MOVING FORWARD

In a couple days we will be stepping into a new year.  A few decades ago I'd already have purchased my New Year's outfit and looking with anticipation to dancing the night away.  I'd be present when the countdown at midnight took place ~ that was then.  Now I'm quite content welcoming in the new year behind closed eyelids.  

More than likely it will take me a while getting use to writing 2025 on checks and other documents.  Will need to transfer appointments scribbled on notepads to the new calendar and birthday reminders in there as well.  Eventually all will be working rhythmically like the year before.

I am not superstitious yet I have already purchased the ingredients for my southern 'good luck' black eyed peas meal.  It was a tradition for my mother and so it continues.  Some folks do a lentil soup and sauerkraut meal.  Frankly I love sauerkraut, but will stick with my mother's tradition. 

Last year I made a boxed Jiffy corn bread recipe and it was very dry.  Years ago I'd make cornpone, which is moist and delicious but takes too much time and I want it in a 'Jiffy'.  Thought Janice suggested something she does and I've written her to confirm but haven't heard from her.  Does anyone have suggestions on doctoring up a package of Jiffy mix so it isn't as dry? 

Finally, I no longer make New Year's resolutions because rarely do I stick to them.  Now I just try to do better in the coming year.  How are you preparing for the New Year?  Any resolutions?

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

MISC. OLD RUGS

A few more days until the end of the year and HOPEFULLY my Magdalena Animal Parade will be done by then.  At least I'm hoping the hooking will be complete even if the binding isn't.  Okay, let's get this show on the road, shall we?

A gorgeous yarn sewn and shirred hearth rug circa 1835.  Am sure it took a while to sew this 29 x 52 rug.

Dated between 1868-1899 (according to the auction house) is the 3 & 5 lobed floral rug with braided edge.  The braided edge has survived well but the inside shows wear and fading.  But there was no view of the back to confirm that it was faded or if light textiles were used.

The auction house named this a DoDo bird.  It was hooked circa 1930 but doesn't resemble the DoDo bird at all I don't think.  If you want to learn more about the bird check it out HERE.

These white flowers resemble popcorn, me thinks.  No date was provided but dimensions are 38 x 40.  

Ship Mary of New York.  I don't know if there was a sailing ship named that but someone hooked it and it appears to have been well loved.

A view of the back to see true colors albeit also soiled.

Said to be hooked in the 19th century is the 8-point stars rug.  Its dimensions are 26 x 37.  Am wondering if those are some type of leaf I'm not familiar with at the bottom or something else.

Don't know how old this next rug is but thought it was cute when perusing eBay.  Mother cat and kittens with their mittens hanging on the line and using that theme as a beauty line ~ sweet.

A prancing horse, yellow bird and flowers hooked early 20th century.

This pinwheel shaped flower on the 18th century stitched pocketbook would make a great hooked rug.

This horse rug doesn't look antique to me and wonder why they put a frame around it.  In  my humble opinion think it distracts from the rug.

Here is a close up of the frame and portion of the rug.

Just couldn't end the post with that horse rug so will post something else to leave you wondering.  Sure wish I could have viewed the entire rug of this 1861 hooked cats rug.  It probably had a full border of scallops but would still liked to see the entire thing.  

After my errand run will settle in and work on my hooking project.  Gotta pick up a little speed if I want it completely hooked in 4 more days.  Happy hooking to you.

Saundra

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Found these two Nancy Gertrude Scott hooked rugs recently and waited to show them until now.  First one with Santa and star measures 17 x 35 and is listed for $399.  In case you aren't aware, she is the daughter of Barbara E. Merry whose rugs I've posted before.

The other rug listed in the same auction is bigger (29 x 36) this Santa is listed for $699. 

While Christmas is centered around Santa for the children, we know the reason for this blessed holiday is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  I want to wish all my Christian friends a very Merry Christmas and my Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah.  

Saundra

MORE THAN HALFWAY

.. and over the moon happy.  Normally I'd have gotten bored by now and wish I had a 'plus one' to work on .  But am still enjoying pulling loops on Magdalena's Animal Parade.  I didn't draw mine as large as the original (45 x 115) nor the sizes offered by Woolly Fox (33 x 79 and 32 x 96).  I drew this one to a comfortable and workable wide cut size of 20 x 48.

Am using mostly 8.5 wool strips with more narrow for some outlines and dots for eyes.  I've tried to stay close to the original colors but using colors in my stash.  If you'd like to compare to the original colors you can see the original somewhere in a previous blog post HERE.  You will also see Cindy Jeffcoat's rendition which I am in awe of ~ kudos to you Cindy.  You hook everything so well.

It is frigid here in Delaware, yeah, I know not nearly as cold as it is in other states.  But below normal for us here on the eastern shore.  This too will pass, as they say.  Besides, it IS winter.

Saundra

GEOMETRIC RUGS

Have you ever hooked a geometric?  I have hooked a couple but must admit when I first started my journey into rug hooking didn't particularly care for them.  Yet quilters work with geometrics all the time ~ log cabin style quilts, turning the triangle and diamond shapes into stars, etc.

Now it's time to show you a few of the geometric rugs from the flash drive.  The first geometric was listed as circa 1920-49 and measures 38 x 76.

Big and small stars but no other information was provided so age is unknown.

Diamonds and triangles, again no other info.

Then you could get more elaborate and do a complicated diamond crisscross geometric.  Size is 28.5 x 46 but no date provided.  Can't you see a quilter doing this?  I sure can but I wouldn't want to work with so many small pieces of cotton fabric, lol.

An early 1900's geometric rug using fibers she had, measuring 15.5 x 24.

Another geometric hooked late 19th century.   

This geo below displaying diamonds and triangles which take the shape of trees.

This design below is very old and I will provide a grid for you to print out and use for your own rug.  

Here is the grid you can print out and enlarge to whatever size rug you want, just keep drawing and adding this section of the grid until you get the desired size.  As you will see further down, you can make this grid into many different styles, so it is quite versatile ~ again it is OLD and copyright free.

Look at this beauty below using the same grid but hooking it differently.

The geometric was dated in the 1900's and measures 35 x 57.

Here is a close up of that style hooking, which might have been a companion to the rug above.  Seems like a great way to use up some of those wooly worms and a rug you could stop and start as the wool strips start to multiply again.

A scrappy geometric hit and miss drawn on an angle and without the zig zag shape.

And a more organized hit and miss geo.

Finally, a hit and miss rug which lends itself to looking like a woven blanket.  

Has anyone considered hooking a geometric after seeing this blog post?  I hooked the grid design over 10 years ago and you can see the finished post about it HERE.  Mine looks somewhat different than those shown on this post.  Have fun.

Chilly drizzly day in Delaware and word is the rain might turn into a few flakes.  Thankfully not into a LOT of flakes.  Happy weekend as you do your final Christmas preparations.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

ANIMAL RUGS OF OLDE

My flash drive is filled with mostly geometric and animal rugs so will post animal themed rugs this time.  An orange red horse with leaf border, no date was provided.

This antique lion and trees rug sold for $6,875 (don't know which year) and measures 35 x 52.

I hooked an adaptation of this rug in 2012 which was color planned by the dearly departed rug hooker extraordinaire Barb Carroll.

Nine animal panels hooked early 20th century.  Animals facing all four sides, dimensions are 36 x 40.5.

I love deer rugs but this is definitely not a color scheme I'd follow, too much bright red for me.

Dated 1885, this cat rug has a decorative felt edge.  Measures 29 x 67.5.

Sure looks old but don't have details, someone who reads my blog loves chickens.

A naïve primitive barnyard animal rug with hit and miss border. 

Promoted as "confetti horse" this 18 x 29.5 rug is from the collection of Ed and Anita Holden.

Below is a close up of one of the corners so you can see the textiles used.

Whoever hooked this must have had a dog that would hunt.  In it's element, the dog in the cattails with doves and pheasants.  Dated 1920 measures 32 x 55.

Scotties dated 1900-25.

Hooked horse (36 x 58) from the estate of George Fernald Chatham, NH.

Wasn't sure what that white spot near the ears was all about as it didn't appear to be an eye.  The auction house showed the back view of the rug but still didn't seem clear if it was a repair since it didn't have fabric in the area.

There are many more animal rugs on my flash drive, lots of eagles, geometrics and florals.  So guess what you'll be seeing more of in future posts.

Do you believe just 8 more days until Christmas?  This year has just slipped by in the flash of an eye.  Yet it will seem like forever until spring gets here.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

MY SATURDAY

Finally decided to clean a couple rooms and bring out a few Christmas decorations.  Since I don't have a significant other, no kids and no visitors it seemed like a waste of time.  But friend Lauren said it would do my heart good to see some holiday decorations around me.  And so I did.

The Christmas Cactus is blooming and has several buds which may be open by the 25th.  There use to be a beautiful huge Christmas Cactus in that pot but started dyeing off.  I tried to repot it, some parts continued to die but this has survived.

In the same photo, I made the top left doll and the bottom two dolls.  The child iron, cup and flatware is all I have left from my childhood toys.  My father unearthed them when working work in his backyard when in my 40's.

Below is the feather tree I made from scratch.  Can't recall from whom I purchased the dyed goose feathers but followed the directions, attached them to a dowel then decorated it with vintage tinsel and dollar store ornaments.  A homemade star is at the top but got cut off in the photo.  The square fence is a vintage piece purchased at a thrift store, the round base inside was from my grandfather's porch column base.  The Santa I made years ago and he has his own feather tree.  A faux poinsettia in the background. 

Oh, that brass boiler in the back left holding rugs was once used to bathe me in as a small child.  My parents were temporarily living with my grandfather who had no running water but did have an inside pump.  They would heat up water on the wood cooking stove and make the water comfortable for bathing.

On the harvest table is the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and think I need to find a red Christmas ball to hang on it.  Finally, the Santa and Deer adaptation I hooked and Santa boot with bead stems inside.  And that is the extent of my decorating.

Then later that day I made some smoky potato chickpea stew.  

Here is the recipe if you like to try different soups and stews.

I've made this before and liked it.  Since I had a few russet potatoes left from a sale decided to finish them up with the stew.  Didn't have kale so used my fresh baby spinach usually used for green salads, also had a couple carrots so put them in the pot.  It was yummy once again and that will be tonight's dinner.

Now I've got to get in gear and draw another antique Santa and Deer rug pattern.  Happy weekend, happy hooking, knitting, stitching, reading, etc.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs