Sincerely Jane Update

When I joined the Rughookers Yahoo challenge we were to post an updated picture the first of each month to show our progress and provide an opportunity for discussion and questions.  Well, I'm a couple days late in posting my picture on the group but thought I'd also post a picture here.  Perhaps Jane-HO will visit my blog and see what I've done in the way of hooking it whereas she is taking on the endeavor of quilt piecing the entire Jane Stickle quilt ~ whew!

As previously mentioned I've chosen a small size rug for me to hook but other rug hookers have taken on a humongous task of making a bigger hooked rug using more, if not all the squares in the quilt.  There were a couple different ways I'd thought of doing the border; could have been a hit and miss rows of hooking around a 2" border, thought of having a beauty line and a solid dark border, then decided to do the triangles and have it lean toward the semblance of the original Jane Stickle cone shape border.  One think I knew for sure was that it would not have hooked scallops because that would be a nightmare to bind.  So here is my rug thus far.

It will be quite interesting to see the final results of all the hooked rugs when the challenge comes to a close in April 2012. 

New Publication with Patterns

Just look at this gorgeous olde looking rug.  It is a beauty that I just have to hook one day.  The gals are at it again; Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson have co-authored another new book which will be released soon, probably within the next two weeks.

And, this is another hooked design that is offered in the book along with patterns for 3 quilts, 2 additional hooked rugs (total of 4 rugs) and one denim jacket.

THE BOOK COVER

You can pre-order the book from the Minick and Simpson web site:  http://www.minickandsimpson.com/catalog.php?item=106    I can't wait to get my hands on the book so I can start drawing out the eagles rug.

Back to Hooking

Whew, thankfully Irene left me with minimal flooding, no house damage and minimal tree problems.  There was a lot of leaves, limbs and some sizable limbs to fall but it could have been much worse so consider myself lucky.  I started the clean-up yesterday and there is still more I plan to do today as soon as I update my blog.

I was without electricity for 22 hours which is not conducive to rug hooking and hooking by candle light didn't work very well for me. I even tried propping up two mirrors so the light would be magnified and that wasn't much help either.  So yesterday for about an hour between clean-up I finally pulled some loops on this NotForgottenFarm design which I think is adorable. 

I have received my copy of the book written by my friend Evelyn Lawrence and Kathy Wright and oh boy is it ever interesting.   A lot of work and research went into the compiling of information for the book.  It gives historical informormation about the life and times of Magdalena, beautiful colorful pictures of rugs hooked by Magdalena, some of which I have never seen before.  In addition to the pictures of the rugs there is detail information on each of her rugs regarding design, color size.  This is a fabulous must-have book about Magdalena Briner Eby, one of the most well known (in my estimation) textile artists of American Folk Art.

And, some great news for any of you who were not able to attend Sauder (like me), and you would like to own one of your own, here is a link you can access to order: www.rughookingtraditions.com .  You can also see the dates for next year's  Sauder. 

Well, guess I better get outside and do some more post-Irene clean-up done.

Irene getting closer

I've purchased extra batteries for the flash lights, batteries for my portable radio so I can stay apprised of hurricane developments if (ha!!, when) power goes out.  Unfortunately the hurricane is still on track and headed this way as a category 3 hurricane with winds (as of this moment) 110 miles per hour.  All of the beaches (Rehoboth, Bethany, Lewes, in DE and Ocean City, MD have a mandatory evacuation for visitors and residents are recommended to leave.  While I live inland, I do live on a low lying track of land with streams circling the development, which flooded about 5 years ago during a nor easter.

In my previous post I showed you before pictures of the left and right side of the back yard and here are current pictures of the front yard.  Right now there are no trees down but I am quite certain that the dying trees will fall and there will a mighty mess to clean up after Irene has left.

This is the left side and to my back left is where the garage is and the driveway leading to the road around the meadow which would be my exit route from the house. 

Straight ahead is the center front of the property which will have lots of debris in it after the storm runs it course with lots of limbs, leaves and probably tree trunks.

And to the right front yard....., yup, that is a very tall oak tree real close to the house and am praying that it will not topple over onto the house during this storm and twisting winds. 

We are to again to have a thunderstorm and rain before the hurricane gets here Saturday afternoon into Sunday so the saturated ground will make the possibility of falling trees even more probably and would come up with the whole root system.  That is what I'm afraid of with this tree.

Calm Before the Storm

Two days ago we had a rare east coast earthquake which measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and while the epicenter was in Mineral, VA it was felt here in Seaford, DE and even in Canada.  And now we are battening down the hatches in preparation for Irene which is a tropical storm headed directly toward us.

I can remember having a hurricane and my mother's house had waist high water inside her home.  Of course she lives across the street from the Indian River and with the tides, the wind and rain, it was a terrible mess to clean up with mud coating everything in the house, ruined all electrical items and furniture.  While no one is living in the house at the moment, my brother and I still own the house so it will not be a pretty picture after the storm hits.

At my house I've pretty much cleared all the deck furniture off and put it inside the porch, and here is a picture of the left side which, after or during the hurricane will be flooded I'm sure; but this is a picture before.

And to the right of the deck will have standing water as well, if we get as much wind and rain as anticipated. And, as luck would have it, we will be getting rain today and tomorrow even before Irene hits us so flooding is expected.

Yesterday I went out and purchased jugs of water and today will fill up my two tubs and buckets with water so that if I lose power I can at least flush the toilets, take a bath, brush my teeth and drink water.  I have candles but need to go out and buy some extra batteries 'just in case' and will buy more fresh fruit because I can live on fruits and vegetables if I'm unable to cook.

So keep your fingers cross for me and I'll be saying a few prayers myself.   

Magdalena Briner

I became enamoured with Magdalena Briner rugs since my friend Evelyn Lawrence first introduced me to her designs.  Evelyn launched her book on the subject at Sauder Village this past week and I only wish I could have been there to see them up close and personal myself and to congratulate Evelyn for her accomplishments.

So far I have hooked 3 of her designs:  Domestic Zoo (the long runner), Dog with Crows and the Eagle.  It would be very difficult to pick out my favorite of those but guess my favorite would be the one I was hooking at the time.  I'm going to do an experiment and post a picture of the original  Magdalena Eagle rug which was on display at Sauder and the post a picture of the one I hooked to see how far off I was in trying to capture the original look.

Here is Magdalena's original:

And now the one I hooked, which was the third and last rug of Magdalena's I hooked:

Here is the Domestic Zoo rug I hooked, which was the first Magdalena rug I hooked (pattern can be purchased from my web site, www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.com ). 

And the Dog and Crows rug was the second one I did:

              
I do have plans to hook the dog next ~ well I say next but it will be after I return home from Cape May rug camp where I'll be hooking something else entirely.  Since when hooking the Magdalena rugs it requires bits and pieces of wool it is best to hook that at home so I can dig into my worm bag for oddball pieces.  After all, Magdalena used what she had and while hooking the others would often say out loud, "Magdalena, guess that is all you had at the time so you hooked that color right there".

Here are two more original Magdalena rugs which were on display at Sauder.  I sure do want to hook this dog soon.

And then Magdalena's red horse original:

To all of you who were there to see the rug show and the wonderful rugs of Patty Yoder and Magdalena Briner, it must have been a goose bump day seeing these magnificent works of art history.

Sauder Village

Unfortunately I was not in attendance at Sauder Village even tho I was given advance information that there would be some original Magdalena Briner rugs as well as some of Patty Yoder.  So I begged and pleaded with anyone who attended to please take pictures so that I might enjoy them from afar.  Thanks to Phyllis (who is the host of RughookersYahoo) she posted this picture trail so that those of us who were unable to go could enjoy the show as well.  Here is Phyllis' blog:  http://rughooker.blogspot.com/ so that you my enjoy it as well.

Must say that even tho some of the pictures were fuzzy I still got goosebumps when Magdalena's rugs and Patty's rug appeared on the screen.  While my personal collection of rugs lends itself to wide cut primitive style, I did see some rugs which were excellent and as a hooker who has also done fine cut can appreciate the work involved.  And as a rug hooking teacher I had (Bev Conway) said more than once...."Color gets all the credit but it is value which does all the work".

Enjoy the picturetrail everyone.

My new small project

In between assembling purses for people, working sporadically on things for my October show, wanting to get ready for my Cape May rug camp, and trying to have some semblance of order here with my newly adopted pup (wish I could establish a routine with her), I find myself needing something new to hook.  WHEW!  That was a loooong run on sentence.

I love Not Forgotten Farm designs and have numerous patterns of hers.  I've always been enamoured with the Cat in the Shoe design, so that is what I'm working on right now.  As I'm looking at it the ears seem a little under hooked.  When I hooked them I remembered my teachers saying to "Stay within the lines to keep small things small".  Since I didn't want my cat ears to grow to huge proportion thought I'd better stay within the lines.  However, I just might re hook them a smidgen larger.

While I think of the pattern as Halloween am thinking that I'll  hook it so that if someone wants to buy it who loves their cats, it can be used all year.  It can just be a kitty kat who jumps in a shoe for play. 

The background that is hooked in right now is a blue and grey plaid with a tan line and off white.  Thought it might look like sky and be a light contrast to the cat.  Am thinking of a red and orange texture for the triangles and a darker one row border but not as dark as the shoe (Jinx) which is also a great texture from Heavens to Betsy.

Rugs by the Sea

Just one month away from rug camp in historic Cape May, NJ and I've finally decided what I'm going to hook in class.  Am going with my initial idea of the log cabin and sheep, however I have changed it up a bit some from the original July Cabin pattern in Barb Carroll's book. I thought I'd like to hook the leaves of those trees similar to what I did in the Woodland Deer rug (below) with different colors to give it pizazz.

So here is what I've drawn on linen, again with changes from the original design provided in her book.  As I'm looking at this photo now, I think I like the fuller tree to the right, might even make the leaves a tad bigger, don't know yet.

But below is a picture of it hooked by someone (forget who now) and is posted in the Carol Andress folder on Woolley Fox web site.  

Some other changes I did was change the direction of the smoke, instead of upwards I moved it more to the side because I wanted a smaller rug.  Also didn't want my trees in pots nor did I want flags on the trees.

Sincerely Jane Challenge piece

Obviously I have a flat learning curve because this is the 4th time I've typed and saved a message and didn't click PUBLISH.  So obviously this is going to be shorter and just cut to the chase.

Here is my Sincerely Jane challenge rug and am in a quandary as to what to do with the border so have put up a poll and would really love your feed back.

Here are some of my thoughts, which also appear on the poll.

~ pull out all the triangles and do a hit and miss border for 3-5 rows.
~ pull out the light triangles and hook only lines randomly
~ pull out the light triangles and hook only star and diamond shapes
~ pull out all the light triangles totally and hook those in dark & medium value too
~ keep going as started.

Or, if you have other suggestions would love your feedback.  If there is not a suitable answer for you on the poll, feel free to write me your thoughts at saundra125@comcast.net.

Little Bella's Update

Bella has been here 9 days now.  I wanted to give you an update 4 days ago on Monday but have had to jump a lot of hurdles since then, including finally shipping one of the two Edward Tulane rabbits I had orders for (again).  So have been to the shippers and one is on its way to Illinois.

Oh but it has been a challenge this week with a new pup and the A/C going off during a weekend and I refused to pay the exorbitant cost for an emergency call.  So I turned on all the ceiling fans in the house and brought the oscillating fan down from the attic.  But night time sleeping was a little uncomfortable but thank gawd this past weekend temps weren't the ones in the 3 digits as we'd experienced the week prior.

Since Bella was new and wanting to crate train her she had been sleeping in the crate all night until Sunday night.  Since it was to be really really warm in the room I turned on the ceiling fan, and had the oscillating fan mostly directed in the direction of her crate and two (yes, 2) beds outside the crate.  Hey, my girl must have her choice of memory foam or fluff.  And decided to let her sleep outside the crate so she could go in if she wanted (door remained open) and at least she would have access to water in case she wanted to hydrate herself.

Well she was a perfect roommate, no accidents or other incidents and she has been sleeping outside the crate since.  I'm happy she is getting more freedom.  Of course I don't totally trust her for 1-2 hours alone while I run errands yet for fear of the separation anxiety.

So we did get the A/C back in operation on Monday afternoon and it was like heaven in the house later. 

When Terry of Majesty Rottweiler Rescue was here she suggested I elevate the bowls to ensure her stomach didn't flip by too much water, too much food, too much play, which I guess with any combination of the 3 could or has caused the problem.  I've never had a dog with that situation but didn't want to start now either.  So I went out and found something suitable to elevate her bowls.

You can see that my little girl still needs to put on weight and you can readily see the eye which had the entropian surgery as she is sleeping by my side in the computer room.  I'm hoping that with time the hair will grow back and eye will take shape again.  Naturally I will love her even if it doesn't, but you know how we girls are sensitive about our appearance.

Lovin' my little girl and think she and I will embark on the trek to the mail box to retrieve mail since it is relatively  mild outside albeit somewhat humid.  I'll carry some water with me in case she gets panting.

Oh, in the picture above to the left is a stool with a hooked top which I purchased from Mad Hen (Tonya Robey) and the stool to the right is an antique one but the hooked design was the design which came with the dye recipe box and samples.  I figured that since I keep my dyes out of sight I may as well enjoy the design where I can see it every day.

Bella's Slideshow

Bella and I getting along wonderfully and it is as if this were her home all along.  We are still in the process of developing a schedule.  She is very good at listening and knows a 'sit' and easily goes into a 'down' position, and then she rolls over and wants her belly rubbed.

My initial thought was to have the crate in the kitchen.  But then re-thinking that decided to put it in the bedroom so that she can be contained during the night and be near me.  It might not be too long before I'll start trying to trust her closed in the bedroom with me during the night and not put her in the crate.  But since she hasn't been here a week yet will wait just a bit longer.

Terry and Diego of Majesty Rottweiler Rescue were very kind in giving me a slide show of the day Bella was adopted.  It is rather long but has certainly been fun for me to view it a few times.  Bella was put in a shelter because her homeless owner could not take care of her.   In the slide show you will see how she and I connected from the very beginning.  I went to the garage refrigerator to get bottled water for all of us and she wanted to be right with me ~ we really hit it off right away.

http://www.slide.com/r/LAiDcCfhzz-WwW9MockM0puWK0f_cvri?fbr=1

Bella is one sweet girl and we will get a little meat on those bones.  Two of my gal pals stopped by yesterday to meet her and they confirmed that she was a gentle, sweet girl who will learn fast.

Meet Bella

I want you all to meet my new companion Bella.  Bella is my first rescue animal and was adopted thru Majesty Rottweiler Rescue.  This picture was taken by them during the home visit to see how the match was and so they could see where and what conditions she would live.

Obviously the interview process with references I provided, calls to my vet, home visit and conversations with me, I passed the tests.  Since I never kenneled any of my dogs when I went to rug camps, they even required that the person who will watch Bella when I go to camps be in attendance too.  They wanted to see how that person would interact with Bella as well.

Bella does need to put on some weight and I am feeding her small amounts of food several times a day, with a little non-fat plain yogurt mixed in for digestion.  So we are working on that.  I was quite surprised to learn that she was, according to the rescue, "close to total emaciation".  Just do not understand how anyone could let that happen.

And frankly I am very surprised that Bella is as sweet and friendly for her to have come out of a situation like that.  Of course the rescue organization temperament tested her to see how she responded when food was removed, interaction with children, dogs and cats and she passed with flying colors. 

Once Bella was healthy enough they did a spay, micro chipped her and did an entropian surgery on her eye.  She has had all sutures removed and her eye will gradually begin to look normal.

This sweet dear girl is beside me as I type this.  I am on the left but she prefers the coolness of the bathroom tile.  She does like to play and likes her toys and go for long walks, but she is being typical Rottweiler and comfortable just chillin'.

I've neglected lots of duties in the last couple days and need to leave and make a shipment of patterns to someone, stop at the grocery store and maybe even pick up something new for my girl.   So Bella will go in a crate while I'm gone for an hour and we will both be happy to see one another.  It will be much better when I have had her long enough to trust her out alone during my absence.  But until then when I come home and no accidents in the house and no table legs chewed off I greet her all excited and happy.  And because of that she is happy.  Bella wants to please and seems to learn fast so I'm sure it won't be long before the crate training is a thing of the past.

Good News and Better News

The good news is that I've finished hooking my Frost Sheep rug and it has been steam pressed.  It still needs to be bound and I'll get around to doing that because it will go to Cape May in September for the annual rug show.  Then when it comes home will reside over the fireplace mantle in the living room.  But I was so anxious to show you the rug that I just turned the backing under to photograph it. 

And, the better news is that I think I'll have a new roommate and companion.  That's right, I've applied for and have been accepted to adopt a Rottweiler thru the Majesty Rottweiler Rescue organization.  You'd think I was applying for a government security clearance with the investigation and research they go thru.  But it makes sense.  Anyone can have an animal but they do not want people perpetuating the inhumane treatment, abuse or neglect to animals so they do good investigation. 

So tomorrow there will a home visit to see if I am a good fit with Bella.  And, they requested that the person who will be watching her when I go to rug camps be in attendance tomorrow as well to see how Bella is a fit there as well.  You can read all about Bella here:  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20189244

So, earlier today I went out and got a new bed, new collar, some new toys, food similar to what she was getting.  Pro Plan Chicken and Barley was recommended but when I went to the pet store they said they have discontinued using that brand.  And instead has suggested this: http://www.veruspetfoods.com/products/for-dogs/canine-bags/verus-life-advantage-chicken-meal-oats-and-brown-rice-formula-dry-dog-food.html .   The pet store said they decided to do a lot of research on different brands, where it is processed, where the food comes from, etc; we all know what happened with the food from China.  He said the chicken used in this food comes from Tyson in the US and is human grade food.  So hey, that sold me and hope Bella likes it too.

I'm trying to get my cleaning done, need to cut the grass today and then can spend important time with Bella getting her acclimated to her new home.  Oh, and still need to bring down the crate from the attic.  I crate trained both my Rotties and Shadow and they were never put in the crate as punishment, but rather to let them have their den when I'm gone so that I'm happy they were good while I was gone (no boo boos in the home) and they are happy that I'm happy.  It will also be a good place for her to just walk into and lay down if the transition seems a little daunting at first.  Since dogs are den animals anyway, it will be her special place.  Then, once I know her habits and can be trusted loose all day, i will put that crate back upstairs in the attic, and life will be great.

This is not to replace Shadow as there will never be another Shadow.  The adoption of a Rottweiler is because I love the breed, have had Rotties before and I desperately want a four-legged companion to keep me company.  Besides, I feel a littly silly talking to the empty house.  Just might be rather busy the next couple days but will check in to let you know how we are doing.

My Dear Deer

God but I do love my critters and living on a wooded piece of land with wildlife all around.  And when summer time comes and knowing there will be a lack of water for them I keep a water bucket filled on each side of the property to provide water for my deer.  Right now it requires a complete fill up every morning from an almost empty bucket. Obviously they know this is a safe haven and that I won't be having venison for dinner.  Here are only two of numerous photos I took from the window not knowing if I would get a better closer picture later or not. I'm only showing you two of the many. 

These twins still have spots and the mother is in the back toward the far back left and I can see her, perhaps you can too from the photo. I'm sure she has her alarm system to tell them to skedaddle but they are grazing comfortably close to the house and no need for alarm right now.

 

At one point I thought they were going to go on the deck toward the trickling sound of my fish pond, but they didn't.

 

These youngsters haven't been weaned yet because after nibbling on leaves and grass they went back to mum for more nutrients. I watched to be sure the youngsters did not go near the salt lick that I have in the back too, as it can kill a very young deer.

 

Life is good in these here woods. 

Getting Close......

Sheesh, every time I type .... (dot dot dot), I think about the Bachelorette show and the significance behind that comment.  Oh, well, moving right along ~  I'm getting close to finishing up my Frost Sheep rug and it is about time for heavens sake.  Have been so busy that my little bit of hooking time is definitely enjoyed each time I finally get to pull some loops.  My goal is to have it done in time to take to Cape May in September for the rug show at Rugs by the Sea rug camp.  But I still have the other Edward Tulane rabbit to make for a 3rd teacher in Texas and it needs to be there before school starts.  Here is my sheep as of this afternoon.

I still haven't decided exactly what I want to hook for that camp as the loss of Shadow took the wind out of my sails, plus the orders and now must think about making some things for my next craft show which is two weeks after I return from Cape May.  And, I've also been busy filling out applications to adopt a dog thru PetFinder.com where I found several appealing Rottweilers thru Majesty Rottweiler Rescue.  I don't think that Shadow would want me to be alone because she took her work and watching over me very seriously.

And, this is a reminder that today is the last day for the special sale at http://heavens-to-betsy.com/  My wool smorgasbord bundle arrived today and look at all the goodies.  It will be fun trying all these different pieces of wool that I have not previously ordered but because I chose the 'remnant bag' will get to experience some of the wool without having to buy a whole yard ~ who'da thunk about such a great idea?

Well time is whittling away at the day I'd better get busy working on my rabbit.

This-N-That

What does wool, birthdays and hooking have in common?  Well, mainly because it is Betsy Reed's birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETSY!!!!!!!  And in case you didn't know, in celebration of Betsy's birthday, they are giving a magnificent generous 15% discount on orders over $30 ~ check out this link as soon as you finish reading my blog http://www.heavens-to-betsy.com/.  Hey, it is so very easy to get an order of over $30 together because we always need more.  But you must hurry because the offer ends July 20th, and don't forget to give the code.  And, selfish me didn't post this until I placed my order and have already received notification that it is on it's way.

I've updated my Sincerely Jane challenge piece just a little and this afternoon I'll work some more on my Frost sheep rug and give an update on that one in a day or so.  I now wish I had made my rug one more block wider but still the 4 blocks down.  I think it would have made the triangle pieces a little more balanced but it is too late now.

Since the piece doesn't need to be completed until April 2012, and I chose to do a smaller version, I'm way ahead of schedule.  It really doesn't take much time to hook the squares.  Someone on Rughookers Yahoo asked the question how long does it take to hook the square.  Unfortunately I've not taken the time to do that because I'm so easily distracted watching a movie on TV or General Hospital that I will often pause, watch that story line and then realize I hadn't pulled a loop in 5 minutes.  So here is my rug; I believe that if you double-click on it that it will enlarge a bit.

Back to Betsy...... Something that was a LOT of FUN to do was order the 'remnant bag' assortment.  I have done that twice and it was such fun to get an assortment of wools that I had never ordered but learned that I loved them.  Well, of course as soon as I washed and use one of them had to order more of it.  So what a way to experience a wool and not have to buy a whole yard of it in case you decide it's not for you.  So, don't forget to check out Betsy's sale http://www.heavens-to-betsy.com/

What to Hook at Camp

I LOVE going to rug camps and since Cape May is just 2 months away I've got to get my act together and decide what I'm going to hook, particularly since we've received a letter from our teacher inquiring so she can be prepared to help in anyway with wool colors, ideas for teaching techniques, etc. 

Right now I'm feeling kinda of wishy washy on what I want to do.  I think my (hopefully temporary) funk could be part of the problem with my decision making.  I've a collection of rug patterns like a store so there is plenty here for me to choose from.  I have this pattern which I purchased from Woolley Fox in May, so could do this one.  But..... I'm presently hooking the Frost Sheep, so do I want to hook another sheep?

Also have this cute and smallish Rainbow Log Cabin, which I also purchased at Barb's.... but it seems sorta small for a 5 day camp and could do that one at home.

And since this design is offered in Barb's book I just enlarged it and drew it on red dot but it seems so big at 25 x 43.  However, I could make a few changes.... eliminate one tree, make the smoke blowing at the side instead of up and put both sheep on a hill to the side ~ or I could remove both trees and sheep and have primitive swags drawn randomly around the sides with more stars. 

And I also have Maggie Bononami's Settler's Pride huge quilt pattern and could do Settler's Cabin.

You get the feeling I want to hook a log cabin?  I do but haven't totally sold myself on the idea yet because I'm still wishy washy.

And then I have always wanted to hook the Three Bears.  But, where in my house would it go?  And my grandson wouldn't think it was too cool for him. 

Just can't seem to make up my mind.  So, with still 2 months to go perhaps I'll give myself a little more time to think about it and maybe I'll sit in the floor of the wool room and pull out all the patterns I have; perhaps I've got one that I've forgotten about and that one will be the one that speaks to me.

More Magdalena Briner

I've got to get out of the depressing funk that I'm in so what better to talk about than Magdalena Briner.  There are a few other of her designs that I want to hook and have three others lined up in my mind.

Actually I did hook a Magdalena rug which I haven't posted on my web site, and it was just half of Magdalena's rug which normally has two horses but I hooked just one.  I'm sure you will recognize which design of Magdalena's it is when you see it.

The other rugs that are tugging at me are pictured below and hooked by other people.
So when I get ready to hook another Magdalena rug for my collection it will be among these.

This one was hooked by Evelyn Lawrence who did the research on Magdalena Briner.

This is another of my favorites which was also hooked by Evelyn and the original is in collection of the great granddaughter who Evelyn has met.

And the other I'm wanting to hook for my collection is this one.  I love how dark and old this one looks.

So bloggers....... sorry I've been remiss in keeping my postings going but I did hit a few bumps in the road lately with work and then other unhappy issues which, if you've been reading you know.

Happy hooking everyone.

One Loop at a Time

Progress on my Frost Sheep rug has been rather slow but I'm making headway pulling one loop at a time in what free time I can find.   As previously mentioned, I've been busy with orders and getting ready for the show this past Saturday.  And thankfully I had that show for a diversion from the pain I endured by the loss of my Shadow girl. 

Speaking of orders..... would you believe that the teacher who ordered the other  two Edward Tulane rabbits has written and has an order for me for another teacher in her area and needs it before school starts.  Yup, feast or famine; right?

Here's my rug at the moment and if I weren't on this here contraption I'd be pulling loops on it right now.

I am planning to do the same type directional hooking at the back side of the sheep as I did in front.  It is just a smidgen different than the rest of the soft dark background but done in the directional hooking is what really sets it off.  My plans for this big handsome rug is to go above the fireplace on the wall. Not that I would have an aversion to stepping on it, but that I think it would make more of a statement in my living room over the mantle.

Hey, did you guys get the Betsy samples??  Did you notice the Andrew Sisters?  It never looks the same on their web site so if you don't get their samples in the mail, do yourself a favor and order them.  That piece of wool looks like it would hook up to a wonderful peeling painted barn or birdhouse.  I haven't used it yet so don't know but that was my intent when I purchased some of it.  And, Mr. Ed is going to be the wood for the log cabin rug I plan for September at Cape May.  Or at least that is what I'm thinking of as my project right now; who knows since my mood for projects changes like the weather.  I'm sure you are probably the same way.