Waiting . . .

I've been buying tulips to make it seem like spring. The weather man says the temperature will be in the high 50s by Sunday, but I'm having a hard time believing it.

Maryanne Lincoln

I am saddened to hear that Maryanne Lincoln has passed away. She was the person to go to for dyeing advice when I started hooking rugs more than 20 years ago.  Her book Maryanne Lincoln's Comprehensive Dyeing Guide is a valuable tool for anyone who dyes wool.  It gathers ten years of her Rug Hooking Magazine column, Recipes from the Dye Kitchen, into one handy book.  My guild, the Peconic Ruggers, was lucky enough to have her as a guest speaker several years ago.  It was a memorable day full of great information and lots of laughs.  She'll be missed.

Erin Go Bragh!

Don't forget to plant your peas today!  Our dear departed neighbor Spencer Morgan always told us to plant our peas on St. Patty's Day, so Pete is out digging in the garden, even though the temperatures are hovering around freezing.  (Will warm spring air ever arrive?)  In a couple of months we'll be dining fresh sugar snaps.

Despite being a McNamara, I don't care much for corned beef and cabbage, but if that's what you are having for dinner, enjoy!

Another Version of Autumn's Bounty

Rug hooking teacher Marilyn Bottjer stopped by on Sunday to pick up an Autumn's Bounty pattern.  One of her students, Mary Alenstein, had just finished hooking it and another student wanted to hook it, too.  Here is Mary's version -- she turned it into a pillow, which I think is a fabulous idea! I love the antique black background and the springtime feel of it.

The pattern was designed by my sister Barb (thimblefolk) for her friend Kathy Blake Parker.  Kathy hooked it in autumnal colors with a light background that is equally charming. (This is the only photo we have of it -- it is a little fuzzy.  Sorry.)

Thanks to Mary for hooking up such a beautiful rendition of Autumn's Bounty, and to Marilyn, for bringing it to my attention.

Easter Carnival

My sister Barb has created some more cunning little creatures, this time for Easter.  They are for sale here.

Tip of the Week -- Use a Color Wheel

Yesterday I was counting crocuses -- today I am shoveling snow.  It's pretty, but I am ready for spring and all it brings . . . . 

It has been a tough week.  My daughter was in a car accident on Saturday.  She is fine and it wasn't her fault, but her car was totaled.  It was traumatic for her and pretty stressful for me, trying to help her from the other side of the country. Pete has been gone all week, taking care of his elderly parents, so the three of us spent lots of time on the phone and computer. Thank goodness for cell phones and the internet. They made a difficult experience a little easier to handle.  Clara is now the owner of a brand new car that she hopes will last her many years.

I am working on a pattern I designed last year in honor of the Fairfield Rug Show that is no more.  The pattern is called Fairfield Floral and I am hooking it with secondary colors in a tetrad, meaning I am using a double complimentary contrast -- purple, pink, yellow and green.  That means if you draw a rectangle between the secondary colors on a color wheel, I am using the colors you find at the corner of the rectangle.  This is an unusual color combination for me -- I am not a fan of purple -- but I am a fan of complimentary color schemes.  This is a good exercise in color theory.  It will be interesting to see if I can make a rug in colors I don't normally use or like.  This is in progress -- I have to re-hook the right side of the vase, and I am not liking the white echinacia, so they will be coming out . . .

So that's my tip of the week: Use a color wheel to help you plan a successful rug. It is an inexpensive and valuable tool for the rug hooker.

If You Would Like Some of Your Own . . .

I just wanted to mention that my sister Barb sells her wonderful hand-dyed wool -- the same colors as we dyed over the weekend and others as well -- in her etsy shop thimblefolk.  I use it in many of my hooked rugs.  Fleur the Fox Terrier was hooked with lots of Barb's colors.

I am not the best photographer -- the camera flash made the colors in the photo in the previous post brighter than they actually are.  Her colors have a softness to them that my photos don't capture.  And, of course, computer monitors can distort colors . . .   The best way to view Barb's woolens is in person. Our first show of the year, the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival,  is coming up on April 27.  It's our first year as vendors at this show, which is in its 104th year!  Come and visit if you are in the area.

Ten Yards of Yummy

Dye Day

I'm headed up to Connecticut for a dye day with my sister Barb. I need some of her great colors for my Mosaic Mat kits, so I am bring several yards of soaked wool with me. It's also a chance to shake the cabin fever I've been feeling lately.

We'll get some good Wooster Square style pizza for an easy supper and have breakfast on Saturday at my nephew's restaurant, Thimbleberries, in Stony Creek. A quick but fun filled adventure -- 24 hours and I'll head home again.

The birds have started to sing early in the morning -- saw a robin yesterday. Spring is on its way! Happy March!