Debbie's Horse

I'm so not ready to pull the camp rug off the frame for a photo just yet, thought I'd show you a rug I hooked in 2009.  I tried to find out how long I'd been blogging but couldn't locate a date.  It's possible I never showed you this mat before.  The picture below is showing up rather dark and is a photo taken sometime ago and probably without a flash.

If you'd like to enlarge and get a view of what wool was used below is a photo just taken with a flash.  If you tap on the photo you can see the wool better.  OMG, put on your sunglasses ~  this is not what the rug looks like in person.  Guess that is why only the above dark  photo was saved.

Anyway, this is a design called Debbie's Horse and is a free pattern in Barb Carroll's Book American Folk Art Rug Hooking.  It may be out of print but you could always check with Amazon if it isn't already on your book shelf.  Hey, don't all rug hookers have every book by Barb Carroll?

Happy day after Thanksgiving and enjoy the calm for those of you who chose to go out shoping on Black Friday.  I avoided the shopping malls.

Saundra

My Other Rugs Hooked with Barb

Seemed only fitting for me to use purple text again when talking about Barb.  In the previous post you saw the first rug hooked with Barb, which was Kinderhook Basket.  The next rug hooked at camp with her was Woodland Deer, another Woolley Fox design under the category Keeping the Past Alive.  You can see the purple in numerous leaves spread about the trees.  

I actually used Barb's idea when hooking a design from one of Barb's books.  The pattern was called July Cabin and instead of flags on the trees I changed to be more like the trees above since I so loved how it turned out.  Here is that rug, the book is titled American Folk Art Rug Hooking and has 18 projects inside.  

You can see that I really got into the 'purple' stage by making a purple moon.

An E.S. Frost Sheep was a 'must have' for me and there were a couple versions but the one with scrolls is the one I knew Barb could help me with.  Even tho scrolls were very intimidating it seemed my home needed to have one.  So figured if anyone could hold my hand thru the job it would be Barb.  Doesn't this look rich and old with the worn spots?  It hangs over my fireplace.

Next rug hooked at a Barb class was Brave Hunter; yes, another Woolley Fox design.  Now here is another story you may find interesting.  There were two of us in class who just happened to be hooking that same design.  Each turned out way different due to our individual wool color choices taken.  Here is mine and I can see the purple even without tapping on the photo to enlarge it.

In that class was sweet Deb Burcin and based on the colors she took to class this is the prize that Deb hooked.  Deb says this is one of her favorites not only because it was hooked in Barb's class but because the deer/moose was hooked with purple and green and the antlers were from an orange plaid skirt.

The following year I hooked Lion in the Woods, a pattern gifted me by my friend Evelyn Lawrence.  It is an antique adaptation offered by Port Primitives.  WHAT??????  Could it be we missed putting purple in this rug?  I enlarged it and don't see any purple.  Maybe I'll have to pull that rug out and hook some in somewhere.  

Oh Deer was the rug I chose to hook in class with Barb.  I'd seen Barb's version while at her camp and got bitten by the bug.  That happens to me a LOT.  Case in point is that while at Barb's I purchased wool to hook Olde Hearts, another Woolley Fox design.

The following year it was Magdalena's Farm on my frame with Barb.  I love Barb and all of Magdalena Briner Eby's designs.

During the year I designed an antique adaptation called Chum, which I offer as a pattern.  It is my feeling the same person who hooked Ned is the person who originally hooked Chum.  So it was Chum which was hooked with Barb the following year.

And this year I'm working on Simple Gifts which is still in progress and will keep you updated.  My only regret is that I didn't attend a Barb Carroll class earlier.  IF you are interested in having a class with Barb you can contact her HERE.  Don't know her schedule but if you contact her I'm sure you will hear back.  

Have a great evening everyone and happy hooking.  BTW, I hook summer as well, for my hooking isn't just a winter project.  With summertime chores it does curtail the amount of time spent with a hook in my hand but enjoy the journey anyway.

Saundra

Oops, Another Sheep Rug

Totally forgot to include this rug in yesterdays 'sheep show'.  It is a design by Woolley Fox called "July Cabin" which I hooked in 2012.

Below is a photo of the free design in a booklet entitled "American Folk Art Rug Hooking" by Barb Carroll.  If you compare the graphics below to what I hooked you can see there was some creative license taken. Harhar, some might question my 'creative' part.

This is a picture of the front of the cover and there are some other great free Barb Carroll designs in there for you to enlarge as you wish.

Yesterday's weather and today was great.  Tomorrow will be a smidgen cooler but good in the lower 60's.  And then... and then...don't think I want to talk about the weekend.

Saundra

A Question from a Follower

Just love it when people ask questions as it gives me something to talk about.  Not that I know all the answers to everything, but most likely I've tried whatever the subject matter is about.  And if I don't know figure I need to know so do a search to learn.

Glenda inquired about how to hook with wool roving ~ does one hook like normal hooking or do a proddy?  I have only hooked this rug using wool roving on the two sheep.  It is a Woolley Fox design called "July Cabin" and a free pattern in a book by Barb Carroll titled American Folk Art Rug Hooking.  I tool some creative license by making leaves on the trees instead of flags and changed the direction of the smoke to make the rug smaller.  Sorry the flash really washed out the colors in the photo below.

A closer view. 

And  a close up of one of the sheep.  I did regular hooking with a hank of the three ply wool yarn and cut off another length if I needed more.

This is the Icelandic Lopi I used to hook the sheep which is a roving that had been carded but not thru the final twisted spin to make it a hank of knittable wool.  I purchased this years ago direct from my Icelandic friend Sofia Katla Leifsdottier.

I was in Kris Miller's class when one of her students used Kris' curly locks to use as a Santa beard.  In looking thru old Cape May photos I believe it was this Santa (a Polly Minick Design) that was the pattern Kris helped Jeri with in her class.  Click on the photo to see a close up of that fantastic beard using Kris' curly locks.

Kris Miller has a great blog post about the subject which covers more than I just posted.  http://spruceridgestudios.blogspot.com/p/hooking-101.html  and if you are interested in purchasing some of her curly locks, purchasing a pattern or taking a class you can contact her from her web site HERE.

Hope your weekend is marvelous.

Saundra

 

Just When is a Rug Done?

Usually a rug is considered finished after all the loops have been pulled, steamed and bound in whichever manner we choose.  But then sometimes we decide it isn't quite done yet. 

This rug below I hooked in 2011 and it has been rolled up until yesterday when I hung it on my bedroom wall.  As I'm looking at it wonder if it would look better to have a narrow needle felted line along the top of the roof.  Hmm, you can tell the difference between the sky and roof .....

........but let's see what it looks like with a quick lopi needle felting around the top.  It is only temporarily there just for me to see if I like it or not.  Guess it really isn't needed.

The design is called "July Cabin" by Barb Carroll.  It was a free pattern (to be enlarged) in this book.

This is what the design was intended to look like but as you can see I took liberties to make the design for me.  For easier comparison I've posted my version just below this picture.

I changed the flags on the trees to various colors of fall type leaves, changed the direction of the smoke since I wanted my rug smaller.  Instead of having the trees in pots made mine look like they were in the ground, removed the cat on the roof and added more stars.

The sheep were hooked using Icelandic Lopi and that is what I needle felted along the top of the roof.  Think I'll live with the lopi across the roof for today but maybe the rug really was done when I first thought it was done.

Am still pondering what will go on my frame next.  Looking thru Barb's book gave me more to choose from as it had been a while since opening the book.  BUT, there are already lots of Woolley Fox designs, a Karen Kahle pattern, Maggie Bonanomi design and more than I can remember that are in drawers here.

Have a great weekend, stay warm and be kind to one another.

Saundra

Antique Rugs

I went antique dealer looking today (on-line) and found some new to me antique rugs.  Well, who knows, maybe I've seen or even posted them on my blog before but they grabbed my attention again.  Don't think I've posted this one tho.  I was intrigued by the colors, the scrolls and that background.  Scrolls intrigue me but was intimidated to hook them. 

Here is an antique Frost Sheep with scrolls which I wanted to hook even with the intimidation.

Then finally biting the bullet hooked this E.S. Frost Sheep rug on this pattern page.. just scroll down.

And those who like mother hens and chicks thought this was cute.

The one below is probably not an antique.  But it is winter after all, I love it, love the colors and the folky look.  If anyone knows who hooked it, who designed it, etc, I'd LOVE to know.

This has been posted before but I still love it.

 

And found this folk art dog today and I love it.  Strange thing is that with my Rottie Memorial (in #3 cut) and my sweet Shadow Memorial in #8 cut, both which were realistic looking, this dear folk art dog says it all.  He was LOVED!

As I'm typing that realize this is a great future blog post and you just may see this beautiful folk art dog again.

My homemade vegetable soup is done, salad made and time to get of'n this machine, eat, and get back to hooking.

Have a great evening .

Saundra

Log Cabin Rug Back on the Frame

It seems like a decade since I worked on this rug, but it has only been a couple months.  Meanwhile there were quite a few projects I got completed while it was resting.   I'd completed a couple swap mats, hooked a snowman gift for a Christmas gift, also the E.S. Frost Sheep rug with birds and flowers, hooked and assembled the eyeglass cases and most recently was the completion of the Jane Stickle quilt rug more commonly known on Rughookers Yahoo as the Sincerely Jane Challenge rug.  (whew, gasp for breath).

When working on the log cabin rug previously I'd mentioned it was a pattern offered in a book by Barbara Carroll titled American Folk Art Rug Hooking. 

The pattern design is July Cabin but I took some creative license and tweaked it to suit me.  I changed the direction of the smoke, made my trees a little differently and made big folky leaves instead of flags and think I added more stars in different locations. 

So I'm a little anxious to finish this one up but there is something else lingering in the wings that remains unfinished, so it isn't as though I'm completely caught up.  But it sure is a good feeling to get this close.

However, the  madness will begin again starting May when I go to the wonderful Barb Carroll at Woolley Fox, then in September it will be back to beautiful Cape May, NJ, then in November will sign up for Lucille Festa once again in Ocean City, MD.

Home from Cape May

I don't think this brain or body could have stood one more day of fun.  It really is exhausting having fun at rug camp.  Rugs by the Sea camp is held at the Victorian hotel Chalfonte where the food is excellent and the organizers Norma and Linda are professionals who have this camp running like a well oiled machine. 

They bring in fantastic teachers; this first week was Kris Miller, Bev Conway, Judy Quitman and Cindi Gay.  I've had Bev Conway numerous times but last year and this year had Kris Miller.  Kris has a great color palate and prefers to teach nothing smaller than #6 and considers the #8.5 to be the new #8.  She is interesting, fun to be with, upbeat, very great at color planning rugs and tells great goat stories and soon will have great Alpaca stories to share I'm sure.

Since there are no TVs in each room (it's a Victorian hotel of course), there is a small TV room where guests can decide which show to watch from that room.  However, my roomie brings a flat-screen TV with DVD capabilities and three of us pals watch movies, eat snacks and sip on wine in the evenings in our room.  And of course we stay up too late, eat too much and drink more than we should (UH, I drink more than I should).  Unfortunately I put on 1 1/2 pounds in just 5 days since I ate much differently (indulging in things I normally don't eat at home) and my ways have changed since being home and will get that weight off within the week (uh.... I hope).  But the food there is so delicious who can pass up that cuisine?

For years I've wanted to hook a log cabin rug and I FINALLY put it on linen and started a project.  As mentioned in a previous blog, it is an adaptation of a rug titled "July Cabin" by Barb Carroll and offered in her book "American Folk Art Rug Hooking".  There are 18 patterns in the book which may be enlarged to hook.  I took some liberties with the design to make it mine but the essentials came from the book.  

A lot more progress could have been made on the rug if I wouldn't talk as much as I do or if I'd hook and not look at the person I'm talking to.  I should talk and keep my head down and look at my project and keep pulling loops.  So, suffice it to say that I could have had a lot more to show for my 4 1/2 days of hooking had I done that.

Here is an overview of my project and the right side will be quite similar to the left side but not a mirror image.  However, I'll have the same multi-colored leaves on the tree (don'tcha just luv it??).  The only thing I told Kris was that I wanted to do different colors for the leaves and showed her my selection of colors (the same ones which were in my Woodland Deer rug).

So, preparing for this rug, as soon as I saw Betsy Reed's MR ED wool it just shouted log cabin and I ordered it immediately.  Funny thing is, that when I opened up my container to show Kris the wool selection I brought (and many different browns for a cabin) she immediately picked up Mr. Ed as the log colors.  AH HA!!!!!!!  Maybe I really am capable of picking colors for a rug after all.

And the roof is Jinx by Heavens to Betsy.  However, I cannot remember which names the colors of the leaves are and the background is a piece of wool I purchased at a manufacturer in Baltimore.

The sheep is hooked using Icelandic Lopi and the ear is a piece of wool which was prodded in.  So this rug will be hung somewhere in the house so the ear doesn't get squashed.

Kris picked her choice for the border wool I took to camp but haven't started hooking that in yet.  So my project will just have to  wait for me as I've got to catch up here on yard work, laundry, and getting ready for my art/craft show October 1.  I've got 3 dolls to finish, one remaining pumpkin on a candlestick to finish and hopefully finish hooking the NFF cat in the shoe before the show.