Rug Camp in Ocean City, MD

This was the view from our room.  All the rooms at the Dunes Hotel are ocean view rooms.   It is very calming to hear the waves and will put one to sleep.  The deck is the first place Deb heads toward after she drops her bags.

Just look at the sunset last Sunday about 5:15 p.m.  Should have taken a picture a tad earlier and it would have been awesome.

When going to this camp it is like old home week of a sorority as some of the same gals attend each year.  And then you get to meet new gals which is always a good thing because the sorority grows.  This was Heather's first rug.  She purchased and started the kit a few months ago and managed to get it all hooked at this camp.  Great job Heather!

I just met Heather this year and think she will be back again, that is her to the left.  In the middle is sweet Grace and on the right is another sweetie, Renia.  

Grace fell in love with my Chicken Challenge piece so I sent her the paper pattern via snail mail since she doesn't have a computer. 

The Chicken Challenge was offered on the Woolwrights blog.  

There is Betsy in the cream colored sweater hand stitching a snowman waiting to be stuffed. 

My roomie Deb is speeding away on one of the two patterns she took to hook.  See the delicious plaid wool in the foreground ~ it is called Jemstone and after seeing it in person I had to have some too.  Yes, that is a Betsy wool.

 

Isn't this Mountain Retreat design cute? 

Sue was hooking this sheep design.

And in September at Cape May someone else was hooking the same rug.  It is such fun to see how others hook the same design in their color preferences.

The sheep below is being hooked by Renia.  The lights she chose for the sheep really work well as they don't compete, only a subtle difference and I like the look.  I purchased a Crow pattern with a patchwork background and like the colors Renia has started with and hope my patchwork background will be as nice.

This is Peg's colorful geometric and she's made great headway.

Again, my roomie Deb's Trick or Treat Smell my Feet rugs.  They are offered by Spruce Ridge and are adapted from Lori Brechlin designs.  These pictures were taken Wednesday evening so the picture on yesterday's blog shows more progress.  I wanted to post these pictures so you can see the different technique Deb is using.  These were some of the techniques we learned in Ali Strebel's class in Cape May.

My table-mate Patty is hooking 'Bottoms Up'.  An example of hooker camaraderie is when Susan gave Patty a piece of wool.  Patty asked how much she wanted for it and Susan said, "just pay it forward".  So the next day Patty came in, reminded us of what had transpired the day before and handed each of us a scratch off lottery ticket.  How cool was that!  Sorry to say I'm still not a millionaire.   

Diana, to the left, hooked the bear that Susan is holding up.  Betsy is explaining something but can't remember what it was. 

Pam finished a snowman (the one Betsy was sewing a back on for stuffing) so she started this pumpkin rug. 

Ahh, there is our newbie hooker Heather with her finished sheep.  Great job Heather and guess we will see you again next year......I hope.  Just love Sue's electric blue top. 

 A revisit to Renia's sheep.

 This is the Magdalena Olde Ducks pattern I am working on. 

Tomorrow I'll post a few of the rugs which were on display for the impromptu rug show.  This mini camp doesn't do a big rug show so there's not the participation you see at other rug camps. 

 

Have a great Saturday afternoon and evening.

 

Saundra 

 

Honey, I'm Hooome

Hey, it was a perfect camp with Betsy and it was a great timing for me to heal post surgery since I could avoid having to walk my big boy Ben.  Yet it is so good to be home, see my boy and get back to normal daily living.  It's always wonderful to get away but as wonderful to see HOME again.  And, sadly I put on 3 pounds during my indulgences and lack of exercise.

I'll leave you with a teaser and do a better job of blogging tomorrow.  These are two patterns my gal pal Deb started at this camp.  They are designs by offered by Spruce Ridge and designed by NotForgotten Farm; One is called Trick or Treat and the other Smell my Feet. Deb was hooking mostly in #9 cut and if we'd had one more day of camp she would have both hooked.

Deb is behind the first rug, Susan Thomas is holding up rug #2 and that is Betsy Reed to the right.

Will have more to share in the days to come.

OH, the doctor called me at camp to let me know the mass removed from my thigh was benign.. woohoo!

Saundra

Leaving for Camp with Betsy Tomorrow

Good news is that I am able to sleep at night without pain.  Bad news is that I can't walk too fast and is with a giving in limp.  I've not walked my big boy Ben since having surgery since he has this thing about fast moving vehicles.  Don't need to be yanked, get my bearings and rip a stitch.

Good  news is that my house/Ben sitter is here now and walking Ben so am a happy mom since my boy is happy.

Tomorrow I will leave for camp.  It will give me time to heal with someone else taking care of walking Ben.

I'll take picture of the class.  This is a small camp so there won't be a huge rug show to post.  But Betsy has asked me to bring the rugs I hooked of the Rottweiler Memorial and my Shadow Memorial.  Frankly I'm in awe that a teacher would be interested to see what I've hooked. 

Okay kiddies, I'll check back when I return home.  I'll have my iPad with me but not sure how good I'll be about responding to messages.    BUT I LUV y'all.

Saundra

Post Surgery Post

Interesting title don't ya think?  Yesterday morning was surgery so was not up to posting anything.  Yup, I did sit and pull a few loops in hopes it would distract me from the excruciating headache and pain in the right thigh.  Normally I've had a high tolerance for pain and would never take pain meds even tho I had them 'just in case'.  I mean, at midnight and you're wracked with pain and nothing but aspirin?  OOPS, getting off track here and that is another post I could do.

Anyway...... look at this cutie Jolly snowman pattern by Maria of Star Rug Company.  I saw my friend Lauren of Rugs and Pugs hooking it last year, was jealous and had to order my own.

What is great about this is that I have not cut one piece of wool.  You can see my wool strips in a baggie and hanging around.  Not sure what color background yet but since I'm still in pain, can't concentrate it will all come together later.  Besides, Sunday I'm leaving for rug camp.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking.... why did you plan this???  Actually I didn't plan it, it just happened this way.  However, since I cannot walk Ben and he doesn't like having the back yard as his only option, it will be great for the house/Ben sitter to fulfill his needs.  Then mom can rest and not worry about the 3 - 4 miles a day she walks her boy.

Yup, I've cramped his style and he is whining now because he wants to walk around the meadow where CARS drive.  Mama can't handle that right now after just 24 hours after surgery on a thigh muscle.

So kids, he is here again and wants me to walk him so time to let him out back as I hobble to the back door.

Later.

Saundra

Moving Right Along

The Ali Katz rug whipping is in the homestretch, the Folk Art Horse mat is all hooked and now needs binding so it is time to put something on my frame to keep me occupied between now and Sunday when I leave for camp.

And just WHAT is that pattern I'm moving right along to?  That would be the cute snowman pattern JOLLY that I purchased from Star Rug Company last year.   

Ben must know something is up because he won't leave my side.  I'm at the computer typing and he will whine (cry, complain) in the living because he wants me in there with him.  When I don't comply he comes to me.  Must say it is great to have dog that loves the companion of his family.  Particularly so with a Rottie (who gets a bad rap) and again particularly since Ben was 3 years 7 months old when I adopted him.  Isn't he a handsome hunk of dog?

And Ben would be right, there is something going on.  Lately I've had several doctor visits and tests so have been in, out and about.  But as far as he is concerned I was absent to him.  Then tomorrow morning I'm having a lump removed from inside a vastus medialis muscle on my right thigh.

This is going to put a cramp in my otherwise healthy and active life.  Am still going to rug camp leaving Sunday and hopefully will be fully functional for normal activities.  Guess it is a good thing it is happening now since there will be someone here to care for Ben and give me a break for camp.  Thank goodness this lump will be GONE tomorrow.

Have a great evening everyone.  I may not sleep well tonight but will tomorrow after they sedate me.

Saundra

Almost Done

Just a smidgen more to hook in the upper right hand corner and this one will be done.  Here is a picture without a flash and may be a little blurry.

But it looks better than the first picture I took with a flash, as everything looks all washed out. 

This is Magdalena's Folk Art Horse purchased from Woolley Fox and is the small size.

This afternoon I'll be in a quandary because there is no way I can go 5 days without having something to hook.  I leave for rug camp on the 9th and while I do still have a little left to whip on the Ali Katz rug and will now have this little one to bind, there's no way that will satisfy my urge for hooking.  Wellllll, guess I could finish up that needle felting around some of the Katz. 

Hope your Tuesday is terrrr-ific.

Saundra

How I Choose Wool for Rug Camp

Actually, I have done my wool selecting differently depending on the rug.  You can start by asking yourself some of these questions:

~Do You want a light or dark background?

When I hooked Magdalena's Farm with Barb Carroll my only request was to have a primitive black background and I didn't care what other colors she chose to put where.  Obviously I was quite happy with the results.  Barb used all of my wool except for the grey horse and she sold me only the amount needed to hook the horse.

This is how I packed wool for that camp. As you can see I took many more colors than needed but look how easy it would be to show the teacher what colors were available. 

I put small pieces on one of those rings you can buy at craft stores.  Think they come in a package of 3 and are used for Dream Catchers.  I put a large safety pin on the piece of wool and put it on the ring.  The wool pieces are usually less than 1/4 yard but will put a little more of that color in a container.  But having that ring, or those rings makes it easier to show the teacher rather than picking up the whole container.

Extra wool in those colors were in a plastic container which also went with me to camp.  I could leave the container in the van and only go there if I needed more than was pinned to the ring. The wool on the rings is in the colorful mesh tote.

~Is your rug for a certain room in the house?

Answering that question might lead you to a color for the main motif or choice in background as well.  Such was the case with my Ali Katz rug.  It was planned for my garden bath and my Jacuzzi tub, sinks, etc. are navy blue so I wanted a dark blue background. 

~ Do you know exactly what colors you want where already?

Again that was the case with Ali Katz because it was adapted from a silk painting I'd done in 1998.  So really the color planning was pretty much done for me, all I had to do is go thru my wool and select the colors.

There are also those times I want to replicate the antique rug and want to do it at home where there are mounds of left over wool strips.  That is what I did with Magdalena's Lollipop Bouquet.  Oh my but I do love this rug.

So for Betsy's class I am taking Magdalena's Olde Ducks pattern that I drew out.  Here are two pictures of the original.  As indicated in the book, it is unknown if the two color pictures were actually two rugs hooked by Magdalena or a picture before and after repairs may have been done, since there are slight differences.

I'm not planning on hooking my Olde Ducks exactly like Magdalena did hers as I don't want my smaller ducks quite that dark.  I'm trying to take a variety of uncut wool and several bags of woolie worms to give the rug an old look.  A lot of my pre-cut strips will remain home and this is the first time I've tried taking just SOME to do an old rug so will be interesting.

Evelyn Lawrence did all the research on Magdalena and has hooked all of her designs.  If you are interested in getting your own copy of Rug Hooking Traditions with Magdalena Briner Eby you can order it from Woolley Fox. 

Have a great Sunday.

Saundra

November First

Oh my, it is the first of November already, time to turn the clocks back so it gets darker earlier.  I already feel like there aren't enough hours in the day and now it will seem like there are even less.

As it will be darker earlier my driveway needs to have new solar lights so Ben and I can find our way down the curved driveway for our (his) walk after dark.  The present ones have long died.  Now if ONLY someone in town still hasn't boxed theirs up and stored them away until next spring garden time.

AND......in just 8 days I'll be leaving for rug camp with Betsy Reed and looking forward to it.  Had a class with her last November and want to show her my Chicken Challenge Rug I hooked using her primitive edge binding technique.  I think this just makes the look of the rug.

Speaking of Betsy.....did you know that she and her artist husband Eric have acquired the designs of George Kahle?  Yes, tis sad but true;  George was a very talented man and a great story teller.  Anyone who has been to a rug camp where Dick and George attended can vouch for that.  George will be sadly missed.

In these few short 8 days I've got lots of things going on, doctor appointments scheduled, fasting blood test (yuck to both of those), hair cut (yippee for that), and preparing the house to accept the friend who tends my boy Ben and does repairs when I'm gone ~ and thank goodness for that help as well. 

And of course I need to pack suitcases and wool.  Since I'm hooking Magdalena's Olde Ducks there will be both wool yardage in a few colors AND..... are you ready for this.... woolie worms.  Yup, how better to make a rug look old than using a little this and a little that?

As always happens I'll probably end up tossing in a little more uncut wool in the container before I leave.  However, I will have a wool goddess as my teacher so am sure she will be able to help if in need.

Have a good evening even if it is rainy and windy where you are too.  And, good luck getting used to the new time change over the next two weeks until we all adjust.

Saundra

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Enjoy all those ghosts and goblins who drop by tonight.  I remember as a kid there was a neighbor woman who used to make pop corn balls; my brother and I used to love them more than the purchased candy people gave out.

Here is the rug I recently designed which is called Mache' Jack-O-Lanterns and guess it will be replaced with something else tomorrow.

This is the Jack I hooked last year and was a free pattern insert in a 1998 Oct/Nov issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.  The design was by Barb Carroll of Woolley Fox.

As I was a lucky winner of a free kit from Maria Barton (Star Rug Company), I also hooked this cute Duluth Pumpkin.  Love those buttons Maria sent with the kit as eyes.

This small piece was designed and hooked by Tonya Robey (Mad Hen) and I've several of her designs that I've purchased on ebay in the past.

Another item made by Tonya and it hangs in my sewing room 24-7.

When I did shows the witch below was one that was quite popular.  I may still have one in my containers from the last of my shows.  I should probably list my dolls on ebay.  Heck, it is almost Christmas perhaps I need to take pictures of some of my things and post the prices on my blog.

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

Saundra

Antique Rugs Show

Since I've been on the run the last couple days, plus still binding the Katz rug, figured it was time for some antique eye candy to provide the entertainment I can't give right now.  With all the time I spend on Pinterest you'd think I could do better with my time, eh?  lol.

I like this piece ~ it gives a whole new concept to the hit and miss but using fewer colors.  There must be a whole of browns and blacks in my worm bags so this would be easy to do.  Message to self:  put on list to hook.

Something serene about this colors and again my favorite style background in blocks of primitive dark.

 Beautiful colors and hard to believe it would have that much color if done in 1871.

 I may have posted a picture of this textile (purse) below but I like the colors and think it would make a nice rug.

This one has quite a story ~ the story goes.........  "Handsome Dan’s successor, Handsome Dan II, came to Yale in 1933. In 1934 he was kidnapped by Harvard students and photographed with the statue of John Harvard. Handsome Dan II passed away in 1937 due to complications from a broken leg. Family records tell us that this hooked rug was made by Blanche Paull, the great grandmother of owner’s partner Matthew Carter. Ms Paull was an accomplished artist whose son Tom attended Yale. The rug likely dates to Handsome Dan II’s tenure, between 1933 and 1937 "



Have a great day and hope you enjoyed the show.

Saundra

Whipped Wool Yarn Binding

Well it is that unpleasant chore each of us find ourselves in after enjoying the hooking process. Yup, time to bind the *bleeping* rug.  First thing I did was draw a line 1 1/2" away from the last row of hooking.  Then two rows of straight sewing machine stitches (1/4" apart) were done along that line all round.  Next was one row of zig zag stitch between those two rows of straight stitching.  That extra step connected all three rows together and made it more stable.  After that I trimmed away the excess.

Sorry about the next picture's flash back, but since the camera was close to the subject it is showing up all washed out.  I wanted you to see the corner up close.

Then I rolled the foundation FORWARD and did a running whip stitch using inexpensive thick crochet thread to hold the roll in place.  There is no cord inside as the 1 1/2" foundation rolled makes it quite substantial.  Although it is double work, I find it much easier to whip stitch the edge when it is confined and not fighting to control both the shape of the roll but the wool yarn.

Now to the wool yarn ~ I'm using Halcyon yarn and started whipping at the corner.  Hate hooking the corners because it requires more attention to be sure the area of the curve is covered so sometimes I whip in the same hole (toward the rug) sometimes I move the needle up toward the top to cover an area which shows foundation.  You get a feel for what it needs or if over done.  Sometimes I've even removed a spot of whipping to make it nicer.  Once that corner is turned it is smooth sailing until you get to the next 3 corners.

 

This is the front top left.  Again sorry for the flash back.

And that same corner on the back side. 

Tomorrow afternoon I have a doctor's appointment so I've got a little something to keep me entertained during the waiting room process.  This is when binding a rug becomes more enjoyable ~ when I need something constructive to do during the boring doctor wait.

Have a great evening everyone.

Saundra

COMFORT ZONE

Ahhhh, feels better hooking with colors and designs more in my comfort zone.  Magdalena's Folk Art Horse went back on my frame.  This is what I was working on before attending Cape May rug camp but set it aside.

FYI, the Ali Katz rug has been steamed, all the three rows of pre-sewing around the perimeter of the foundation done in preparation of the wool whipped edge.  I will enjoy the Ali Katz rug and I DO appreciate and admire bright colored rugs others hook; but for some reason it isn't  comforting for me to hook with those colors.  Perhaps I'm just an old soul who lived in a time when those OLD rugs were used. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Saundra

Taming of the Tabby

Or is it the other way around?  Yesterday, since it was time to move the rug on my frame decided to tackle the orange tabby cat again (on the far right).  If you read my previous comments about being frustrated with hooking it then you know that is why I decided to hook background for a while.

So yesterday when the unfinished tabby was staring me in the face decided to pull out orange loops and fill in the triangles with the same hot pink.  Well hey, that didn't look right either.  So I stopped hooking, gathered it up and decided I needed opinions from friends and a little liquid refreshment ~ thankfully it was Friday wine tasting time. 

I will often take hooking projects in progress to wine tasting and the locals and friends have come to expect it.  Besides, they get a kick out of saying, "hooker in the house" when arrive.  After explaining what wool I'd pulled out, the ladies and one male artist said I should put the orange back, hook a line here and fill in with the orange there.  None of the ladies are hookers but they do cross stitch, knit or quilt.  So this is what my rug is looking like now.  It seems calmer (tamed) to me now.

Just a little more border to hook, a little more needle felting to do to define some areas around or on the katz, steaming then whipping the edges.  Thankfully it WILL be done before my next camp in November.  That camp will be with Betsy Reed and will be held at The Dunes hotel in Ocean City, MD.  Then it is back to my beloved primitive hooking as I'll be hooking Magdalena Briner's Olde Ducks with Betsy.

Eventually I'll make a pattern from Ali Katz but need some time away from it first.  Also, the pattern will not include those zig zag borders, it will be more square and just the Katz.  I made mine more rectangular since there is a special place that needed that extra length.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

Saundra

Beading Technique on Ali Katz

I'm sure you've all heard the term 'beading' as used in rug hooking.  I briefly mentioned the term when hooking Duluth Pumpkin by Maria Barton a few months ago.  I'm also doing the beading technique on the edge of the Ali Katz rug. 

For those of you who don't know, BEADING is a hooking technique using two different colors of wool BUT hooking down the same row.  You would alternate colors and if you knit you know how to alternate colors of yarn between your fingers.....same idea but using wool strips.

Here is a close up of the front top left corner where you can see there is still more to be hooked on the rug...sigh.  I decided to do a sorta hit and miss of the colors used on the katz themselves around the exterior row yet keeping the dark color constant. 

This is a picture of the back.  Notice that I kept the dark colored wool on the same side and against the outside at all times.  That is because when I whip the edge with dark wool yarn it will blend in well and not compete with colors inside.  Besides, had I not been cautious to keep the wool from twisting there would be cross overs and not a very pretty bottom.

And true, it is not advised to do the beading technique for a rug going on the floor since that area would have the most pressure and wear out sooner.  This rug is going to be in a very low traffic area where the edges will hardly ever be walked on.  Anyway, it IS going on my floor. I'll do the wool whipped edge but won't put a cotton binding on it, in the event the wool ever wears thin it will be easy enough to re-hook that exterior row ~ no problem.

Well I've a little over two weeks before I leave for my next rug camp so think this one will be all hooked by then....maybe not bound, but hooked at least.

Have a great evening.

Saundra

Doing More than Hooking

Yeah, I know we all multi-task.  In all honesty I used to be much better at that when I was younger EVEN when I had a full time job.  Somehow my clock slowed down yet TIME was going at normal rate.  Hey, go back and re-read what I just typed and see if it doesn't make total sense to you.  And if it doesn't now it will when you get older if you're a youngster.

Anyway, the Ali Katz rug could have been further along had it not been for orders recently coming in that I've worked on. A few were patterns but also Hooker Pouches.

Since some of the Hooker Pouches sold at the Cape May shop my inventory was reduced to two so had to make more.  Particularly since there was an order for one which had a Velcro detachment.  Unfortunately that style was still on my web site so needed to honor it.

Obviously I wanted to give my customer a choice so made two and she purchased both. 

Which meant I needed more inventory.  Here is one I just made today.  There is a magnet which goes on the bottom of the foundation to keep you top pouch in place.  That pouch can hold your scissors on top, hold your hook in the pouch or snippets.  Frankly I like keeping my hooks in there.

And for the record I had made ONE MORE with a Velcro detachment which isn't posted here.  So after that one I'm done with that style. But if you're interested in the Hooker Pouch let me know.

Saundra

The Katz are Back

Are you as tired of seeing my updates on this project as I am in hooking it?  I doubt it.  Yes I'm getting close to finishing but not nearly as fast as I'd like because of boredom.  Most all the Katz are hooked with exception to the 'bizi kat' to the far right.  I'll simplify it, dumb it down...in other words, make it easier for me to hook.

This is what it looks like right now. 

I'm sure that once all hooked it will require some needlefelting to define lines.  But remember this WILL eventually go on my floor so the felting will eventually lose it's lines I'm sure.

So for now I'm concentrating on finishing the rest before attending my next camp with Betsy Reed in early November. 

Have a great evening and get ready for the change in weather.

Saundra