Steamy, Sultry Summer

The heat has been unbelievable.  The thermometer in my car read 99 degrees at noon on Friday.  I have been cocooned in my house most of the time, so very glad we decided to splurge on central air conditioning when we renovated a couple of years ago.  It's a miracle to me -- I am so comfortable I can cook and hook and sleep without tossing and turning.  And it is quiet, so very quiet.  I don't hear the kids next door on their skate boards, or the ice cream truck with that horrible electronic version of Turkey in the Straw playing over and over and over again or the air conditioner when it turns on and off.  It is peaceful and it keeps me productive.

I have been getting ready for the Whale of a Tale class that my guild is sponsoring on Friday and Saturday.  Along with Jen, the president, and Sue, the treasurer, I have been organizing the class as well as color planning my version of the rug.  I have put together spectacular goody bags for the participants, mostly rug hooking related stuff and contributions from the vendors.  I will be vending, too, of course, selling my sister Barb's wool as well as my own hooking supplies.  On Thursday I pick Tina and her assistant Betty Ann at LaGuardia.  They will be staying with me while in New York, squeezing in a whale watching trip out of Montauk and some time in the City before heading back to Georgia on Monday.

When August rolls in next Monday I am going to shift my focus to some home improvement projects (new window treatments in the bedroom, rearranging the living room) and putting up some of the veggies Pete has been growing (lots of pesto in my future and we'll use the Squeezo Pete received for Father's Day to make tomato sauce).  In between I will be getting my new designs down on linen for the fall shows, and finishing up some new pieces for display.  It will be winter before we know it.

This is for Denise

and for those of you who want to follow along with our class.

Hurray for the MTA!

My daughter was out with friends on Saturday in Manhattan and her bag was stolen.  Luckily, her wallet was in her pocket, so she didn't lose her id or her debit card.  The thief did make away with her cell phone and the keys to her apartment.  Smartly, she called her phone -- and the MTA answered!  An employee found her bag in a subway station on the Lower East Side and turned it in.  Clara had everything except her Metrocard back in less than 24 hours.

So my thanks go out to the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the person who turned in Clara's bag.  

I love New York!

Join Us!

My guild, the Peconic Ruggers, is sponsoring its first-ever two-day rug hooking class at the end of this month!  The class, taught by Tina Ackerman of g. woolikers, will feature an exclusive pattern drawn by Bonnie Smith of The Wool Street Journal available nowhere else.  The pattern is called A Whale of a Tale and Tina will emphasize color planning and hooking sky and water.  Here's a drawing of the pattern, which measures 28 x 36 inches:

A Whale of a Tale ©2011 Bonnie Smith/The Wool Street Journal

please respect the artist and do not copy her work!

Here are the particulars:

A Whale of Tale

Friday, July 29, 2011 and Saturday, July 30, 2011

9:30 am to 3:30 pm both days

Cutchogue Presbyterian Church

Main Road, Cutchogue, New York

Class fee (paid to guild): $80

~includes snacks, beverages, lunch and a great goody bag~

Pattern fee (paid to teacher): $46

Potluck for class members Friday evening

wool for sale, too!

For more information: peconicruggers@yahoo.com

The North Fork of Long Island is a fabulous place to visit, especially in the summer.  We have vineyards and farms galore, beautiful beaches, great shopping and restaurants, and lots of rug hookers!  You can get here by train from Manhattan or by ferry from Connecticut.  There are inns, bed and breakfasts, and hotels tucked in lots of out of the way places here, too.  There are a few spots left, and you won't find a class at this cost anywhere else, so sign up now!