HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Are any of you lucky enough to remember cards such as these that we, as kids, would hand out in school classrooms?  What an innocent and cherished time that was.

I enjoyed seeing Kim's (My Field of Dreams) hooked hearts and thought I'd post some of mine.  I've posted them before I'm sure, but here they are again.  

An antique adaptation pattern I purchased from Barb Carroll named Olde Hearts.

The rug below I named The Cat's Meow.  The original antique was hard to decipher as the picture of the rug was dark and displayed on the wall of a log cabin home.

Another antique adaptation and the original had odd blocks of color hooked in the background.

Horses and Hearts rug recently replaced another on the floor.  It is a Marion Hamm pattern in an American Country Crafts book.

This next one will be a familiar sight to sweet Robin.  Hope she got hers finished to display this year.  And if not, there's always next year.

Westmoreland Ponies is a Barb Carroll design and was a free to hook pattern in a previous issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.  I'd forgotten about the freebie thing and ended up buying the pattern from her.

Last but not least is the one most recently finished hearts during the Heart Hook-along.  Sadly I chose to hook mine with a faded appearance and it looks rather anemic to me now.  Sure wish I'd chosen darker outlines like Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) did.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

Saundra

THE NEW MUSE

Yes Lauren, one could say I was 'holding out on you'.  But you probably expected this one to be on the frame anyway.  Here's the present object of my attention, drawn 26 x 30.5 so there's a lot of horse to hook.  In person the wool of the horse doesn't look pink.

Look at the outline around the muzzle and neck of the horse.  It appears to either be a row each of pink and black wool or wool which has both colors in it.  Probably the hooker was concerned that just using pink would blend in too much into that tan color so wouldn't delineate the horse from background.

Well take a look at how lucky I am to have narrow cut strips which resembles that used in the antique.  Plus now you can see the horse isn't pink.  A few years ago I was gifted with lots of narrow cut strips in every color imaginable.  Most of the very bright colors I gave to my former rug camp roomie.  There have been many times when I've needed thin outlines or very narrow strips for something or other.  So those have come in handy often.  Never turn down a gift of wool no matter the cut size.

What's on your frame?

Saundra

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BINDING ENSUES

The hooking is done so binding process ensues.  I don't have a favorite or consistent binding technique, so this time the rug calls for a wool whipped edge, me thinks.  Friend Robin feels I'm making double work for myself by doing the two-step process of pre-whipping with thread then again with wool.  But I find it easier not having to fidget with getting the roll tucked in while whipping.  

The plans for distant trees didn't work as planned.  A couple places appear to be trees but imagination is required to see others.  Yet am happy this design finally got hooked and can cross it off my list.

Binding isn't as fun as hooking a rug but I've made peace with the task.  Afterall, I can't enjoy the rug if it isn't completely finished.  There's already a place in mind to hang it where it will be visible daily.  It will replace the Angel and Crow so that one will retire until I find another location for it.  I think Mother with the Fishbowl would approve.

It was a month ago today that I posted my start of this rug, you can see that post HERE.  Well, back to pulling loops on my pattern until 5 p.m. when it will be wine and binding time.

Oh, but first, I just checked the level of propane left in the tank and I need to order another fill.  The last delivery was  made 1/13/26, and today is the 10th.  Since that time I have burned through 197 gallons of propane to the tune of $679.93 PLUS whatever electricity was used to generate the fan and heating via heat pump when temps are above 39 degrees.  Of which there have been few.  Oh well, it's only money, right?

Saundra

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SWITCHEROO of WINDOWSCAPE

Walls in every room of my house have rugs hanging on them, as well as rugs on table tops, chests, etc.  And to maximize the display of rugs decided to do a WindowScape.  Plus it hides me from view at night as I sit near a window to hook.  This is the third switcheroo at the window now.

Sorry the photo is so dark as it was taken with my iPad since the digital camera needs a new battery which hasn't arrived yet.  However, for those of you who may not have seen the rug when it was finished in 2022, here it a better photo.  Geez, hard to believe it has been 4 years since it was hooked.

And, just in case you're wondering, it is an antique adaptation of the rug shown below.

Very soon I'll have a photo of a finished Shadow Sleighride to show you.  Which means there will be another something-or-other on my frame to keep me occupied.  Try and stay warm.  I'll try and stave off cabin fever by happily hooking.

Saundra

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SMORGASBORD RUG SHOW

 A little bit of everything ~ folk art, floral, critters...well the works.  But first, for those of you who commented on Donna Beaupre's works on Happy Mail , go back and look at the reply she made to each of you.  She doesn't have your email address but wanted to acknowledge she read your comments.  Now on to the show.

Are you looking forward to spring like me?  Here is a stylized robin hooked 19th century and measures 18 x 31.

Interested in doing a hand torn floral?  Not a complex floral, but a simple design which could easily handle a hand torn or very wide cut.  No date but it does appear to be old to me,

These furry friends appear to be a cat and dog.  No date was provided but dimensions are 18 x 19.

Just found this NGS (Nancy Gertrude Scott) hooked mat of Jamaican kids  listed on ebay.  For those of you who may not know, she was the daughter of Barbara E. Merry (BEM) of whom I've posted many rugs.  Barbara had a farm and had Jamaican farmhands.  So often Nancy will hook this type folk art from her memories as a child.  This one of Nancy's is listed for $1,250.  Although a cute folky piece, I don't think it will have any takers for that price.  

I really like this landscape but wouldn't care to hook it.  Look at all the detail of the home.  No information at all as it was borrowed from FB.

Can't recall where I found this handsome rooster either.

And then there's these folk art primitive roosters.  It must have been a printed pattern years ago as I've seen numerous variations hooked of the design.

A lamb dated between 1864-1876 which is most likely an E.S. Frost design.

No info on this old horse rug but I like it.  Most likely I found it on FB.

Kissing hearts said to be hooked in the 1900's but no indication if that is early or late 1900's.  If you need a Valentine piece to hook before Valentine's Day, here ya go.

So much for the short-lived acceptable winter weather yesterday.  The arctic air, wind and frigid low temps will be arriving this evening and hang around until about the middle of next week.  Don't know how you folks up 'nawth' manage to live in these and worse conditions?  It has been so cold and with frozen snow that I haven't picked up pinecones from my yard in weeks.  There will be several hundred to pick up by the time I can see them.

Meanwhile, I'll be happily hooking inside until then.  Stay warm and happy hooking to you as well.

Saundra

HAPPY MAIL

In January I posted a Barbara Merry rug I'd not seen on auction sites before.  Donna Beaupre purchased a group of old rugs then searched the internet looking for a name to match those initials.  And it was serendipitous that her search led to my blog.  If you would like to see that post and group of rugs she purchased you can find them HERE.  The rugs and more info about Donna is toward the end of that post.

Now to my happy mail ~ it was a photo of a whimsy lady cut out hooked by Donna and the matching "Give Beauty" poem below was written by her as well.  

Give Beauty, by Donna Beaupre ... 

She also hooked another cut-out of Lady Liberty.

And these whimsical faces of kids.

This antique rug was once owned by Donna's grandmother who lived in Louisburg Nova Scotia before moving to Boston.  It is not known if her grandmother hooked the rug or if she just took it with her when she moved.   Sorry the photo is a tad blurry, but you can still capture it's beauty.

Donna said she just drew a memory rug of her aunt and her youngest son from stories she used to tell him.  Am looking forward to her sharing that with me later as hooking ensues.  Wish she had a blog so I could put a link to it on my side bar and she could share with many more people.

Sometimes keeping up a blog seems like having a job, but I'd miss the opportunity to meet wonderful new friends and get happy mail without it.  Happy hooking everyone.

Saundra

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ANOTHER RUG SHOW

 A few new to me rugs to share with you.  Must admit that none of them float my boat so none will be put in the 'to hook' list.  With nothing else going on in my small little world thought that instead of absence on my blog, I'd do this show.

This one reminds me of an argyle sweater or socks for some reason.  What I do find interesting is how the hooker achieved those blocks...did she hook a thin light strip of yarn/textile between the colors to achieve the stripe?  Would imagine so since it would be difficult to find striped textured wool in all those colors.

The next one with the central design of leaves is less interesting than the border.  Wonder if this was a printed pattern or did the rug hooker draw it?  And if she drew it why would she choose leaves instead of something more interesting?  Hooked late 19th to early 20th century (19 x 32).  But saved it anyway.

A round 15" mat hooked early 20th century.

A floral hooked 19th century measuring 29 x 39.

No information on the delicate looking rug with birds and flowers.  Lovely rug but I wouldn't want to hook it.  No other information was posted.

Some of the images on the rug below are difficult to see.  On the left is a cat or dog wanting to climb a tree, a couple images undecipherable, a donkey and woman with a child on a swing.  No date or size provided.

Cat and kittens with hit and miss border was taken off FB when someone visited an antique shop.

An old flower and stars hooked rug, photo borrowed from the same FB post.

Tattered deer rug, 25 x 36 with no estimate of age.

Having a heatwave....it reached a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit today in my neck of the woods.  But the white rock-hard snow still won't melt from the previous snowfall.  So rug hooking is in my forecast.

Saundra

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THIS and THAT

Up for auction is a rug I've shown previously, at which time I mentioned the auction web site estimated a sale of between $3,000-$4,000.  Holy Moly, look what figure it brought.

Heck, I'd replicate that rug to the best of my ability and sell it for a fraction of that price.  Unfortunately newly hooked rugs on sturdy linen with new wool strips don't bring the price of antique rugs on burlap using old lindsey woolsy and fragile textiles.  But boy do those oldies look fantastic if taken care of well.

This design will climb to the top of my 'to hook' list until another shiny object catches my attention.  Speaking of 'shiny objects'..... leaving Walmart on the floor of the vestibule I noticed a shiny diamond looking item, not a ring, just the stone.  Nah, couldn't be real so thought I'd just leave it there.

But, what if it was real.  So I backed up, picked it up and put it in my pocket.  There was no silvery coating on the back like rhinestones have so could it really be a diamond??  Diamonds do fall out of rings as that happened to me with my first marriage.  Don't know when or where it happened and never did find it.

It was almost lunch time but I felt the need to take it to a jeweler and have it analyzed to see if it was a real diamond.  In the jewelry store I told the lady I'd found something and wanted her to evaluate it.  Put the stone in her hand and said, "it doesn't have the silvery coating on the back like rhinestones".  To which she said, "not all have the coating".  She took it to the back to look at it with her loop and returned.   Guess what ~ she said it wasn't a diamond.  Oh well, it was worth finding out instead of wondering.  And told her even tho it wasn't real I'd still like to have it.  She said, "okay, I was just going to throw it away here".  But then I wouldn't have it to chat about with a picture.

Sheila sent me an update on her Hearts Hook-along rug and she only has two side borders to go.  I love it when rugs have varying values of color, as you see in the background of the light as well as the top and bottom borders.  Looking fantastic Sheila.

Another winter storm, this time a 'nor easter', is headed this way for Sat-Sun.  While only 1-3" of snow is predicted this time, the winds are to be quite strong.  And of course the temps in the 20's during the day and single digits at night.  Ya'll I'm ready for spring!!!  To hell with this winter stuff.

Staying inside and pulling loops to keep my sanity.

Saundra

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SHADOW SLEIGHRIDE UPDATE

Sorry to bore you with another update but nothing else is happening in my life.  Some progress has been made on my rug, which I started about 10 days ago.  So far my attempt at hooking trees in the distance doesn't seem to be working.  Didn't intend for it to look like a forest, just a few other trees implied in the background.  Will continue in hopes that once hooked it will have a hint there are other trees in the vicinity.  

That said, am wondering if I should replace those light strips from the limbs of the distant tree.  Maybe keep them there for now and see what it looks like when other further away trees are hooked.

Today I'd planned to start working on the sleigh.  Then remembered in class a teacher taught us to 'hook what's on top first'.  So guess I'll be working on the man with a hat and beard.

Yesterday I made a pot of unstuffed cabbage rolls and it was delicious.  It's an easy recipe, the only thing that takes time is cutting up the cabbage.  But perhaps not as bad as if I had to parboil the cabbage leaves and roll all the meat up into logs.  I also chopped 2 stalks of celery in mine.  If you want the recipe you can find it HERE.

Am going to venture out today for the grocery store.  As the snow froze solid with the freezing rain on top of the snow, my feet walk on top of the ice.  Obviously the tires on my 1,500 pound vehicle will penetrate the ice making a ridge down my long driveway.  Hope I can get out and back without a problem with the single digit temps.  BTW, normally this area would be in the 40's, so the weatherman stated yesterday.

Happy hooking everyone.

Saundra

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OLD RUGS

Are you ready for an oldies rug show?  Here's an attractive oval circa 1900, measuring 21 x 34.

Earthy colors are my favorite although I have done my share of colorful rugs, not neon bright, but those colorful rugs are my least favorite.  Here are colors which draw me in.  Don't have a date or size but isn't it lovely?

And this one below too.  Again, no date or dimensions as this one was found on a FB antique show posting if memory serves me.  Correction:  I found this rug on Janice's blog post and titled it 'from back porch'.  When posting it I didn't make the connection until Janice made her comment.

Below is a bowl of fruit with petite flowers on the sides, hooked late 19th century and measures 24.5 x 44.

Hutchinson's Noah's Ark circa 1930.  Sorry if I've posted this before, but will move it to the 'shown' folder so I don't bore you again.  It measures 34 x 53.

Not sure how old this covered wagon and log cabin rug is, but it measures 18.5 x 29.

Another faded rug of a landscape, no date but measures 22 x 36.

Below is a dog hooked early 20th century (24 x 34).

And a view from the back.  Looks to me as tho someone drew the design of a burlap feed or seed sack.  Perhaps to memorialize their pet and maybe they ran out of grey for the ear and used blue.  Just a guess as folks back then didn't have a wool stash like we do.

Stage one of the snow has diminished and didn't get the 12" they said, thankfully.  Next stage of freezing rain should begin sometime soon I guess.  Don't plan on going anywhere tomorrow as I've plenty of food and so far heat and electric lights work too.  I certainly feel like a couch potato.

Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/woodlandjunctionhookedrugs