Finally a Post Camp Post

As promised I took pictures at camp and even managed to squeak in a mini-post while there (scroll down to see that one). Here are a few pics of students.

This angle is across the room toward the other class which was being taught by Terri Schaefer.  Terri was teaching both braiding an edge to a rug as well as for those wanting to learn to hook.  Terri was a more primitive hooker which is my fav.

In the sweater vest is my teacher Lisanne Miller (P is for Primitive.)   She is working with my tablemate Renia, who is a sweetie and we had a great time together those few days.  And I asked Renia's opinion on a couple areas I hooked on the rug and liked her input so made a couple changes in color of wool.  Renia lacks self-confidence in her hooking but knows more than she gives herself credit for.  

Now you can see the frontal view of Renia and across the room the teacher who is helping Elissa and Lynne listening to absorb some of the lecture too.  Uh, Lisanne's hands on hips is NOT an aggressive posture by the way.....she is a very easy-go-lucky woman and great teacher.

Peg is busily hooking away on her house.

I tried to capture a frontal photo of both my friend Shari (in the dark top) and Terri.  But by the time my camera was on and snapped the picture Terri was leaving.  

Again tried to capture a picture of Terri showing Shari how to do the binding around her previously hooked rug.  It happens to be the Out of Hand Challenge design Shari drew.

Here are some of the examples of works by our teachers....beginning with Lisanne's rugs.  I like this primitive American design and Lisanne used some paisley in this piece.

Below are four quadrants of one rug that Lisanne hooked.  Each square was so special that I had to take a picture of each square.  As you are looking at them notice the 'puzzle piece' way she taught us to hook a background.  

As cameras or flash often does, the colors change in the photo. When you looked at the rug in person all you saw was a primitive dark/black background.  Yet hooked in Lisanne's 'puzzle piece' background it all blended together nicely.

 I love the primitive gold border...her border hooking technique is yet another lesson we learned.

 And the fourth section.  Wish I'd had a foot stool to stand on to take a picture of the complete rug as it was a beauty.  

Oh my but do I love this design.  How cool is that the wishbone hovers over the turkey?  Plus it is an American tradition for not only pulling the wishbone of foul but also turkey for Thanksgiving, which also happens to be the name of the design.

The design below, hooked by Lisanne was also an example and learning experience.  She was a great teacher, fun, ornery (my kinda woman), and full of information.  For sure she is on my 'wanna class again' list and if you are interested in taking a class with Lisanne, click on the link posted above.

Here are a few of Terri's small pieces for sale.  I just LOVE that character on the far left with the 'glam' glasses.  Also shows a few of her chair pad patterns which have braided edges to show how it looks.

This is a close up of that cool looking character.  There is a fancy pin in the hooked hat and jewels sewn to the corner of the 'cat eye' glasses.

Both my friend Shari and I purchased the chair pad kit with the crows shown on the left in the picture below.  She purchased hers first and then figured if I didn't get one I'd be jealous when she showed me her progress on hers.  Hey, girls will be girls.

 The mustachioed Pumpkin character is sorta cool too, eh?

Another of Terri's hooked and braided rugs.

And another but didn't get pictures of all her samples as time was short when the room was empty and easy movment around to get photos.

Okay, there's more photos to share but by now you're on sensory overload and I'll save more for later.  There is still the impromptu rug show as well as the 'throw down' of camp rugs.  So stay tuned.

Have a great weekend.

Saundra

A Day At Camp

Sorry I've not been posting and wish I had lots of loops pulled to show my absence has been in productive use. But have been having way too much fun, lots of conversing with others and laughs too. However will show you an awesome rug that our teacher Lisanne Miller has hooked.

When I get home there will be more rug pictures to share.

Tata, gotta run and go have fun.


Saundra
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

'Twas The Night Before.......

...yup, have mentioned before that going to rug camp is like waiting for Santa.  

Just pulled a few more loops on my Out of Hand Challenge rug and need to put it away.  Want to pack it up to work on before the teacher gets to me on my next rug.   Wanted to get the stepping stones hooked and while waiting for the teacher have several hooking options (the dog, grass, border).

This camp is in Ocean City, MD and we will stay at The Dunes Hotel where all the rooms are facing the ocean.  That would be the magnificent big structure to the right.

Below is a view of what I'll see from the sleeping room as well as the classroom in the afternoon.  There are rockers on the deck for hooking pleasure during warm balmy evenings.  But probably not this weekend.

Teachers this year are:  Terri Schaefer, Sibyl Osicka and Lisanne Miller. Lisanne is a primitive teacher and my choice.  I've never had a class with her before but my gal pal Evelyn Lawrence has.  Am looking forward to the class and seeing all the folks who frequent the same hooking circles.

I'll have my iPad with me at camp, check in and hope to take time to do some blog hopping.  However, it always feels like I've lost so much time away from on-line friends once returning home.  

See ya later, 

Saundra

Rufus and Friday Wine Tasting

On Fridays several of us friends gather at the local liquor store for wine tasting.  We get to catch up on each other and test new and different wines for less than an hour.  It is always fun and they have come to expect the 'local hooker' to bring something for show and tell.

Tonight I decided to take a rug they had never seen before as there's nothing much progressed on any of the UFOs.  So I took RUFUS, a design by Bev Conway which was hooked in her 2006 Cape May class.

Much to my surprise the owner of the liquor store picked it up, inspected it, hugged it and asked what it would sell for.  I told him it wasn't for sale.  Again, he persisted asking what it would sell for IF it was for sale.  To that my comment was...."it is bigger than the last rug you purchased so it would cost more".  Then I added...."I'm getting ready for rug camp and if you really are interested in purchasing the rug contact me later."  With that he took a picture of it.

Am not holding my breath and not dependent on a sale of a rug.  BUT... how many rugs must I keep?  Believe me when I say there are many here to give duplicates to my relatives and still have hanging on my walls or on the floor....OR, the ones I switch during holidays for the harvest table.  So a sale would give me more cash flow for rug camps and more wool to feed my addiction.

Have a great evening everyone.  I'm in the calm before the storm ~ tomorrow is when all the S**t hits the fan, the van gets loaded and leave for camp on Sunday morning.  

Saundra

How About a Rug Show?

It has been a while since I've posted antique rugs and think it's about time.  Perhaps many of you aren't as enchanted with antique rugs like me, so please indulge me as I look at the works of our fore-mothers and fathers.

Can't remember which auction site I saw this but according to the information provided it sold for $18,500.  Holy moly, it is a wonderful antique, but I have trouble selling some of mine for $400.

The cabin, horse and rider rug below has a flashback for some reason. Hooked cabins are really cool I think.

What does the Fox Say????????  Have you ever watched that uTube video?  It rocks!!!!!!!

Cute hooked rug of a girl shopping in a general store.  As cute as it is and as much as I like it wouldn't hook it for sure as it would require a smaller cut than my prefered #8.5, lol.

Below is an antique rug which the auction site said was "Blanford Cross".  So that is what I attempted to hook except the person who hooked this one knew about making sharp corners.

And this was my attempt but on a smaller scale.

Am guessing the Hexagons and Diamonds rug is considered a geometric and wouldn't be my cup of tea either.  No more geometrics for me.  

This is a large early shirred rug and the woman went to a lot of trouble to do such a detailed edge.  Would loved to have seen this in person to check out the back and edge work.  Not that I'd want to hook it mind you, but to appreciate the work of the woman before me.

Here are two lion rugs which haven't been posted here before (don't think).  Very primitive lion and with a bird on it's back yet.  Rugs like this make me want to know the person who hooked it... a lion and bird? Guess this was her/his peaceable kingdom.

Recently found this lion somewhere on the internet and love the blotchy primitive background.  Look at those purple feet, Barb wold love those!!!!  Hmmm, maybe I'll draw this and take it to Barb's next May.

Okay kiddies, it's getting to the count down of rug camp but still more crapola to do here and still not done with inside house chores.  What is making matters worse is that this week and even tomorrow the temperatures are in the upper 70's.  I hear Canadians are enjoying this same balmy weather.  

So what the heck am I supposed to pack to wear next week since the temperature is changing on Sunday?  Temps are to go from 70's to 50's. So will wait until late on Saturday to pack my suitcase.   

Hope all in the warm weather zone are enjoying the lesser heat costs.

Saundra

November Workshop at The Dunes

A few years ago the planners added a flea market day after class so people could sell their wares.  This year I just might try to sell some of my Christmas items left from retiring doing shows.  Took a few things to Cape May which were Halloween related and many sold so maybe I can clear out some of my inventory next week.

Here are a few of the items I'm taking.  Actually only the two carolers  on the left as the curly top sold.

The two hand painted santas are 12" tall and were made with canvas, stuffed and hand painted by me.

There is also Dapper Dan who can hang as a wall decoration or sit. Snowflake is a companion piece but no photo. 

I have two larger hanging Angels in white one with quilt wings and another with primitive branch wings.  Thought I had a picture but don't.

There is this Stone Angel I made and was sure it would sell as a wonderful centerpiece for a Holiday Dinner.  But she didn't sell before quitting shows.

Holiday Hannah, below, is one I'm considering keeping even tho she was in my stock to sell. I've always liked this primitive and whimsical doll.  BTW, that feather tree is one I made twisting those goose feathers.  Still have it and won't be for sale.  The white base was from my grandfather's front porch, the base or top of one of the round columns before the house was torn down. 

Anyway, back to work tomorrow cleaning and getting ready for camp. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something more interesting for hookers to read about.  So if you have any questions please write me.

Have a good evening.
Saundra

Challenge Rug, Wool and Selvage Edges

Today a reader wrote to ask what wool I was using for the brown border (yesterday's blog post) as she was looking for a brown for her background.  Below is an updated photo of the Challenge rug with that brown border.

This is the wool used in the border along with brown worms.  The wool on the left is what is used most and hooks up darker than shown in the photo.  The wool on the far right is used only sparingly just to add a little variance and movement.  She liked the middle wool and asked if it was still available.  I don't sell wool and frankly am not sure where or when I acquired it.  So if anyone one reading knows where it can be purchased, let me know and I'll pass on the information to her.

For years I unfortunately threw away my wool selvages.  Then one day realized they could be used for hooking....DUH!  So here is what I've collected so far.  But there are still lots of selvages on numerous yardage of wool in my house.

My plan this winter is to hook an oval hit and miss rug using the selvages.  Most definitely I'm not ready to start that yet since there is still the UFO Sheep rug, the Out of Hand Rughookers Challenge Rug just shown, plus the rug that will be started at rug camp beginning Monday.

So if any of you are interested in gathering your selvages to do a rug hook-a-long, start collecting now.  I think I'd like to make mine oval so it (hopefully) will resemble a thick braided rug, albeit hit and miss.  This would be a project that I could work on as my selvages increased and in-between fun hooking projects during the winter.  It wouldn't require color planning, no extra buying of wool, just using up which would be thrown away otherwise.

Have a great evening everyone.

Saundra

How to Hook a Square Corner for Newbies

Actually it isn't just for newbies because I didn't learn this until I'd been hooking for a while.  Sometimes a design tells me to have a curved corner.  Such as this hit and miss circle mat I hooked.

But when you want the corner square there is a bit of an unknown easy step.  Forget all the sharpie changes in border line drawings......Here is a picture of an edge row at the top of my challenge rug.  I hook one hole beyond the hooking lines of the design.

Then when I continue down the left side my next loop is pulled up in one hole inside where the edge should be.  That gives a nice squared off corner because of the direction of the loops.

Below is an example of before and after I knew this valuable information of a very simplistic technique.  If you click on the picture to make it bigger you will see that some of those geometric designs are squiggly and irregular.  THEN, there are some which have sharp and crisp edges.  Yupper, that is the before and after I learned how to make sharp corners.  

Have a great evening folks.  Temperatures mild today and tomorrow is better.  Wish I could afford the time to cut (mulch) leaves in my huge yard but the countdown is on preparing to leave for rug camp.  Did manage to rake some leaves today but other chores are beckoning me now.

Saundra

Questions from a Newbie and Answers

One of the questions Julie asked was where to hook after the major motif has been hooked.  Usually the major motif is in the center of the design, the largest and focus of the rug.  In this adaptation of an antique which I named "Cat's Meow", if memory serves me, I hooked the cat in the middle, the star and some background around that first.

Then I would have defined and held the outer edge by hooking (in this case) a one row border and working my way in with the heart, flowers and berries, then working background as I made my way along each edge and toward the center.  

But everyone has their own system that works best for them.  There is no right or wrong way.  But sometimes there is a 'best way'.  That is in the instance of 'hooking what is on top first'.

A prime example of 'hooking what is on top first' is Ali Katz.  I hooked the forward green cat first since it is standing in front of the blue cat. Had I hooked the blue cat first the face and shoulder of the green cat would have been distorted.  Therefore I had to hold the body space for that green cat.  Next I would have hooked the blue cat since it was in front or on top of the others.  And followed that theory throughout the rug.  Since background is very boring I try to hook my background around the motifs as I go.

The other question Julie asked was when to hook the border and the worry of loops being pulled out if the hooked section is on the grippers.

Fortunately I have a Snapdragon frame which is great since it has paddles which when flipped tightens the linen on the frame as tight as a drum.  Then when you want to release the pattern you flip the 4 paddles again and just lift off the pattern no problem.  Word of caution here is the paddles have magnets in them.  The Snapdragon frame comes in laptop, floor frame style and too many to mention.  So click on the link above and contact them to see if they can fill your needs or ask questions.  Mine is on a floor frame and mine has wooden paddles which is/was a little cheaper.

But, if budget is limited and cannot afford another frame here is what you do, as I didn't always have a Snapdragon.  What you need to do is grip your pattern and gently pull downward away from the grippers to release those teeth from the holes of the linen.  Do that EASY and then as easily and slowly lift outward and upward on each of the four sides until the linen is free.

I still do use a regular gripper frame and that is what it takes to remove the pattern without causing much pulling out of loops.  Now, that said, there may always be a lump in the back where the loop was teased out a little.  But immediately correct it by pulling the loop or loops back up.

A disclaimer here..... I am not the know all of hooking lessons as I'm self taught and picked up what else from teachers I've had.  But what I do try is help newbies be a little further ahead than I was when there were no blogs to explain things.  

There is still much I need and want to learn.  One thing I'd LOVE to know is how to avoid the ripple of the edge of a rug when there is a triangle design.  Obviously I did something wrong when I hooked this back in the day.

Have a great November 1st; hard to believe we are in the month of Thanksgiving and soon will be Christmas again.  Thankfully, one of my gifts is already hooked and ready for hanging!!!!!!  So glad I started early.

Saundra