I make I have to throw some red in there - just love the color but I never get a good red when I try to dye - Love the brown/reds but I always get the pinky/burgundy red - well see previous post you can see these were the colors I married with the bright reds.   Real prim in person - happy with the way they turned out.

Here's my piles of blues I decided to marry - most were light grays and light blues and then i used a few pieces of as-is navy...

And here are my results - just what i wanted.  Notice the one piece that is a bluish/gray - I have tried to over dye that piece of wool many times and it won't take a color - it tests as 100% wool - ever have a piece like that - happens to me sometimes with the as-is'!

Okay - off to bind a rug I made for a gift and then that 60" x 35" piece of linen will be put on my frame - The one plus is I don't have to draw anything on it with the hit and miss!  Love that!

Have a wonderful week - Will post progress photos if I can get anything done!

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue

Okay - I'm not making brown to blue but ugly reds and shades of red to a nice red hopefully!

Right now I have two pots on the stove of some ugly reds I dyed (have the worst time with lights and reds with my wonky water and have lots of  ewwww's in my stack to try again!) 

I threw the ugly in with the bright Santa Claus red as-is wool I have hoping to bleed the reds into the ugly reds and hoping to get a great red!   So stay tuned to see what this becomes!

I have also cut a piece of linen to make an approximately 56" x 28" rug to make a rug for my Mom for Christmas (a very difficult person to buy for!)

This is a pic of a rug I saw on ebay or somewhere last year.  I'm thinking of doing something similar on the linen above except it will be more colorful I'm sure because I plan on using all my worms in my worm basket.  I love the colors in this rug but will make the border in reds and blues - My Mom is all about matchy/matchy in her house (so not me! LOL)

So hence, the reason I'm marrying reds on the stove right now.  Will have to do something similar for navy blues tomorrows - I'm thinking I will marry some gray textured wool with some as-is navys to get a good color.

Wish me luck and let's see if I can pull this big rug off by Christmas!

Stay warm!

Candle In the Wind

Well it's Friday already - this week just zoomed right on by! 

Did some shopping this week - not for Christmas presents but for me - I finally bought a winter coat! Yep - amazing! I needed one bad - I was actually cold this week when I went out in my sweater!   It's nothing spectacular - just an ordinary wool pea coat type coat - suits me fine - plain and warm!  A friend of mine told me to be sure I DON"T cut it up to put in a rug!  I told her she thinks she's very funny doesn't she!

Also this week been working on some gifts.  And contrary to some people saying I have help hooking....I do the hooking!



 Hey - Really - Jonesy did not hook these mats and fall asleep nor did he clean the hooking room today and run out of steam! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 Here's the ones I can show you - these will be for the hairdresser, and some acquaintances and stuff - you know - those times you need a small gift but don't know what to give but don't want to show up empty handed.

Decided to make some of those candle cozies and also have some nice big mugs so made some mug cozies for them.   Will fill the mugs I have with teas or hot chocolate or candy or something.  There is one cozie that I didn't use - the sheep one - looks silly - the sheep is too big and all you see is the middle on the candle!  Silly me!  Will have to find a widddddddddddddde candle or use if on a basket or something!  

Had plans on getting more done by today but just got finishing whipping the little mug rugs.  I made a couple of things I will share after Christmas and tomorrow have another one to start on (hopefully).

On our group AAPG, we signed up and got a name for our Christmas Swap.  Well  I had Betty - you can check out what I made for her on her post here ,

I received a package in the mail this week from Debbie.  She had me in the swap and she sent me some wonderful goodies! 

The only requirement was to do the sheep or the kitty pattern (designed by Deirdre) in any medium we wanted.  Debbie hooked me the kitty - isn't it adorable - looks nice and aged! She also did the pattern in 2 little ornies, sent me some red wool, a pillow she stitched a girl and kitty and also another quilted/stitched mat!  Sorry for the pic - could not get a very good shot!    Just know I was a lucky girl!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Doo Whacka Do

Well it was a long weekend but I do believe that someone is happy I'm home this morning and providing a "lap" (Yep I think this little guy missed me - he was talking up a storm when I got home yesterday - not sure if he was yelling at me for leaving or just excited I was home! ) 

Saturday I spent the day over at the Heritage Center in Harleysville for their annual PA/German Folk Art Sale (http://www.mhep.org/).  It was the opening weekend however the sale is on all month in case you are in the area.  The place was beautifully decorated and there was some gorgeous items for sale.

I was demonstrating rug hooking along with Maryilyn Diener who was demonstrating Scherenschnitte.  There was never even a lull in the amount of people to talk to about rug hooking.  Loved hearing stories how some had done it but put aside their hooking and now are inspired again or that their grandmother's had done it. 

My Mom and her friend Jean stopped by to visit (Mom in red)....

Even with all the talking I was doing I did manage to get a lot hooked - here is my progress towards the end of the day...

I left a little early and went home and was home all of five minutes until I had to leave again to take Nettie, Diane and Susan to Atlantic City for the evening for the Celtic Thunder Holiday Show.  We were so lucky that traffic eastbound moved freely (unlike west bound - dead stops!).  We made it in time to grab a bite to eat and get settled in our seats.

After the show it was time to hit the floor and play those penny slots!

Had a good time, spent the night there and before you know it, it was time to say goodbye to Atlantic City.  This is Nettie, Diane and Susan

Now I seriously have to come up with some ideas for Christmas presents and get the house cleaned and in order!

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

Hello Goodbye

Some days I just don't know if I am coming or going anymore!

Wednesday was a miserable day - driving whipping rains, totally gray out - all you wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep!  (or on my lap and sleep)

Thursday I picked up Nettie and we went to Grant Street.  Before we got there we met Kathy for lunch at TGIF and then it was off to Grant Street and a very interesting day at Grant Street.  

I brought "whipping" again.  Honestly I do hook - but it seems I do better doing my finishing work on days I go out there.  One of these days I will surprise everyone with a hook in my hand!

Lots of people in and out throughout the day and lots of work going on.

Jill was concentrating very hard on her "January Sheep" rug...

Linda finished whipping her "Stockings Were Hung" rug (forgot to get a pic) and started yet another rug...

Genny finished her first punch needle piece and later was cutting tongues to make it a penny rug...

Kathy was being Kathy....

Me, I finished whipping my mug rugs (these were an order - she just wanted randomness)  - Great way to use up scraps...

Nettie brought a suitcase full of patterns and wool - she didn't know what she wanted to work on - She decided on this cute snowman rug and got a lot done.

After I finished whipping my little mug rugs, I started cutting wool - this will be my next project.  Kelley had gifted me the Seven Gates Antique Adaptation rug already drawn on linen a few months ago (that would be Jonesy reading the note from Kelley's Olivia and Melrose to my Miles, Riley and Jonesy around the outside of the rug).  Love everyone's versions I see and mostly in neutrals.  Going to try to make this look old but I always end up with too much color in my rugs.  Anyway - this will be my color palette (browns/tans/reds) - will keep chanting "simple" "simple" "simplify" to see if I can keep it simple!  Should be interesting how it turns out! 

Tomorrow will be an interesting day.   I will be at the Heritage Center in Harleysville demonstrating rug hooking at the PA/German Folk Art Sale from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  I will rush home and Nettie and 2 of her sisters should be waiting for me and I will be playing limo driver (in a Subaru) to Atlantic City for the evening.  Nettie and her sisters love the group Celtic Thunder but don't care to drive - Well I love to drive - so I'm getting a good deal! A free ticket to the show to chauffeur these ladies!  Never saw them before (they have) so should be interesting!  (Will be the first concert in a while that I have been to that hasn't been Tom Petty! LOL!)  We will stay over night and come home sometime on Sunday. 

After the interesting weekend I will be having I will have to get a good nights sleep and start seriously thinking on what I need to get done for Christmas! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful and interesting weekend!