Are You Feeling Patriotic?

My sister Barb has just posted some new and red white and blue pieces on her site for sale.  Click here to view and to purchase: thimblefolk

I had a productive holiday weekend -- I worked like a dog!  Here's some of what I did:  mowed the lawn, mulched the front garden, hand-washed all my winter wool scarves, washed all the washable winter coats (why my husband has so many jackets -- all either sage green or red -- I will never know!), road my bike to the farmer's market, walked to town to see the Tall Ships, road my bike to the library, road my bike to the grocery store, baked a strawberry rhubarb pie, vacuumed my studio, washed the living room and dining room windows, went to Agway, bought new plants for my window boxes and planted them, ordered wood blinds for my bedroom, cooked dinner for friends on Monday evening . . . I wanted to get my closet cleaned out and reorganized, but my back gave out . . .   It's better now, but i sent a couple of days moving slowly and carefully.

Now I am ready to hunker down and hook some new stuff for the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair.

Gearing Up for Summer in Greenport

I've taken a few days off from rug hooking business to take care of home business.  I have yet to wash and put away the winter stuff and get out the summer stuff, so I am working on that.  I need to mulch the front garden, and I am turning in my leased car next week, so I had to clean it  Those of you who know me well know I like a neat house.  I don't have extraneous junk anywhere except in the basement and my studio.  Not so with my car.

Someone told me I would love my Toyota Rav 4, but I don't.  I like that it was roomy enough to fit everything I needed for our show booth and I like the pick up (its a 6-cylinder.)  I have always hated the bouncy ride and the bad mileage.  And face it, once you've driven a Volvo, it is hard to drive anything else, except maybe a Mercedes and that ain't going to happen.  Anyway, I dislike the Rav 4 so much that I never cleaned it.  NEVER.  Not once in three years.  It's been on ski trips, camping trips, to many rug shows and fiber festivals, to college and back innumerable times, scalloping, clamming, we've brought grown trees home in it..  So just imagine how much junk -- and beach sand -- was floating around in it.  I bit the bullet yesterday and scrubbed it down.  I filled a huge laundry basket with maps and water bottles and napkins and umbrellas and chapstick and take out menus. Then I vacuumed it for THREE hours.  I was so exhausted by suppertime, I could only manage to make Pete grilled cheese for supper.  It nearly killed me to get it in and go to the grocery store this morning -- because I am going to have to vacuum it again!

We are moving on to a Suburu Outback (Pete's choice, even though its my car).  It drives well -- not nearly as bouncy as the Rav 4 -- and seems to have enough cargo space for all my booth junk.  So we shall see if I like it or not.  I know one thing -- I will never wait three years to vacuum a car again!

Scenes from the Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair

Our booth

In the Naugles Barn

The Peconic Ruggers Booth

  

Sheep

Two day old lambs and their mama!

My favorite: Angora Goats

Bake Sale

We had a wonderful weekend weather-wise out on the Hallockville Farm.  The wind blew relentlessly on Saturday morning.  Even though our booth was in the barn, the wind whipped through the open doors and just wore me out!  Attendance was good, the animals were wonderful (I didn't get photos of the rabbits, lamas and alpacas, unfortunately.) I enjoyed watching the dogs on the agility course and I enjoyed conversing with all the fiber-loving folks who stopped by.  Next up: Barb and I hit the road for the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair in Illinois, just about a month from now.

I've been meaning to write about my spectacular Mother's Day, but haven't had the time.  It was such a great day, I am having a hard time finding the words to describe it . . .

I Am A Hooking Machine

Yes, I hook fast.  But that's my job and I've been doing it for a long time -- over 20 years.  I have nimble fingers when it comes to most crafts.  I love to make things, especially rugs.  I find the process very meditative.  And if I have a deadline, a good British television series available on Netflix so I can stream it to my computer, I will sit and hook until my arm or my bottom (or both) hurts.

The welcome mat in the previous post measures only 7.5 inches by 23.5 inches, so its not very big.  Also, I find straight lines that are hooked in the same direction as the weave of the linen are incredibly fast to do.  It's like stitching in the ditch for quilters -- you follow the space between the same two threads.  I can almost do it without looking now.  The first loop spreads the next few holes in the backing and my hook just naturally goes to that space.  I find straight lines the easiest thing to hook.  Give me a pictorial and it seems to take me forever . . .  which is probably why I don't do too many pictorials!

Happy Friday

I wanted to answer Gayle's query about the pineapple mats at the LIGRA show.  I believe Norma Batastini of Hand in Heart Rug Hooking taught the pineapple class to the guild.

I've been hooking away -- the Long Island Fiber Festival is coming up a week from Saturday and Barb and I will be vending there.  I've had a welcome mat in my head for awhile now, so I drew it out on monday and had it hooked by Tuesday afternoon.  It took about 6 hours to complete.  I hooked it with a hit or miss border and the same background as Mary's Runner, so they relate.  I am pleased with it.

I was so pleased with it, I started a chair pad to match.  These two pieces were not what I planned to work on this week, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.  The flash washed the picture out -- the chair pad isn't nearly that bright.

On the lobster front:  I think  have decided on the large black and white squares,with maybe red piping to finish . . . 

Hope all you moms have a wonderful Mother's Day.

Rug Show Photos

Some eye candy from the LIGRA show on Saturday . . . 

I Can't Stop Laughing

Eight comments about the lobster rug border, and almost 8 different opinions!

I Need Your Help

I can't decide which border to use on the lobster.  My initial thought, when I started hooking it last year, was a black and white checkerboard -- two rows of 1 inch black and white squares.  The other day I thought maybe black and red would be better.  Then I thought, why not try beading 3/4 inch pieces of wool, which would be much quicker to hook.  What do you think?

I'm Four for Four

Here's my latest rug, Pass the Butter.  I designed it a couple of years ago, started to hook it, and then put it aside.  I've been trying to finish hooking a rug a month, both so I will finish UFOs, and so I will have a good inventory for my fall shows.  I'm thinking about hooking a black and red checkerboard around the edge, or maybe some beading . . . Not my best rug ever, but its finished.  Now on to May's rug!