IT'S ABOUT TIME

Yes, it's about time for Farm Menagerie to be FINISHED.  It was set aside a couple times while working on the Hearts hook along rug, again when I introduced my plus one floral/geo.  And again when the chippy wood look wool didn't work for the house.  So yanked that out and went with this greenish grey and I'm calling it done.  

Thankfully it is now hooked, steamed and needs binding.  Today the drudgery of binding will begin while watching The Five.

In case you want to see the original again, here it is below.

Am surprised I'm having so much fun hooking the floral/geo as a log cabin geometric wasn't in my radar.  Plus hated having to set it aside to finish the Menagerie, but it was time.  Won't give away my progress on the floral/geo just yet as I'll need something to write about next time.  Soon I'll be looking for the next shiny bauble to draw for my hooking frame.  

Happy Hooking everyone.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

NEW HEART SUBMISSION

This heart was just submitted by my Canadian neighbor Elaine Allerton.  Am surprised she decided to put down those knitting needles and replace them with a hook.  She must have all her Christmas gifts finished and needed a little diverse entertainment for herself.

Yesterday I finished binding mine but it now needs a label.  If you scroll down to the previous post you will see the other hearts which were recently posted.  Happy hooking everyone.

Saundra

WE GOT HEARTS

Maybe not miles and miles of them (remember that old song?), but a significant amount at least.  For those of you just reading about this hook-along, when looking at the drawn lines and hooking, just know the template provided was a line drawing of the original antique as it was hooked originally.  The hooker could choose to hook it with all it's quirks and wavy lines or make them straight.  Same with the hearts which weren't perfect in the original either.

This first update of the hook-along is by Jo Smith who will soon be working on background or border.

Next is by Sheila, who is almost done with her background and will begin  her border.

Lauren's is almost done but she hasn't decided how to finish that right heart yet.  I know she will have it figured out tout de suite.

Sue went a totally different direction since she had hooked hearts prior to this hook-along.  She chose to hook chickens, which do have hearts, but I see small drawn hearts between the chickens.

Well, kiddos, that's a 'wrap' for this post.  Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHooked Rugs

MISC. CHIT CHAT

Well, the chipped paint idea didn't turn out as I'd hoped.  So stopped mid-paint job, so to speak, and have put it aside to ponder what color to hook it next.

To keep my hook and hooking hand warmed up will continue work on the floral/geo.

Tomato, Tomahto ~ With night temps steadily dropping I covered my volunteer plant several evenings to extend their life.  Then removed the protection in the morning.

Then when the weatherman said temps would drop to 32* at night I brought in all of the unripe ones.  The bag weighed 1.4 pounds.  Below you can see the yellow which matured and all the green ones.  I have already savored many yellow in salads so there were more of them than you see in the slender container on the left.

Day time I place the green ones in front of a sun filled window and at night like a good mom 😁 cover them with newspaper in their cardboard box bed with 2 bananas.  Did the bananas again because when the bananas get ripe I will freeze them for banana nut bread.

Happy weekend and happy hooking.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

RUGS NEW AND OLD

The new rug would be Lauren's Hearts update.  Must say I like her black outlines much better than the dull dark wool I used to hook mine.  Hers looks much more crisp.

Love this naive and wonky big dog, little house rug.  Said to be hooked early 20th century (29.5 x 39.5).

Landscape with horse and ducks hooked between 1900-20, no dimensions were provided.

Inscribed with the word Home, date 1894 and the initials AK, the rug measures 23 x 36.  It is from the collection of Barbara M. and Charlie Hunter.

The cat rug is dated 1940 so doesn't qualify as an antique, but rather vintage.  Dimensions are 22 x 23.  Don't think I've ever seen a hooked rug at an angle like this.

The flowers remind me of poinsettia's for some reason, perhaps because there's so much Christmas advertising on TV, stores, and even Facebook.  Hooked circa 1900 size is 22 x 37.5.

Margaret Warwick made this rug of 2 cats by a fire in 1923.  Not sure if she was the original designer or the maker.  

Which was probably the inspiration for this design below.  Have no date or size for this one, sorry.

Sizeable rug of dog carrying a basket hooked late 19 to early 20th century (32 x 57.5).

Beautify deer head from New Canaan, CT hooked late 19th to early 20th century.

This sweet tabby cat was advertised as being hooked late 19th century and another from the Charles Hunter collection.  It has a bid on it.

Last but not least, is a Hutchinson rug, Gentleman in the Gutter.  It is hard to see but the 'gentleman' is prone at the very bottom of the rug.  The script is hard to read so will type the wording below the photo.

"A Gentleman In The Gutter Lies / His Face Upturned to the Starlit Skies / A Helping Hand A Word of Cheer / Would Dissipate the Fumes of Beer / The Fumes of Rum The Fumes of (?) / That Cause This Man to Succumb (?)  BTW, I was only able to give you these words because the auction house put them in the description.

That's it for this show.  Will work on binding my Hearts rug during The Five.  Happy hooking everyone.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

A SMORGASBORD POST

Michelle sent me a photo of her heart in hand she created for the Hearts Hook along.  And see she's started the outlines, so it's coming together.

I'm presently stymied on what colors to hook for the house and dog.  I could hook the house in log cabin colors, but there's already plenty of brown in the rug.  Or could use a wool which gives the appearance of a chipped paint house.  But it is so close to the sheep would the house get  lost in the background just as the sheep?

And the dog...brown, black?  Again there's plenty of dark and brown in the rug.  So while I ponder the issue I've drawn an adaptation of the following antique from 1920 and will begin work on it.  Hoping again to use up more wool worms.

Yesterday I took 2 boxes to the thrift shop and among the items were these two small mats below.  The pixie was a challenge on a hooking site maybe 2 decades ago.   Thought if I designed a small 'jack in the box' style mat it would sell for a child's room at one of the shows I attended.  Had the same idea with the abc, 123 mat but neither sold and don't ever expect them to.  

I've too many rugs and plan to find homes for some of them.  A few listed for sale on my FB site have sold but more haven't.  Perhaps I'll reduce the price on some to see if they go then.

Feels like January instead of November, and wind howling like crazy making the actual temperature even colder.

God Bless our Veterans and thank you for your service.

Saundra

www.Facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

RUG COLLECTIONS

Boy did I hit pay dirt with lots of wonderful rugs up for auction.  Not that I'll buy any but sure is great eye candy.  There are several rugs being sold from the collection of Barbara M. and Charlie Hunter.  Below is a great cat rug dated late 19th century.  It measures 31.5 x 40.5.  

Wonder if this Don't Shoot rug is a Hutchinson?  Dated 1889 its dimensions are 37.5 x 47.5.

A farm family, reminiscent of Granny Donaldson cow blanket designs.  Dated early 20th century it measures a whopping 63.5 x 75.  Another from the collection of Barbara M. and Charlie Hunter.

Definitely a Hutchinson design is this Friend in Need rug.  Said to be hooked early 20th century (32 x 50).

A dog watching over ducks and chickens, late 19th to early 20th century.  Size is 28 x 44 another from the Hunter collection. 

There are more duck and dog rugs from the Hunter collection.

Perhaps Mr. Hunter was a, uhm, hunter?  Dated early 20th century (27 x 42.5). 

And a duck family, late 19th to early 20th. 

Cat and mouse hooked late 19 to early 20th century.   

A floral, dimensions are 23.5 x 38.

Lastly, a deer with scrolls, no other information.

That's an even dozen for this show but there's lots more where these came from.  Seems it's either feast or famine finding rugs and it has been a feast lately.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHooked Rugs

HEARTY PROGRESS

Even with Lauren's frantic busy schedule of late, she managed to find time for this Heart update. 

Having the border hooked in gives this a whole new fresh appearance and looks perfectly color coordinated.  I'm not so sure it needs that walnut bath she spoke of previously.  Seeing hers makes me wish I'd used darker wool for the outlines.

After my rug was hooked I reverse hooked a couple places.  Not sure if you will notice any difference but this is what it looks like now.

Below is the before.  

My rug looks anemic compared to Lauren's.  Oh well, no time to worry about that now I've still one to finish and one to draw.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHooked Rugs

NOOKS, CRANNIES and OTHER THINGS

I've been busy, but not rug hooking busy since reverse hooking a few loops in the hearts rug.  I digress... Although I haven't required new glasses and vision hasn't changed in a few years, I wanted new ones anyway.  When ordering them last Friday asked if they accepted donations of old prescription glasses.  Answer was yes, so I gave them about 8 of my old glasses that day.   

I'd never thrown the old ones away so began a search in all the nooks and crannies in every room.  Oh what a pandora's box was opened.  My new glasses will be in the end of this week or next week and I've found 5 more pair to donate.

Found a tin box of letters from family and friends after we moved from Maryland to California.  Haven't had time to re-read any of them yet as I've still a lot of clutter to go through.

Found a few photos which haven't seen the light of day for decades.  A couple were from my 2nd marriage which I try to forget ever happened.  The one below surprised me and at first wasn't sure who it was.  This was taken in 1987 according to the stamp on the back.  All that's missing are the height lines in the back and a number, lol.

Even found an old pocket calendar where I'd made notations of my ex's excuses for not being home or arriving late.  All the signs were obvious  for a while but kept ignoring them.  There were notations on a few months in that calendar.  Talk about love is blind!!

Amazing how many pencils, highlighters and ballpoint pens which didn't work there were in the school marm's desk.  Lots of clutter has found its way to the trash, some things salvaged or given to the thrift shop and prescription glasses to the eye doctor.  But there's still residue junk still to sort thru.

And there's more ~ new unused Cross pen and pencil sets.  Do employers still give those to office employees when they leave?  I've never used these so they are going to the thrift shop.   Plus hundreds of miscellaneous greeting cards which may have been separated from it's mate.  So  far I've been able to match up a bunch and put them into plastic envelope and have many more to sort thru.  They, too, are going to the thrift shop.  

Wind is howling again today so not putting myself in harm's way working outside in case a limb should drop on my head.  Afterall, you saw what one did to my gutter guards.

Saundra

HEART HOOKING UPDATE

It's no surprise to me that Margaret Zenk has her rug all hooked and bound already.  

Sue Swank's design is coming along nicely too.  Not sure how big her rug is but the chickens have nice detail so must be a sizeable rug.

Sheila Kennedy has made great progress too, happy to see her keeping those hands exercising pulling loops. 

And she confirmed that she did dye the wool for the hearts.

I have also finished hooking my rug.  Since this photo it has been steamed and ready for binding.  Hmm, but I see a couple strips of wool I'd like to replace already.  Should have inspected it closely before the photo and steaming.

That's it for this show.  Gonna get colder by Thursday I hear.  Now it's time for me to go outside and cover my tomato plant, just in case.

Saundra