VOILA, LIONS AWAIT BINDING

Yippee, I pulled my final loops today while watching General Hospital.  Yes, am guilty of being obsessed with that show since 1968 when I was folding diapers that time of day.  Hey, back in the day there were fewer channels to watch and there were no disposable diapers then.

Anyhoo, I pulled out the red in the lioness' tail, changed out the gold in the top left penny circle and was getting ready to steam it when I noticed the remaining red in the lion's mane.  Oh man!

So before I pull it out think I will look at the rug in the morning to see if that red/gold texture is okay there or if it needs to be pulled out for sure.  My initial reasoning for putting the red in there was to show it was a mane and not just a blob of gold with a misshapen lion.  But in the beginning it was a little heavy with the red so pulling out what I did was a good thing.  Oh, I forgot to mention the dimensions of this pattern are 19 x 35.

Next is binding and as promised, will do a tutorial for those of you who have never used wide cotton binding tape.  Uh, this is my maiden voyage in that department as well so I'll be learning along with you.  But, I have used the 1 1/4" cotton biding tape so can't imagine this will be much different.

In today's mail I received the pattern for the swap and want so badly to start hooking it but can't yet.  The other hooker can't start hooking on the rug I'm sending her until after the 20th so this will give me time to bind the lion rug before I start.  Plus I just sold another Domestic Zoo pattern so need to draw two more out to have on hand since Evelyn will be teaching a Magdalena class at Woolley Fox in April.

For sure before I post a picture of the Lion in the Woods rug on my web site I will have to mount it on something upright so I can get a good picture.  Whenever I hover over top a rug it seems to never be straight and I straddle the rug or lean over so my toes don't get into the picture and the rug never looks even.

Well kiddo's I've fed Ben and soon he'll be circling the wagons for his walk.  Thanks for visiting and please be kind to one another.

Saundra

OH SO CLOSE ! ! ! !

It is really close to being completed now.... I mean just loops away.  The only part left to hook is the left side bottom part of the border.  However, I still want to change out the gold in the upper left corner, pull out the red in the mane of the male lion and the red tail of the lioness.  After that the design will be done to my liking.

Then my plans are to bind the lion rug first (also have the Wee Folk to bind) and will give you a tutorial thru the process with the new wide cotton rug binding tape (there was a request for that).  I'm really excited to use it after seeing it on one of Polly Minick's rugs.  Also the width seems to stabilize the perimeter of the rug. 

Here is the rug now.  And, once I get it completed the pattern will be offered on my web site.  But before I post a picture on my web side I'd really like to have a picture of the completed rug.

And exciting news, another hooker blogger and I have collaborated in swapping patterns; there is a design I have she wanted to hook and asked me if she had one that I'd be interested in.  UH, YEAH!!!!!!!  It was hookers delight made in heaven.  Nope, not gonna tell you right now you will just have to wait and watch.  Besides, we've not sent each other the designs yet.  But just keep this tid bit of info in your cranium and keep checking back to see what's happen'n on the hooker's hoops.  

Okay, I admit that I don't use a hoop but did when I first started.  But the wording just rolled off my tongue and had rhythm.  However, Polly Minick does use a hoop.  She uses one of the big hoops with a screw which will enlarge for hooked rugs.  While she has purchased and tried other frames that is her preferred method of hooking.  So, for you newbie hookers, perhaps your first investment should be not the thin embroidery hoop but a nice thick at least 12" hoop with a screw which expands the size to accommodate rug hooking projects.  That will carry you thru until you decide if you like rug hooking or not to invest in the wonderful tools available to make rug hooking much more enjoyable.

Thanks for visiting.

Saundra

Lions in the Woods (Detour)

As previously mentioned this rug was adapted from two similar antique rugs and I chose elements from each that I liked.  It is getting close to completion and it will be nice to have it finally done so another design can be put on my frame.  Sometimes I think it is the anticipation and excitement of starting a new design that is so intriguing; it is also fun to watch it develop but when it is about halfway done I'm ready to move on to something else.  Here is what is looks like right now.

I have tried numerous times ALL DAY to be allowed to 'browse' for pictures from my camera for the updated picture of the lions rug and Blogger won't let me.  The only thing I could do is choose a picture from my blog which has been previously posted.  So thought I'd give you all a treat and give you a look at the Ducks and Eggs Nest which is an antique adaptation from a rug which is in a museum in Montreal. 

The top left corner was just hooked and chose a brighter gold but it may end up coming out and my replacing it with a duller gold as are in the other corners.  And since I am unable to add a picture to this message (thanks to Blogger), by the time I can finally place the picture in the message, perhaps the corner will have been changed by then.

So when this rug is done I'll have two to bind.  I have had a request to post pictures of the binding process for this new wide binding tape and will show you step by step for those of you who have not bound a rug this way.  The Wee Folk will be bound differently and still unsure if I'll whip wool strips of blue all the way around or if I will cover cord with wool ~ I've previously bound rugs using both methods.

Since Blogger is still not allowing me to post a picture I'll save this as a draft and post a picture later if I can.  Well, I couldn't so as explained earlier, I looked thru pictures on previous posts and added that. 

Thanks for stopping by and sorry for the problems that exist which are beyond my control.

Saundra

Lions in the Woods Update

Thanks for validating my thoughts on the darker corner.  After hooking it in knew it looked better but it is always nice when you know hookers that you respect agree.  So as you can see I pulled out the blue on the bottom corner and made it dark.  While I did pull out some red loops from the mane of the lion on the left, the red still looks a little heavy. 

Something else I've done is put some lighter dark color in some of the triangles and will do some heavier of that color in other parts of the border to make it look aged.

If you enlarge the picture you can see something else that I'm doing for the ground.  In the original antiques there are some hooked spots which I am guessing are to be red leaves.  I drew them on my design but Lucille thought I should leave them out.  Well, I'm hooking some in and it will be very subtle and not as bold as the antique rugs were. You can see the soft faded color in the bottom which is also the same as in the triangles on the right border.

I'm a little antsy to get this finished because I have a new project that I'll start hooking on the beginning of the new year.  That will remain a surprise for a while longer tho.  A girl has to have a few secrets.  But I've been drawing out patterns today, I've drawn 10 and have 2 more larger ones to draw.  Actually 3 to draw but that doesn't have to be done until  closer to the new year and need to send out the 12 other ones tomorrow.

HO HO HO December 25th

It has been a very pleasant and relaxed Christmas Day here with me hooking on the Lions In the Woods before going to my son's house to share the holiday with them.  This is where the rug is at this moment. 

You may recall this is a design I adapted from two antique rugs similar but chose elements from both to make it more to my liking.  Must say that I do wish I'd made the rug a little larger because I am using #8 cut on most of it but #8.5 on the background. 

NOW, I need a little help from my friends and would love your input.  Take a look at the top and bottom right corners and tell me which looks best. 

I hooked the bottom corner first and thought the blue might add some color to the mostly dark solid bottom but when I got to the top and started hooking the blue there it seemed to look odd with so much blue with the triangle and the box.  AND, for the top border triangle near the top corner will be a blue.  So I pulled it out and hooked it with the primitive dark.  As I'm looking at it am thinking that it should be the dark for the border but am looking for input from my readers.

Plus I plan to make a change in the male lion's mane and remove the under hooked part of the mane and make it more straight rather than rounded at the bottom. 

Oh, and you probably noticed that I'm using the wide binding, a product I posted about on a previous post.  It really looked fantastic on a Polly Minick rug and I inquired where she purchased it and bought a roll for myself.  The binding comes in different colors and it really makes the rug stable and straight.  Not to say that I'd use this for all my rugs but on this one the hooked border will be dark so it will work great.

Naturally today was time spent with my son, daughter-in-love Cathy and my grandson Zach.  So I snapped a picture of my son and grandson playing with toys and just wonder who likes toys more.... father or son???

 

Here is Zach assembling a Lego village.  It will be interesting to see what he brings here to entertain himself with from all his new Christmas gifts.  Grandma has things here for him to play with but after all..... he has all these new toys which he will want to have here tomorrow.

My grandson will be spending the next couple days with grandma while school is out and parents work to make money for next year's Christmas and to pay bills for the upcoming year.

 

Hope you all had a peaceful and loving holiday however you celebrate. 

 

Happy Birthday Jesus.

 

Saundra

 

 

Rugs in Progress at the Workshop

There were 3 classes with teachers Lucille Festa, Gail Walden and Terri Schaeffer so you are about to see a wide variety of styles of hooking and braiding.

In Lucille's class these were the rugs being hooked, the first one by my friend and roomie Deb, it is a Woolley Fox design called "Have you any Wool".

This one was being hooked by Pam Brune and is a Lucille design.

This design was being hooked by Pat Duggan and she is in the process of changing out color more to her liking therefore the difference in color.  Sorry but not sure not sure who drew that one based on the antique.

Renia had two rugs she was working on; one to hook until Lucille got to her (as most of us did) and it happened to be her very first rug she hooked with Lucille at Cape May in September.  It is a design by Lucille as is her other rug she started at this workshop.

You can see the improvement in Renia's hooking between the Cape May first rug started and the one below.... great job Renia.

And this is Janice Russell's rug.  Let me mention here that Janice is a McGowan teacher and runs the April rug camp and is predominately a narrow cut hooker.  But she wanted the experience of getting primitive and she let her inhibitions go.  I like the changes they made with the border design too.

This rug was being hooked by Phyllis Sheetz and was a design by Lucille.

This is the rug I started hooking based on two antique rugs and I adapted parts from each to come up with this design.  Since being home I have not pulled one more loop on it as I have been working on the Wee Folk rug.

There was another student in Lucille's class but don't know if I have permission to show Stella's rug in progress or the rugs finished so won't post them now. However I do have other rugs to show and not sure who the teacher was or most not sure who the hooker was. 

However, this colorful geometric rug was started at Cape May in September and Susan Woodworth has accomplished a LOT since then.  So I'm thinking that she just continued the rug at this workshop just to be around other hookers and have a great venue with like people and have a great camp time.

Here are some in-progress rugs and sorry that I do not know who hooked them but enjoy.

 

It is obvious the next rug was flipped over and another design drawn on the back which is the subject being hooked.  I have done this also when I had a rug that I fell out of love with ~ hey, perfectly good linen so may as well put it to good use.

And then this wonderful wolf is great; I've done a narrow cut with my Rotties and it is also delightful but I'll not do another narrow cut rug even tho it does provide the detail as I like primitive wide cut rugs for my home.

This horse rug I know was being hooked by Janice's daughter Fran Trishman so can at least give credit to her for this.

And don't know who the rest of these were being hooked by but do enjoy if it is your style hooking, color, etc.

Just look at this VERY narrow cut rug.  Must admit I stood and admired all the detail which must have been hooked in a #2 cut.  Would I hook it?  In a word NO, but do I admire the work.... YES.

And then look at the detail of the toy section on the right side.

Hope I didn't miss anyone and if I did I apologize.  Thanks for dropping by, hope you have enjoyed your stroll thru of the rugs in progress.

Saundra

 

BETWIXT and BETWEEN

My wool selection has been made, most of my colors are pinned to the rings just as was done for Cape May with more of those colors in my totes.  And if I didn't bring what I need then Lucille will have plenty there to select from, or choose from other teachers.  Inside the colorful mesh bag are the rings with wool and my pattern.

And, behind the totes you can see two full bolts of linen foundation which just arrived today because when I get back from this camp I'll be working my booty off drawing more patterns for someone.  You can see some of my patterns as well as other patterns in the picture.  However, there is yet another container of the most current patterns to be drawn when I return in another section of the room.

My wool room is a mess and will be even more so once I return from this camp because I'll have wool from the Wee Folk, wool chosen for the Lions in the Woods which some will be used and some will need to be put back on the shelves.  But I'll be too busy drawing patterns to concern myself with that.

And then there is this bunch of wool which is being used for my Wee Folk rug right now.  For sure you cannot be a clean freak if you are a rug hooker as it makes dust, you have all those worms which you see in the plastic bags in my totes.  I say that but I'll bet that some of you (Joan and T'ere come to mind) is meticulous in everything.

Must say that the Townsend Orbiter frame has been wonderful for working on this long rug and decided to work on the other end at home so the weight will be more distributed when I'm hooking on it waiting my turn for the 'teach' ~ uh, Ben is trying to hone in on the attention here....isn't he handsome?  Oops, I see worms on the floor, worms to the left and there are worms on the sofa arm which you can't see.  I'm a messy hooker too.  I start out all nice and organized and somehow it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

 I still have lots more to hook on this rug and it is always a struggle deciding what to hook when I get home from another camp with a newly started rug which I'm excited about, and one you want done that was started previously. Thus, I'm betwixt and between. 

The frame I'll take to the next camp will be my Snapdragon since the Lions in the Woods is smaller and the Snapdragon keeps a drum tight surface for sure.  That is why I wanted to work on the end of Wee Folk for when I place it on my Snapdragon it will be more balanced.

Thanks for stopping by for the chitter chatter. 

Saundra

What's Next Ye Ask?

In a previous post I told you that my next rug was going to be yet another rug with lions.  This is one I designed based on a couple different antique rugs where I pulled elements that I liked from each.  Yes, the border has some issues where the squares on their ends aren't quite even but then it is supposed to be representative of a primitive antique rug, right?  And that just adds to the interest. 

The lion on the left will be hooked properly (I think) once I get started.  For sure I didn't want it to look like it had four ears but was trying to determine the area for the mane.  In the original antiques both lions reminded me of Amish men with full beards which were under their chin and all around the head.  Uh, not sure that I want that look in my rug; however, maybe, just maybe I'll change my mind just to stay more closely connected to the antique.  It is MY rug after all so can take some creative license to pick and choose what I want from the antique to make my own.

Okay, you've waited long enough and here is the linen I just drew out before Sandy hit full scale.  AND, those light spots you see on the backing is where I've put some similar colored paint on my linen (just now) so when it dries it will be the same as the backing and I'll know which was my latest change.

Now, remember this is a work in progress so might make changes on it as I go.  This isn't a huge rug as it seems that I like ones which are large enough to use as floor rugs, small enough to hang or put on a chest.  Not to mention the fact that it gets hooked faster when it is smaller.  I'm having to use my Townsend huge floor frame for the Wee Folk because no way I could use my other frames. 

I'm too lazy to take the Wee Folk rug off to take a picture tonight, besides, Ben has been having cabin fever and demanding more time of his mom.  So maybe tomorrow I'll finish off the month with a more current picture of my Wee Folk rug. 

I'm sorry for all the devastation that New York and New Jersey has encountered.  While Delaware and Maryland has encountered some loss also, I feel lucky to have come thru Sandy rather unscathed (tho I still have flood issues, limbs, etc.) but no way could I fathom the destruction issues many others are having right now.  My heart goes out to all of you.

Would like to mention that I've had numerous spams from 'anonymous' bloggers so I have disabled them from posting on my blog. Sorry to do that because there are legitimate hookers out there who for some reason wish to not be identified.  WHY?"  Who the heck knows.  I don't mind putting my face and name out there!  But because of the numerous spams I'm no longer accepting 'anonymous' posts.    SIGH.... but I feel good right now!

Thanks for visiting.

Saundra