SALT WATER COWBOYS

Today was the 100th annual pony swim which is done by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  The swim started very early this morning during slack tide.

Today the ponies will rest and tomorrow there will be an auction.  One such pony will be a 'buy back' and return back to Assateague to remain in the herd.  But some lucky people will also buy a pony to take home.  Those funds help with the cost of taking care of the herd, vet bills, and the Chincoteague Fire Department.  You read more about the event HERE.

This annual event also inspired the book "Misty of Chincoteague".  As a kid who loved horses it was one of the several horse books I read.  If you are not familiar with the book and would like to purchase one for a child you can read more about the story HERE.  It will also tell you the history of how the horses made their way onto Assateague Island, MD and Chincoteague, VA beaches.

FYI, the horses are regularly checked by vets all year on the islands.  When camping on Assateague they would often walk among those of us on the island and have even had one horse TRY to steal food from us.  A few years ago I did a brief blog post about pony penning and you can see old photos of a couple ponies, my departed husband Gary and me HERE.  There are many more horse photos in my album but am too lazy to receive it.  

Now I'm getting inspired to hook another horse rug.  But must get back to the snowman.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

It is hot, humid, no breeze and the air seems thick.  Yup, dog days of Summer.  So with that title thought I'd unleash the dog photos from the flash drive and move them to another photo file.  

A hooked and shirred rug measuring 26 x 49.5 but no date was provided.  Since it was hooked and shirred it is fair to say it is a safe design.

A Hutchinson design, Noble dog was hooked early 20th century (34.5 x 51).

Think this may be the first hooked Corgi I've ever seen.  Of course no date and no dimensions either.  Cute the way the hooker appears to have the dog's leash circling her fur baby to be the center of attraction.

Bet someone was upset when their rug with hunting dogs ended up needing repair.  That poor border and bet it is hooked on brittle burlap.

For Lauren, a curly tailed pug hooked 1898.  Perhaps one day she will use this shape to hook a rug for the Pug Rescue or as a memorial of the ones she fostered.

A quite primitive dog, leaves in corners and lots of background someone hooked.

The naïve dog rug below was surely drawn and hooked by a novice.  I'll bet Van Gogh would have loved it.

A half circle rug with chain-link style border.

Dog, squirrels, scrolls and stars hooked 19th century.  Dimensions are 31.5 x 66 and still listed for sale.

Not a hooked rug, but rather a dog fractur watercolor book plate early 19th century.  It is a small 2.75 x 4.5 and estimated the selling price to be around $3-4,000.   But instead sold for whopping $25,740!!!  Holy moly!

Back to the snowman.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

ON THE FRAME

As you may have guessed I went thru hooking withdrawal after Ezra's Farm was done.  Decided to finish designing a rug that was running thru my mind as a gift.  Since it is to be a Christmas gift it was imperative to start it asap so when boredom struck it could be put aside for a while then return to it and finish in time. 

Hooking this likens itself to doing a commission except I'm not getting paid.  I love the person it will go to but only enjoy working on subjects I'm interested in.  Anyway, am only showing you part of the rug as there are a couple motifs which need enlarging or changing and don't want to show the whole design quite yet.

The fun parts are done, the rest is going to be a chore for me without a trusty color planner sitting near by.  Surely I'll be sick of white, grey and blue by the time this one is done.  Am thinking the sky should be a darker blue but not as dark as navy blue.  I only hooked that blue around the top of the house to secure the loops.

Well, guess I'll go back to work on this as I've still not managed to decide what the next and favorite rug will be. 

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

It's Show Time

Yesterday I did manage to design and draw a pattern but am not ready to show it to you yet as very few loops have been pulled.  While I may be hooking, I'm still looking.  Here are a few of my last finds.

The rug below isn't for sale, it is on display at Cogswell Grant and someone was kind enough to take a photo and it ended up on Pinterest.

Another photo from that same tour of Cogswell Grant is this beautiful setting.

Below is a close up of that foot stool top and part of the rug.

Sweet 6 petal flower chair pad measuring 16 x 17 from Missoula, MT.  Don't recall where I found it and no date was provided.  

Found this black cats and hearts rug today so is still for sale.  It measures 23.5 x 36 but no date was provided.

When I saw this next rug, at first glance I thought it looked like a picket fence.  No date provided, dimensions are 27 x 36.

But when turned in the other direction it looks like just a striped rug.  Checking out the back it may be older than I first thought and not so much like a picket fence any longer.

Spot the dog.  I've seen this rug on Pinterest several times in this same setting and wish I knew more about it.  Finally decided to show it to you after having the photo saved for a few months.

Waldoboro blossoms measuring 36 x 66.  Guess everyone knows by now that the Waldoboro style of hooking was developed by someone who lived in the town of Waldoboro at the time.  If you've never heard about it you can read about it HERE.

As I've had this vibrant hit and miss rug in my 'not posted yet' photos since February 2024, I've decided to post it now.  Dated circa 1930 from  Ontario, it measures 32 x 35.  Obviously not my cup-o-tea.

Saved the best for last ~ a horse of course.  It is a yarn sewn and hooked piece from Nova Scotia dated between 1850-60.

Happily hooking on something this evening even tho I'd rather be hooking on a horse, lol.  Perhaps next time I'll have something to show you.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

FINALLY FINISHED

Including the wool yarn whipped edge.  You may recall I was befuddled on how to hook the remaining two top blocks because blue was out of the question for background color.  All of a sudden an idea hit me, whether it be redundant or too bold, so be it.  Ezra's Farm is finally done.

Remember, I took creative liberties with the original design by Cinnamon Creek and hope she doesn't mind.

And of course, since I was on a mission to get these last two rugs finished did not pursue drawing the next rug.  Although I looked thru antique rug photos, Pinterest, and many hooking books, nothing piqued my interest.  So I'm hookless  and bindless tonight.

There is a partly designed rug intended as a Christmas gift but can't seem to be motivated to finish it.  That is the one I should do, or at least start so that it might be done by Christmas since boredom seems to find me.  Certainly I will be bored tonight with nothing to work on.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

HOW MANY LIONS?

On my previous blog post I said I'd hooked five lion rugs so thought I'd review my past lion projects and count them.  You will surely see the evolution of my rug hooking journey as my rug and color choices have changed over the years.  These previously hooked rugs will show that.

My first lion was a design by Tonya of Mad Hen hooked 2005.  Those aren't  my colors now, nor the whimsy.  Ended up selling the rug when doing shows as I was going thru a divorce and figured I could use the money if for nothing else, to help pay for rug camp.

So the following year, 2006 I hooked Rufus the Lion, a Bev Conway design and hooked it in her class.  I still have this rug but it is upstairs in my wool room as the colors don't quite fit in my living space any longer.

During 2012 I hooked two lion rugs.  Lion in the Woods is my adaptation of an antique rug which I hooked at home.

And this Lion in the Trees pattern was kindly given to me by Evelyn Lawrence and is an antique adaptation by Port Primitives.  It was color planned in a class with Barb Carroll. 

My fifth lion was hooked at home in 2016 and is an adaptation of an antique red lion rug.  I tried to get close to the antique colors.  Sure do love a blotchy background!

Now there are six lion rugs, as this one is Birthday Lion, a design by Bill Laraway.  I couldn't find a photo of the rug in my flash drive so began to question my mental state  ~ did I hook it or do I "think" I hooked it??  So did a google search on my blog and voila.  Here it is and I really did hook it, whew.  But have no clue where it is and I'm not about to turn the house upside down looking for it.

And then there were seven lion rugs I hooked.  Below is my adaptation of an antique I named Bespeckled Lion because the antique rug seemed to show the lion with googlie eyes or wearing spectacles.  Also tried to get the colors close to the original on this one.

So there ya have it.  I've hooked seven lion rugs.  So come on Lauren, you can certainly finish your one and only lion rug.

Happy hooking and/or binding.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

Surprise!

It's another rug show.  Maybe something will inspire your creativity.  This old floral (39 x 40) was given a date between 1850-1899.  It must have been stored away or placed in a low or no activity area as it maintained it's lovely vibrant colors.

A view of the back and repair of one area.

Next, a geometric circa 1920 measuring 23 x 38.

I think this landscape is endearing with it's childlike naïve charm.  Said to be hooked early 20th century with dimensions of 19.5 x 35.5.

There's something about Lions, I've hooked 5 rugs with a lion in them.  Of course they don't hold a candle to my love for horses.  Anyhow, this rug has a date of 1857 hooked in it and measures 34.5 x 43.

And a closeup of the hooked date.

A recent find and still listed for sale is this nautical 8 point star.  I'm guessing the side border designs are diver down flags.  No date was provided but size is 36 x 52.

Here is a view of the back.

I like this rug with flowers and scrolls, but not enough to hook it.  Think I'm more attracted to the color combo and scrolls than the flowers.  Dated 19th century (24 x 46.5).

Okay, gotta put a horse rug in here.  This one has squirrels (fuzzy tailed rats) in the corners.  Date of 1898 hooked in the rug and measures 26 x 39.5.

Happy hooking everyone.

Saundra

www.facebook.com/WoodlandJunctionHookedRugs

A VISIT FROM TROY DUGAS

You may remember Troy, to whom I introduced you on a previous blog post.  If not, perhaps you'd like to read about that visit HERE.  He's been busy again making huge rug art incorporating his modern vision and antique adaptations.  Here is one of his latest works he named "Farm Scene".  

Those horse profiles may look familiar as I've posted the antique rug on this blog before.  

Dimensions of Troy's rug is 67 x 67 and to give a visual here he is standing beside the frame at the beginning.

He will have 9 rugs in his August 2nd exhibit at the Arthur Roger Gallery.  So if you live near New Orleans or plan to be there August 2nd, perhaps you like to drop by to see the show and say "hello".  You can read more about Troy, see a few of his other works and the promo for the upcoming exhibit HERE.

Troy said he'd love to have a smaller hooked version of this design and asked if I knew anyone who would do a commission of it for him.  He suggested perhaps in the range of 27 x 27.   Since I don't do commission work I'm putting that offer out there for anyone who may be interested.  

Troy provided me with a perfectly square line drawing but I prefer not to put it on the web.  So if anyone is interested please email me with your contact phone number or email address and I'll forward it to Troy so the two of you can work out details.  

Happy Hooking everyone, and happy sales at the Gallery to you Troy.

Saundra

ALMOST

Otherwise known as...'close but no cigar'.  Am still trying to use as many wooly worms as possible which means there's both #8 and #8.5 cuts.  Mixing cuts doesn't bother me in the least.

In case you're wondering, no I haven't drawn or found out what I'll work on next.  And do realize I'll be frantic when Ezra is done, but perhaps that energy will work in my favor to hurry and clean up the rat's nest created in the wool room and living room where I hook.

Looking at what's left to hook on this one, obviously blue is out for background behind the bird and the house.  Hope I can pull something creative out of the magic hat .

It feels like I live in the Louisiana swamp.  Am sick of the heat, humidity and rain.  Here's the forecast thru Sunday and while it shows mostly sunny on Friday and no rain, that could easily change.

Was hoping to have the lower right block done before posting a photo but that didn't happen.  Now will go pull a few more loops and rectify that situation.   Happy hooking.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

THIS and THAT

A post with a little miscellaneous chit chat.  The previous antique rug show blog post I showed an antique rug of a horse.  After that I received a wonderful note from Jeanne who saw that rug.  She shared her story of how she learned to hook in 1993 and was given lessons by now departed teacher named Irene Jones.  This is the rug Jeanne hooked and she thanked me for the trip down memory lane.  You did a fantastic job on the horse, and thanks so much for reaching out to me.

Below is an antique rug I didn't post previously but drew a pattern for someone over a week ago.  Am sure Susan will do a wonderful job hooking it when she gets to it.  Susan said it was The Rebecca immigration ship that brought her ancestors to America.  

The scrappy Shaker Horse has been hung.  I didn't plan to steam it because that might eliminate that scrappy look I tried to achieve.  As you can probably see, because of the directional hooking and lack of steaming it hangs a little tilted.  That's okay, I'm the only hooking critic in this house 😉. 

OMG, while cropping the photo with the Shaker Horse I noticed a sizeable orb just above Magdalena's Goat.  Okay, here's where you're gonna want to call the men with the white straight jacket for me ....  When standing there with the blue chair to my left I was thinking about my departed boy Ben.  

He wasn't allowed on furniture or the bed.  But one day while on the computer he ambled into a chair beside me and I looked at him in shock and he stopped midway.  I chuckled and told him he could at least have these chairs.  Miss my boy!!!!  If I could have Ben back I'd let him sleep anywhere.

Okay, short and maybe sweet but at least something to read on a hooking blog.  Guess I'll head back to Ezra's Farm and pull a few loops.  I totally forgot to mention it is a design by Cinnamon Creek with a few liberties taken by me.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com