Blog Archives

C is for completed!

5/31/2014

I decided to hook my namesake initial 'C' from the new line of adapted patterns I've called Initially Yours. I previously hooked the 'L' with a totally different colour scheme and thought "wow" this is an opportunity to play with colour! All of the motifs are basically the same from pattern to pattern so they all jell nicely together. The C was a lot of fun and consists of the primaries, my favourites, with a bit of green. The background was one of our shop plaids (#062) that sported a teal tinged navy. I used three value wools for the motifs, Dory Gold, Flamboyant and Lime.

This piece was hooked in #6 for all of the colour and #8 for the background. I love how this particular plaid spotted the surface with texture, giving the pillow a depth that only a fabulous plaid can do. It took me three evenings to complete so I figured I'd do a few more. I love turquoise and brown so I think I'll do the next initial with this colour grouping...the question is which one....hmmm......

To view the designs click the link: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/new-designs.html

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Copying patterns.....the bane of every shop's existence!

5/29/2014

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Today's blog is short but not sweet. Copying patterns is not flattery it's battery!

PATCHES (Hooked for me by Susan Leslie)

Well, I guess it’s time for another copyright chat. I started the work day by seeing one of my patterns, Patches, copied. A customer brought it in to find a brown herringbone for some of the flower centers. It’s a large pattern with a scarecrow, pumpkins and sunflowers. It was very poorly copied, with layers of marker lines as the person tried to get the perspective straight. It was on a dark linen that I don’t sell. It looked as if it was drawn from the website because a red dot transfer would have been cleaner.

I don’t hide behind the door when I see an injustice, either one perpetrated on me or any designer that I am familiar with. I can spot a copy from fifty paces. I told the customer that the pattern was my design and clearly copied. A ball began to grow in the pit of my stomach and I felt sick. The money we could have made selling that pattern would have covered the labour of one of my hired girls for a day. Stealing a pattern that way hurts a small business heavily. It’s one of the reasons a lot of rug shops don’t make it. Consider that when you copy a pattern from a shop, it’s stealing as if you walked in the door and put the pattern in your purse. In this day and age, and with all the talk about copyright, one would think it’s a rare occurrence, but I hear and see things all the time. It’s very sad.

The woman said she bought it in a yard sale somewhere but didn't remember where. I tried to take a picture of the pattern for this blog but the customer got upset and said she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble and started folding the pattern. She said, "I can't let you do that". I told her spreading awareness is key to educating people to stop doing it. She said no again. I have to admit I was a bit put out, protecting someone she didn’t even know or remember shouldn’t have taken precedent over the respect for my feelings; she knew that I was upset, I was the one wronged here.

Anyway, sorry for all you honest gals out there, having to bore you with the same old rant. I'm trying not to let it ruin this fabulous, sunny day but my back teeth are grinding. One by one we need to cut down on this thievery so shops can support themselves so we continue to be available for your rug hooking needs.

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Pam's perfectly prodded pillows....

5/28/2014

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By Guest Blogger Pam Haughn

I love to give handmade gifts and since I started rug hooking 10 years ago, it is often a hooked piece. One of my favorite gifts to give are pillows...and if I can make them so I don't have to hook the background...that is even better. I had a wedding reception to go to last weekend, so I decided to hook and proddy some sunflower pillows.

To start my project I picked Verel as my background fabric. This is a very dense, even weave backing sometimes referred to as divider cloth. Some people don't like to use it as it is very hard to hook in, but I discovered if you use a very big shafted hook, and poke down to make a big hole, it hooks very well. An alternative to using verel would be to use the lovely colored burlap and linen at Encompassing Designs. The “pattern” I use for the sunflowers is simply 3 circles. One bigger slightly above the other two smaller ones on either side. These are the centers of the sunflowers. Remember with hooked pieces where there is no background hooked, you need to start with smaller images as you hook on the lines instead of inside them. I used a black and white check for my centers, but a rich dark brown would be nice too.

Once the centers are hooked, I started cutting out petals. I use a template that I found in “Prodded Hooking for a Three-Dimensional Effect” by Gene Shephard, which has excellent instructions and wonderful pictures. I use the template for Black Eyed Susans. For these pillows I used wool dyed by Shane of ED, call Dijon. It was the perfect colour. For 2 pillows I used ¼ yd of wool. My petals don't all turn out the same, I cut two at a time and after several they start to look a little odd..but what flower in nature has perfect petals??

When I have enough petals cut, I use a smooth edged mini pliers to “proddy” the flower petals. I poke the pliers through a hole to pull one side of the petal through. When it has been pulled through to the middle of the petal piece, I move up a few holes and poke the pliers down and pull up the other side of the petal. There is a “proddy tool” which I have borrowed and used once, but I am cheap and I have this tool which works for me! I keep adding petals until the flower looks full. From the back, you can see a small piece of wool that joins the petals. I made a mistake and put my circles too close, which always makes a challenge when I proddy the smaller flowers, but I like the layered affect it creates when they are all prodded.

When all three flowers are hooked and prodded, I use a chain stitch for the stems. This could easily be hooked instead. I then made leaves using the petal template and used the same method as the flower petals to add a leaf to each stem.

I steam the back and front a little (no deep pressing as you want the petals to stick off).

Last step is sewing. I used 14” pillow forms so I cut the fabric down to 18' square. I used verel as the backing as well, and I used two pieces with finished edges that overlapped to make the 18”. I sewed around 5/8”, turned the pillow right side out, pressed the edges, then sewed around again a generous 1” which brings the inside to 14” and creates an edge around the pillow.

Pam used our Dijon spot dyed wool for the flower petals.
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/dyed-spots.html

We have a special on right now for the verel in both a light blue and a light beige. http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/backings.html

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The dark side of life and Social Media.....

5/27/2014

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It’s 4:05 am and there’s not enough sleep in my weary body to fill the eye of a needle. I tossed and turned for hours and finally crawled out of the warmth of my bed to lie on the sofa downstairs. Usually this solves the problem but not tonight.

I’m tortured by something I saw on Facebook.This is the one thing I find difficult about social media. Amid the jokes, fabulous scenery, selfies and incredible hooked rugs, sometimes there are unspeakable things posted, disturbing facts of life that I am better off not being a witness too. I know life can be cruel, I've been on the dark side of things a few times so I know evil exist. I'm not traveling through life with my head in the sand, I just can't ingest the suffering of others every single day. Pictures flash on the screen of children with black eyes, little animals who have been murdered, abused by the hands of their masters, breeders who are morally repugnant, and all manner of things I cannot unsee or forget.

After viewing a disturbing post on Thursday, I cried violent, angry tears from something so heinous I could barely believe what I was seeing, but this video left nothing to deny, no way to soften the edges. The horrific scenes and sounds are forever etched on my brain. They consume my thoughts, and create a deep throbbing madness in my soul. I know over time the emotions will dim and move to the shadowy archives, but somehow that makes me feel ashamed that I can bury the pain I saw and move on.

Some people are cruel. I can’t even call them animals because an animal has more sense, lives and dies by a code. They don’t kill indiscriminately or torture their victims. They are far more civilized then we are, they have respect for one another, for nature. Killing for food is not barbaric, it is a means of survival, the way of the land. But humans, they are another kettle of fish. We hurt one another, sometimes the ones we supposedly love most. To abuse or torture an animal or small child is unforgivable. If you can do this, there is nothing left in you worth saving. You are the lowest form of life and should be squashed like the evil piece of crap that you are. Death is too good for you, an eye for an eye should be your punishment to suffer your victims fate.

The video was of a woman beating a baby. The child was no more than four months old, not able to sit up on its own. She slapped, kicked, twisted its little limbs and pinched and pulled its nose. She screamed and beat the child repeatedly with a pillow all while another small child watched on and someone worked the camera. The home movie was 4:19 minutes long but I could only stand less than a minute before running, screaming and crying to the garage to find my husband to hug and console me.

It fueled a rage inside of me that needed release, I almost exploded with madness. I ranted and raved and cursed the evils of human life. I wished a plague would wipe out every human being on earth, leave the planet to the animals, not the beasts who claim to be civilized and do unspeakable things. I would gladly die with the masses to stop the pain that so many humans inflict on one another. I cried for hours until I was sick. My eyes were swollen and burned like fire. I couldn’t eat. All I could think about was that poor little baby. My god, what is wrong with people?   My hubby thought maybe she was sick, suffering postpartum depression, but no matter, the fact remains that she did unspeakable things to an innocent.

Why not beat yourself stupid, take the woes of the world out on your own face. Slam your hand in a door; kick a tree with your bare feet, pound the shit out of an inanimate object, that should diffuse the internal bomb welling up inside of you. That little baby didn’t ask to be born. Leave him or her on a doorstep somewhere, at least give the child a chance you selfish scum bag.   Yes, I know some will say you can’t think when you’re depressed, it’s a chemical thing in the brain, shit happens, but I don’t give a f---, you’ve just beaten a baby almost to death, stop with the excuses. Admit you’re in trouble and give them up or go jump off a bridge. No child deserves to be treated this way, no excuses people, no help, just a noose and kick the chair. Don't allow what you think others might think of you to take precedent over the welfare of your child. Later saying you're sorry doesn't cut it, there is no absolution for this. That baby will never trust your hands again, it will flinch from your touch. A million 'I'm sorries' will never fill the horrible hole you dug.

There is no forgiveness in me for this kind of crime, no circumstance where I would say, okay, I see. I have no sympathy for the offender, my heart only bleeds for the victim, the innocent child who can’t defend himself, could barely lift its head. My god! If I ever lost it and beat one of my dogs, I would take a trip to the garage with the vacuum hose. I couldn’t live with myself. It would eat away at me like a cancer, shame me to an early grave. Maybe I'm a cold, judgmental, unforgiving bitch but I've always been an advocate for the underdog and this is as black and white as any scenario can be, no excuses, no justifications.

And the person with the camera could have intervened, how could they stand there and watch this atrocity? I’d be in jail for murder! To me, they are as bad and the one doing the beating. You miserable cowardly bastards, pick on someone your own size, someone who can at least defend themselves, make it an even fight….me for instance!

What that women did made me so angry and felt so helpless I felt like I would explode. I had to do something, anything. So Sunday I wrote about it in my book, The Charnel and added a new chapter to the story. My serial killer, Mabel, murdered the woman.....this child abuser fit her directive to take out the undesirables of life. The words I wrote were cathartic, a way to heal the wound that this baby beater opened up in me. I needed to create justice for that poor child, it’s all I could do to stop feeling powerless…

I’m not sure if the woman was the child’s mother or a babysitter, she was Asian and didn’t speak English so I didn't understand what she was screaming at the baby. I can’t assume their relationship, but whoever you are; I hope someone recognizes you from the video and you suffer the fullest extent of the law. I pray that little baby is saved from your brutal nurturing and is able to grow up with a healthy mind, the poor little precious darling…..

So I won't ever open another video on FB, no matter who sends it to me. Normally I speed past the pictures of abused animals and horrific stories of suffering, not because I don't feel for them, because I feel too much. The horrors of real life would destroy me, I'm not strong enough to carry around all the pain I see.......

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My very own rainbows....

5/23/2014

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Well I had quite the day yesterday. Two negatives fought for a first place trophy but instead of the normal wounded bird response, I smiled and laughed at the silliness of people and their lack of manners. Maybe I’ve finally gown a thick skin, deflecting crap that periodically gets chucked my way. Maybe after 14 years in retail and 55 years on this planet, I finally get it? I’m not responsible for someone elses bad manners, rudeness or anger so it's time to stop taking it personally and shouldering the load! Just because there are a few rotten apples doesn’t mean the entire bag has to spoil.

I was spoken to very rudely by one customer and hung up on by another because I was unable to do their bidding. Saying no to their requests was right for me and the store and although I felt bullied by the one, I held my ground and deflected her undeniable disdain. Normally I would have crawled into a hole, hauled up my legs into a fetal position, sucked my thumb and bleated like a baby lamb.

Maybe it was because so many nice people visited the shop yesterday the good karma blasted the bad! Or maybe I’ve finally taken my own advice and straightened out my backbone? Whatever the reason, I came away unscathed and bursting with a sense of pride. I turned a corner and was then blessed with a magnificent reward!

After work, I saw the most beautiful double rainbow I've ever seen. The inner bow was electric, bold and distinct, the grandest I've been blessed to see. Hubby ran down to the road to capture the moment for me, this wonderful gift from the universe. Yup, it was all about me, a reward for grownup behavior! Two rainbows, two negative customers....see the link? Pretty obvious don't you think? Yesterday was an epiphany and let’s hope it lasts longer than the short lived spectrum that brought me so much joy as it arched the evening sky.

Yesterday the story of the rescued mink, "Mr. Lucky" hit the newsstand. It was a full page in the Lifestyles section, a lovely tale of helping a little furry creature after he was hit by a car, survived, brought back to health and then released back into the wild. I was pleased as punch to spread awareness for Hope for Wildlife, the organization that took him in, but I find it rather ironic that any press pertaining to me is always a factual mess. I've written about this before and thought I was jinxed because of the shop but this one was personal and it still got fuddled.   The picture above, supposedly me, was not, I was behind the camera on this one. I’ve never worn a pony tail in my life and the person pegged as me is youthful and didn’t have my signature chin to pull off the impersonation.   I’m not sure how that could have been confused but hey, how could it not, it's me! Black Cloud Chrissy. I’m obviously a Murphy’s Law screw-up when it comes to printed matter.

I think I was more concerned that my little MINK was referred to as a weasel but really they are both cute,  furry little animals, so what’s the difference eh? No harm, no foul? It would only matter to the mink when scouting for a mate.  I won’t complain or demand a correction because truthfully I’m not that concerned, writing it here is a good enough little vent. I think I was more concerned about the ponytail and the scrunchy on the young woman in the photo. At the risk of sounding too vain and snobby, I want it noted that I'm too old for a ponytail and I’ve never worn a scrunchy in my life.

The intent of the article was to bring awareness to Hope for Wildlife and that goal was met although I wished the website had been listed.   Maybe I need to take up journalism to put the truth back in it....

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Another hullabaloo hook-in!

5/22/2014

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A great turnout last evening for the hook-in and boy were we noisy! Everyone was charged with news of one sort or another. One new grandma and one waiting on number five, maybe as early as that evening, both were hooking rugs for their babies. Grandma's are wonderful! Here's an update on Pam's piece but Lorraine's is top secret until the little bundle arrives.

Charlene is going gang busters with her Stained Glass triptych. She's fresh from the rug school experience. It will be fun to watch all three designs evolve and where she will go with her colour plan. Rick, saturated colour is making this unique design a stunner. I feel like I'm inside a grand church looking up at majestic stained glass windows on a sunny day. I see this rug framed or displayed as a centerpiece for a dining room table. She has dyed the wool, cut it and taped it as it comes off the machine to achieve the stained glass look.

Barbara is whipping her last completed project, the pattern was a gift from her daughter for Christmas 2013. Mary is displaying her latest geometric. She sure has a way with blocks of colour. This is a design offered in the book Scrappy Rugs. Below Shelley put the finishing touches on her latest. Sweet!

Anne is working out her colour plan for Alice. It will have a lovely Victorian feel, soft and timeless! Ginny surprised us by saying she is hooking two of these designs back to back. I told her to bring them both next time for a side by side picture. The red is hot!

A couple of goofy funsters came by just to hang. Both Sue and Linda Ruth recently finished rugs and haven't started anything new yet.

Last evening felt like my birthday. First the funsters, Sue and Linda Ruth took me out to dinner at the Knot Pub. Lorraine brought in a couple of yard sale finds....a delightful sheep cookie mold and this fun "Ewe'r Amazing" apron. Awwwhhh! And Barbara gave me a bumper sticker that reads "HOOKERS DO IT ON A RUG". I feel so special!

Remember these? The dreaded Girl Guide cookies? Charlene brought them in for a hook-in treat. In my day, as a dedicated pack member, I sold a lot of these slices of heaven. I wasted my entire allowance on some of the inventory. Probably ate as many as I sold. Later in life I've been on the buying side and have packed a few boxes away, probably a contributor to the muffin top bulging out over my jeans. I prefer the vanilla ones but hey, whatever's going.

I could smell them in every corner of the room. Their perfume followed me like a stalker, every movement of air sent a direct hit to my nostrils, clawing away at my will power, beckoning me into diabetic coma. I knew I had to be strong because once a crumb got past my lips I would have done a face plant in the box. I finally covered them with a piece of Mary's wool....out of smell, out of mind. Foods that evoke memories are the hardest to ignore. I'm only flesh and bone you know, not steel.

Tip of the Day

When incorporating fibers like curly mohair in your rugs, sometimes they are stringy and get pulled out by the grippers when moving the rug around on your frame. Use masking tape to cover the back side of the area that could be compromised.

Cover the area like a band-aid. Put a thin material such as waxed paper on top of the curly mohair (don't stick the tape directly to it), cut pieces of tape longer than the area to cover and the ends will adhere to the back of the hooked wool strips around it. The tape's adhesive is mild so will pull off easily when the rug is completed.

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Rest in fleece......

5/21/2014

15 Comments

If you're squeamish about death maybe pass reading this one. It reflects my end of life choices and sense of humour.

Sunday evening, hubby and I were discussing end of life planning; ground burial versus cremation and the pros and cons of each. He knows I want burial and I demand with all the fortitude one can threaten “If I’m preserved with chemicals I’ll be back for revenge!” Being a survivor of Environmental Sickness and after spending twenty plus years living as green as possible, forgoing hair dye, perfumes and fingernail polish because I don't want a replay of this devastating sickness, I would be livid to think I’d have formaldehyde sloshing around in my veins.

My idea of the perfect burial is to be wrapped in linen, preferably the hooking kind from the shop. Cocoon me in this biodegradable cloth and place me in the ground like a stuffed gunny sack so I turn to dust swiftly, melding with mother earth as all dead, organic matter should. Then plant a willow over me to absorb my nutrients so I become one with the tree; sway in the wind and feel the sun on the leaves for as long as it stands.

That conversation with hubby was timely, because coincidentally, the very next day, I was on the way to work listening to Terry O’Reilly's CBC radio show “The Age of Persuasion” and caught an interesting tidbit. He was talking about the funeral industry and how it’s changing to capture the green market. He said that there is a company in Europe that makes wool caskets. My ears perked up. Did I hear that correctly? Wool? As soon as I arrived at work I did a little research on the internet and low and behold such a thing exists. These coffins are totally biodegradable but durable enough to hold a body up to 800 plus pounds.   I thought wow, how fabulous; I need to have one of those, what a fitting way for an organic gal like me to bunk down underground. And of course, it’s a fitting union, being a hooker, I hold wool in very high regard! The wool caskets were actually stylish and cosy looking; a coffin Sam McGee might have settled for instead of the burning barge.

Really, is there’s anything better than wool to keep you toasty and dry? I'd love to rest in fleece! My mom would have appreciated this kind of interment vessel, considering she always had cold feet. When she passed away I put socks on her and of course, in my mind I knew it was sentimental and foolish, but my heart was drowning in grief and I needed to do something to appease my sadness. It was the last bit of comfort I could provide and in a way, it made me feel better.

Thinking back, I find it strange that I did the sock thing considering I firmly believe that once you die, your body is just the shell you used to get around in. Now, void of life, it’s only biology, not something to lock up in a hermetically sealed coffin and bury in a cement crypt in hopes to keep everything intact for as long as possible. That’s all done for the living, the folks left behind; helping them to sleep better at night knowing the elements can’t get in to make a mess of things. For me, what made you the person you were, is no longer there. They’ve shed their flawed, earthly form and moved on. All the things we do to a body is for the loved ones left behind, not exactly the best for the flesh and bone remains that want to degrade and break down naturally as every other dead organism does.

To be clear, I’m not talking about the human spirit or energy of the person, I’m talking about the organic shell, the remains, the corpse, the cadaver, the corpus delicti, the carcass, the relic or the stiff! That’s why I don’t linger around the graves of my parents. They are not there. But I do visit with them and often. All I have to do is close my eyes to see them; they will live in my heart and in my thoughts until the day of my own last breath.

Anyway, this was not meant to be morbid. I know death can make some folks uncomfortable.   It was only meant to inform you about wool caskets….wow! Wish I’d thought of it myself. I have enough wool around here to go into manufacturing! I’d prefer something plaid for myself, maybe our family’s tartan or an in your face red. I would imagine one could felt a bunch of words on the casket. Friends, get out your needles and leave a few words or hieroglyphics as a sign of your undying love for me…….

Hubby and I discuss these matters often. One needs to be clear with the program so we can honour the wishes of our partners.   Most find the topic taboo but we are prepared with our bequests and wishes of favorite songs and plan for the big goodbye. For me, hopefully there won’t be many tears, just a celebration of my life with good food, good drink and a tale or two to lighten the sadness. With all the shenanigans I get up too there should be lots to tell.

So I was thinking of some fun stuff that might help deal with the grieving. Hubby knows the ‘no chemical rule’ which is tattooed on his brain, and he knows he needs to plant me quickly so I don’t stink up the place. Without preservatives a pong moves in rather quickly, especially in the summer. I've asked that he add a few provisions before sending me off. Yes, it’s all foolishness but the Egyptians believed in packing the journey with all kinds of goodies, favorite possessions, gold, food, even the servants were killed and buried along with their dead king. Today, they say you can’t take it with you, but who makes these rules?

I’m a diabetic and every food that tastes decent is bad for me. My life is bland when it comes to eating. If I want to live as long as possible, mealtime is a struggle to find food that keeps the blood sugars level but still stimulates the taste buds. It’s a chore and when I see others shoveling in the good stuff I hanker for the same, but I know it’s a slow suicide. If I’m ever told I have 24 hours to live I’ll stuff myself to the gizzard with all the forbidden foods I deprive myself of. #1 on the list is the potato chip. They have been my vice and is probably the reason I have this problem in the first place. One was always too many and a thousand was never enough. Once the bag is opened it was all hand to mouth until empty.

If I don't get the advance warning so I can stuff myself with all the things I crave, I told hubby to substitute the customary rose petals for potato chips. Yup, throw deep fried potatoes over my casket. The good kinds too like Kettle Creek or Covered Bridge and maybe a bit of variety. I do like a good Salt & Vinegar and then there’s Mesquite! Usually if I cheat I eat the non-salted ones so my fingers won't swell, so forget that, throw me the good stuff, the ones heavy laden with salt, at this point I’ll be bloating anyway.

Then I took it further and requested a few watermelons. I lust after the water laden vegetable/fruit but it’s laced with sugar and so forbidden. I want the good kind too, not the modified stuff; give me the one with the black seeds, spare no expense. Anything caramel would work nicely and I haven’t had fudge in decades. It’s criminally sweet, like shooting pure sugar directly into the veins but friggin to die for! So give me some of my mother’s brown sugar fudge, firm and delicious, she made the best! Oh yes, ask Mary Jane to make her delicious pound cake with real frosting, she can’t refuse my last request right? Cut a few pieces off for me and pass the rest around. And last but not least, a couple dozen of my nana’s doughnuts and don’t forget to throw in the little fried holes.

Pack me up and send me off with a smile on your face. And just to be clear, I know I won't be tasting any of these goodies, I believe it would be a fun way to console my friends and loved ones who will undoubtedly feel a profound sadness with my passing.....at least I hope! It will give them a distraction to help deal with the helplessness we feel when someone we love dies. Everyone knows I'm a joker and quirky, why should my death be awash with tears? I wouldn't want that.

Maybe it will lighten the mood as they say their last goodbye and throw desserts and chips in the grave with me.........maybe they'll experience the same feeling I had putting socks on my mom......

15 Comments

Rug Hooking Wool 101

5/15/2014

28 Comments

Dear Christine,

This may be is a blog question. I need help. I want to learn more about wool. I have never sewn or had experience with fabrics before rug hooking. I had difficulty when asking my question of an instructor(s) in a recent rug hooking class - strange answer: such as "the wool has been sitting on a shelf for a long time - or is antique"??? The question has to do with the thicknesses of different wools I have or might buy or hook with. Some are quite flat, others very fluffy, but all deemed/sold as for use to hook in rugs. They say "felt" or for applique, etc. I do realize one can hook with anything if going about it for different purposes for textiles/tapestries!

So although I have this MS degree in Education, I do not easily come by these answers out of my bailiwick; so I'm a new learner here. I thought there were no "dumb questions". Five months after I took up rug hooking, I was traveling and was so excited to be in a Florence, Italy, fabric store, buying wool off bolts. These yards fit neatly into my suitcase. I returned home only to realize it was way too thin for my hooking - rolled off like silk from my cutter. That was my first bad experience with not knowing about the right kind of wool for this craft.

Now I know enough to buy from places that have it just for rug hooking. Still, I'd just like to know about the range of wools that are used and why some plaids, for instance seem to have a "high pile" is it called? While others are more compact - flat. I have loads of wooly pieces laying around here - from you, others, some passed down from my cousin who died of cancer, and others - I am sorting and wondering and wanting to learn more about wool. I am making a little rug/wool gallery for myself downstairs. Is there a book? The last time I asked about this, two ladies that taught that color planning class I was taking acted really 'defensive', and asked if I wanted to know who their suppliers were? I just think some people have experience and agendas in their past, and they just can't read me as a nice person who Just Wants to Know. So I thought of you and your blog - and how you vent sometimes - I'm venting - and that's the Thick and the Thin of it. :)

Oh Well! I bought some "sparkly" wool from her I really loved - she over dyed it - I loved it - the first time I saw it, a lady had it in turquoise - she does some paisley things. This lady wouldn't tell me where one could get sparkly wool like that, or even get it over dyed - she doesn't sell things on line - do you sell that sparkly over dyed wool? I could send a picture. It doesn't take much - it just adds a touch. Maybe I'll look at you site and find it. You are so perfect. It's been a long time since I've written a lot to you. You are successful and I want you to stay that way and grow and grow and be happy. End of MY blog, I guess! Anne Marie

Hi Anne Marie,

Your questions are very familiar so I thought I would reply to you by way of a blog to share what I’ve learned over the years.

Wool is not the holy grail and should not be shrouded in secrecy. My philosophy is that knowledge should be shared so we can all make the best choice when purchasing fabric. Our money should not be wasted on wools that are too thin, too unstable or not conducive to this craft. A bit of education will ensure better choices will be made because frustration should never come in to play when rug hooking!

I’m a wool snob. I only use the best and sell the best in the store. I don’t like wool that falls apart in my hands or is too thin and stringy to keep a neat surface on my rugs. That does not mean I don’t appreciate a good recycled wool because there are fine specimens to be had at second hand shops. But buyer beware because wool is not all created equal.   Even when I buy new wools and don't care for its cut ability, or it doesn't fit my ideal of quality, I put it in a bin box and reduce it.

What most hookers desire is a 13 oz weight in their wool fabric. This means that the wool weighs 13 oz per yard. This is basically those itchy, plaid wool skirts we wore as kids and all of the Dorr Mill woollens that most shops carry. I advise newbies to carry a sample of a good 13 oz weight when perusing the flea markets and recycled clothing stores. Feel the wool you hope to buy and then rub your sample for a comparison. Sometimes the wool in the bin hasn’t been washed in hot water so take that into consideration as it will be a thicker after processing in your machines. Even if the wool is unwashed it should still have the property of a winter garment, a bit of fuzz and thickness to the weave.

I like to define wool by breaking it into two categories; Winter and Summer. That does not mean winter coat weight that weighs about 16 plus ounces, as that tends to be too thick. If you want to use a coat then I would stick to all the same weight for your rug as mixing a 13 oz and a 16 oz plus would make your project look lumpy. Coat weight is also more difficult to pull through the backing so it is usually cut into a finer strip to reduce the stress of the harder tug when using the wider strip.

Summer weight, is the polar opposite and not good for rug hooking. If you spy a suit or skirt in a bargain bin or hanging on a rack, ask yourself this question. Would someone wear this garment in the summer or the winter? If you think it’s a summer piece, walk away. Summer suiting, although 100% wool is only 7 oz and won’t felt no matter how much you beat it up. It’s shiny and stringy and although it might be the perfect colour, pass it by and save your money for the good stuff!   It is also almost too thin to put through a cutting machine and slips around like a sleazy womanizer. When cutting a thin wool, you have to feed it through the machine as straight as possible or it's spaghetti city. I personally don’t like my wool too thin, but have no problem using Pendleton shirts and skirts that tend to run around 10-11 oz.

Not all wools are woven or created equal. There are all kinds of weave patterns when making fabric. The best of course is the straight weave or plain weave. Plain weave produces the strongest fabric with minimal fraying. These would mostly be natural or solid coloured wools. The weight of the wool and fuzziness is determined by the threads used when weaving the fabric. Think of the different ply’s of yarn. The denser the fibers used the thicker the wool that is woven.

Some wools are woven more loosely and they won't felt enough after being washed so it needs to be cut with the wider blades, #6 to #8. Some herringbone wools are loosely woven and demand a wider cut but there are others, especially the one we buy and over-dye that can be cut very carefully in a #4. Someone told me they cut it in a #3 once for an oriental but that had to be deep concentration and a steady hand to feed it perfectly straight through the machine. Any deviation off grain would cut the fibers on the bias and therefore would degrade the integrity of the wools warp.

That is not to say that any one wool is bad. Lots of rug hookers have preferences that we may not agree with or care to use. A thinner, suit wool could be hooked beautifully if you tear the strips wide, about an inch and fold under the fraying edges and hook the flat top. Some hook with fine wools and just keep their scissors handy for trimming. Fine wools are okay but you can’t cut them in the narrow cuts as they just fall apart.

Back in the day when I started rug hooking I brought home a lot of wools that were later discarded. It’s a learning curve as in all things. Just because a coveted coloured wool has wooed you into buying it doesn’t mean it will work. Suppress the urge by breathing deeply to allow the brain to overrule the addiction. If you succumb, and we all do at times, it can always be used as a pillow back.

Plaids of course are fabulous, bringing texture and depth to the table. I put them in every rug, especially herringbone….I have a big love for herringbone! Of course it's woven in a special pattern and that's the reason behind the fraying. Plaids have multiple colours going this way and that making it a bit more iffy but not enough to turn your nose up on a piece of great plaid. Just snip off the fraying ends. Sometimes a thin plaid like a Pendleton shirt, can be felted a bit more by throwing a pair of jeans in the washer with the wool. That will beat it up more. Front loader machines of course are more gentle and don’t felt as well so sidle up to a friend with a top loader and beat it to the maximum thickness.

I’m a stickler about 100% content in my wool. Nothing in my shop has a man-made fiber. I started this to protect my cutter blades because polyesters and acrylics will dull your carbon steel blades on machines that have a pressing action such as the Bliss, Fraser 500 and Rigby designs. Cutters that offer a scissors action fare much better. These days, I’m just a wool snob, I like the soft feel, the way it cuts, the way it dyes and how it hooks.

Cutting wool properly is the secret to a happy hooker. Taking the time to put the fabric through the machine ensures the best hooking experience. I never put through a piece more than three inches wide. If the wool is larger and cumbersome it slides off the edge creating drag to the side of the machine so you are continually trying to keep it in place creating undesired movement and off grain cutting.

It is always best to cut your strips parallel to the selvage edge which is easily apparent when you buy new wool off the bolt, but when you buy a garment at a shop, unless you have a tailor background you wouldn’t know how the pattern pieces were cut off the bolt. Really good plain weaves work either way but a herringbone needs to be cut following the visible lines you see between the V’s in the pattern. Over time, as experience gathers under your belt, you and your wool will become one.

Here is the explanation of a few wool terms.

Selvage – When purchasing wool on the bolt or roll, the selvage is the finished edge of the fabric. It runs parallel to the grain or ‘Warp'.

Warp – The lengthwise grain that runs along the entire length of the fabric. It is the strongest grain with the least amount of movement.

Weft – This is the grain that runs the width of the fabric and has a bit of moment or stretch to it.

Bias – The bias is at a 45* degree angle on the fabric. This grain has the most stretch.

About the sparkly wool. We do sell a wool with a sparkle through it. The base is natural and the darker you dye this fabric the more the glitter shows. So far we’ve over-dyed it for our Sea Shore bundles for sand and shells. It’s lovely.

Whenever you ask a question and are not satisfied with the reply or feel you are being put off for reasons unknown, keep asking around until you get the answer you deserve. Rug hooking is not rocket science nor are we working against one another to conquer the world. Rug hooking is a glorious craft that should be filled with a lifetime of exploration and learning. You will find many talented folks willing to share their knowledge. That being said, I hope I’ve answered your questions and shed some light on the thick and thin of wool.

28 Comments

Murder on the Orient Expression.......

5/13/2014

5 Comments

The world is going to hell in a “handset”.   I was fuming last week. I ordered boxes to ship our new Octi-Spinner Floor Frame and called a company that will remain nameless because 99% of the time they are great...and really, it's all my fault anyway for not being able to understand.

I checked the dimensions of our new frame and dialed the 1-800 number to place an order for shipping boxes. After pressing the 2 for English, then 3 for wanting to place an order I waited a few minutes for my call to be processed. A gentleman with a very thick Asian accent said hello.   Now, I will swear on a stack of bibles, I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body. I believe we are all equal…period the end! But…..and in this case I don’t mean to negate the previous statement with the but…..I have a problem talking on cordless phones, my hearing is perfectly fine but stick one of these gadgets on my ear and if there’s a low talker, a thick accent or background noise I might as well be using one of those tin cans with a string.

Other than Hello, I couldn’t understand him. He talked fast so I had to mull over what he said trying to decipher it.  The time delay caused confusion on his part. I forced the poor guy to repeat himself over and over so I could understand. And I also had to repeat myself in this two way conundrum. I gave him the order number of the box I needed three times before we were on the same page and then he tells me that they are not in stock, which took several explanations for me to get. So now I have to go up a size so I look in the catalog and give him a new number, those boxes are apparently in stock. He tells me the shipping is free, I understand that so I ordered three bundles; each bundle, according to the description in the catalog consists of 10 boxes which were $4.32 each. He told me the total of my order but it could have been five billion dollars as far as I could understand, so I just said okay, doing a bit of mental math in my head for an idea of the amount of the order.

So I’m feeling unsure and need confirmation so I say slowly “I ordered 3 bundles, yes?” He said yes, your order will be there in 3 business days, at least that is what I thought he said. I'm doing my best to hear, I had the phone pressed so hard to my ear it was fusing to my head and the other ear was plugged with my pointer finger to drown out all the noise of the shop around me. I was embarrassed asking him to repeat everything he said to the point where my face burned bright. Anyway, I finally hung up hoping I hadn’t just ordered a fax machine.....the experience felt like I fell into a black hole with no idea of what would happen next. I crossed my fingers.

Three days later the delivery guy drops off my boxes. All 3 of them! Not 3 bundles of 10....and they were an exorbitant $16.44 each! They weighed almost as much as the frames, they would have cost an arm and a leg to mail. I was livid. Not only was this order wrong, but my customer’s frames couldn’t get mailed out in a timely fashion! I stomped up the stairs, each pounding of my feet matched the drum of my heart. I was almost frothing and hyperventilating when I reached my desk. I dialed the toll free number and through gritted teeth waiting for someone to answer.....hoping it would be someone I could understand! I went through the series of questions, 1 for English, 2 for French, Do you want to place an order, press 1, check on a previous order press 2, talk to accounts payable, blah blah. All Done. There was a small wait and a woman come on the line. I breathed a sigh of relief, I could understand her!

I turned on the desk fan to blow cold air on my angry face. I said, I am very upset and I will try to be calm and tell you what happened and if I sound rude I am sorry as I don’t want to take this out on you. She said okay and I explained what happened. I told her the story and she started apologizing, apparently this sort of thing happens often. If she had been rude I might have lost it but as we spoke the frustration deflated, my heart slowed and the blood retreated from my cheeks putting out the searing fire. She wanted me to keep the boxes but I told her they were way too heavy to ship my items…..they were more geared to mail car engines, seriously!    She arranged for a pick-up and they came the next day to haul them away…they were too heavy to move so they rested against the staircase. The gal on the phone chalked it up to a 'miscommunication'. I called another company I deal with and ordered the boxes. There they will be here on Tuesday so I can get the frames out. Oh the life of a shop keep, the thrilling day to day, keep you on your toes excitement that I could very well live without!

So at the risk of sounding like a jerk, this is what I would like to happen when I make a call. Instead of only asking for French or English, maybe they need to add a couple of extra categories. I really mean no offense but I’m useless when it comes to deciphering thick accents that I’m not used too. When I started watching Coronation Street it took two weeks before I was catching everything that was said, up to that point it was all garbled gook.  So here goes....press 1 for French, 2 for English, 3 for East Indian Accent, 4 Oriental Accent, 5 Irish Accent, 6 Scottish Accent, 7 German Accent, 8 English Accent, etc… Match the caller and the receiver so they can have a pleasant telephone experience, not a head banging, where did I put my gun transaction?

I don’t know why but I get really angry with telemarketers, banks, credit card companies when I am not able to understand what is being said. It starts with embarrassment and then blossoms into a bit of phone rage. I hate talking on the phone on a good day...mess it up with 'miscommunication' and I go off my bean.  Someone told me the audibility is much better on landlines, maybe I’ll need one of those in my office because I’m not good with this new fangled cordless invention.

I found this on the internet so I don't feel like too much of a prat: It is very common to talk with someone whose native language is different than you own, and as business goes global, it is necessary to be able to navigate phone conversation with anyone who answers. Everyone’s accent is foreign in some part of the world. When we can see the person with whom we are talking we can use visual cues to understand better what he or she is saying. Phone conversations provide no such opportunity and can be very frustrating.

Tomorrow is our monthly daytime hook-in. Come join us for homemade cookies!

5 Comments

Mother's Day Blues......

5/12/2014

4 Comments

Jack

Robert

Last Mother's Day I went dumpster diving and although not a very grandiose thing to do to celebrate my special day, it was a fun story to tell. This year I spent the day in tears, well at least most of the morning, although the after effects lingered until bedtime.

I’m not a very attractive crier. I won’t use the word ugly to describe my swollen face, tear burned lids and blotchy skin, but I could frighten a baby. Some people cry gracefully; a cute little sniffle and a bit of water trickling down their porcelain cheek as they dab it daintily with Kleenex. Me? Not so much.   I become a snot filled, boiled lobster, swell like a bee sting and convulse as if I’m on the way to the gallows.

I got up Sunday and decided to adopt those two darling little poms from my stepdaughter. Sure that would make six dogs, but after four, it’s only a number. The more dogs you have the better behaved they are. They teach one another the ropes and play follow-the-leader nicely. There would be a few more yard turds to eradicate but I could look at it as an exercise program; bending over tightens the stomach muscles right?

I went on the computer and looked at their little faces and started to cry. I’d shed quite a few tears over these guys. I see this dilemma through the animal’s eyes, sympathize with their feelings. They love Pam, it is the only home they’ve ever had. They also love one another and would probably end up separated. Their entire lives would be turned up-side-down and they won't understand. The best scenario if that they will be heading towards something good, but who knows what’s in store for them?   Hubby gave me a hug. He knows these dogs well as he stays with his daughter when in Calgary. He left it up to me knowing I would be the one with most of the responsibility of a six pack.

So we phone her to say we want them and were told they were already taken to the Pommy Country Rescue the day before. The flood gates opened and I’m now a howling fool in the middle moaning spewing out of me. I look in the mirror and I'm so red. My head feels like it will blow at any second and my eyes have strain marks, even the white part look red. What a lookin putz! I cried for about an hour after that......full blown wailing.

I was still hurting when my son and his girlfriend bought took us out for dinner. They commented my face was overly red and I said it was the heat in the place, which in part was the truth, but that only compounded the fifty shades of rouge.   There is no quick fix for this face, once I cry it’s an all day suffering. My lids felt like they were acid scorched and my mascara burned as I applied it. So much for looking decent on my evening out. I could only imagine how badly I looked on the outside when I felt like crap on the inside. To anyone else maybe I looked like I was suffering from pollen allergies or cat hair. I couldn’t have a glass of wine with dinner as I was seriously dehydrated from crying a river of tears so I sipped four glasses of water throughout the evening.

So now we wait. I’ll give that shelter two weeks…the dogs will think mommy went away on another trip…they’ll not realize the score and will expect her back anytime. After two weeks a dog starts to worry and grows sad. I’ve seen it. My Shepard cried and finally tore up his bed and toys after he gave up waiting. That poor guy couldn’t bark for a year as he severely strained his vocal chords barking for me.   I never left him again. Dogs need their human parents as much as we need them.   New studies out say that dogs might be pack animals but they prefer their human's company to another dog.

The best scenario is that they find a great home, get to stay together and are loved profoundly. I’m willing to take them but if I knew they fared well I’d be happy. After all I am a virtual stranger so coming to live with me would be as much of a transition as elsewhere. I’ll be watching the progress. If they linger at this place I will have to jump in. Pam seemed concerned that they would have to be sent to us by plane but they’d get over it. Surely it can’t be worse than unloading them on a stranger?   Sorry, but I really don’t understand. Pets are for life unless you are sick or die. Pretty black and white just like Robert.   I would cut my right arm off before I gave up one of mine, someday, someone will be prying them out of my cold dead hands. Besides, you can lightly sedate the pups to take that edge off the trip.   In the large picture of things, a few hours of suffering would far outweigh being abandoned, especially when they are heading towards the love of a wonderful forever home.

4 Comments

For the love of dogs.....

5/9/2014

1 Comment

GRETEL, THE PINE MARTIN

I am now the proud sponsor of a Pine Martin for a year. They sent a package with my wards picture and information. This is all the result of my little mink rescue and introduction to the Hope For WildLife Society.

In April 2003, the Hope For Wildlife Society received a call from the NS Agricultural College in Truro; a mother pine martin had died and they wondered if the society would raise the two orphans. Named Hansel and Gretel, the babies weighed only 12 oz each and their eyes were still closed.

Unfortunately Hansel died shortly afterward from a coccidia infection. Gretel, also infected, was then given medication, which probably saved her life. A member of the weasel family, pine martins are an endangered species in Nova Scotia, with less than 100 believed to be living in the upper Cape Breton Highlands. Because of Gretel's lineage, the Department of Natural Resources advised that she not be released back to the wild. Knowing this, Gretel has been raised with a lot of human interaction. Gretel helps to educate visitors to the Hope For Wildlife Society center - especially young visitors - about the endangered species in our own province, allowing them to actually meet on of these species up close.
Photograph and story by Ronda Brennan, a volunteer with the Hope For Wildlife Society.

Mr. Lucky, my little rescued mink has been the catalyst for this education. I never heard of the society until I picked the little mink off of the highway. Now I want everyone to know! I called Robert Hirtle, a local newspaper reporter, and he interviewed me on Tuesday for a feature article about Mr. Lucky, in the local paper, maybe even a front page story. I was trilled to help spread awareness for this worthy organization.    Hubby and I have been watching the "Hope For Wildlife" television show. What they are doing is heartwarming to see. A bit of good news in a world of negative misfortunes and heart wrenching stories.

We don’t have more than the local cable package, the cheapest plan going, so we aren’t privy to the new shows on the upper channels. We only get the reruns on Channel 10 but that’s okay, we’ll catch up eventually. Last evening they were rescuing baby foxes left abandoned under a boardwalk. There was a litter of 5 pups that would have died on their own. As I was watching my heart felt like it was reaching toward the screen. Those little faces, so beautiful.  How can anyone turn their back on or hurt such innocence. I wish sometimes my heart was a bit softer for mankind but humans aren’t as warm and fuzzy.

The face of the fox with its pointed nose reminds me of the Pomeranian, Chihuahuas and my poodles.   For me this defining profile makes for the cutest faces. I just struggled with the opportunity to take in two poms. My daughter-in-law’s life circumstances have changed since her separation and working two jobs in Calgary she finds it difficult to juggle all her responsibilities that leave the dogs on their own for long hours everyday. She decided to try to find them a new home. Although I believe that pets are for life (their life), I also believe you have the right to do what is best for you and I'm not there to walk in her shoes. I struggled with whether I could take them or not. I feel so badly for the dogs, they love her and what if they are separated, the two of them have been buds since they were adopted, their entire world will be turned upside-down. It really breaks my heart and I thought long and hard about taking them in, maybe even care for them until her life gets back on track. But then I look at my own responsibility of four pups and ask myself if I could realistically take on two more? Truthfully, if they were poodles I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. That’s the dog breed I'm attracted too, we all have our preference, the look, the personality the compatibility. I’m not opposed to the pom and I think they're cute but the love isn’t immediately there.   Six dogs, even small ones would be a handful and of course I still work.   All the maintenance, all the poop, all the cooking and washing and flea picking. I only have so much room on my lap! With six dogs lying on me on the sofa I’d be buried alive!    At some point I would be in charge of 6 geriatric dogs, maybe having to carry them around. Could I do it?

I can’t take on the world but this keeps me awake nights. I worry the poms won’t be happy, or not be treated well, what if, what if?   I met them once when they visited Mahone Bay so they are familiar, not just dogs in a photo. If only I lived closer I could take them on a trial basis to see how we all gel.

ROBERT (LEFT) AND JACK (RIGHT)

1 Comment

A little of this and a little of that.......

5/8/2014

4 Comments

The big news, in our little rug hooking family, is Pam Haughn is now a grandma! Grammy Pammy!!!

What came first, the rug or the baby? Well the rug would have, but this little Missy decided she was tired of the womb and wanted to come out and play a month early!

Pam says....Baby Zayla was born a month premature, so she had us all scrambling. She weighed 5 lbs 8.9 oz. and may I say as a non-prejudiced grandmother...she is beautiful. Heather and Tyrel, you have a beautiful princess! I concur....this is one handsome baby!

Last evening Pam was hooking on the baby's rug that she designed for her first grandbaby. She's almost finished the grass and then will start the border. She brought in the pattern for us to produce for the shop. It's a sweet blend of nature's babies and a whimsical tree. The parents initials are carved into the trunk. Zayla's information, name and birth date will be hooked along the bottom. What a lucky little girl!

Rug school is in full swing so the hook-in attendance was down. It was the Anne, Pam and Christine show. I didn't hook and spent my time making up a few more of the Initially Yours designs. Added to the finished patterns is P, H, S, Z, W, Q and what I've dubbed a Companion Pillow topper in case you would like to hook a monogrammed one and then have a complimentary cushion for the other side of the sofa. I'll have several more to view by the end of the day. 26 is a lot of letters to get through! If you wish one, let me know and I'll gladly make that one up out of sequence. They are all 16" x 16" and can be found on my new designs page: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/new-designs.html

The Companion Pillow left, featuring the same motifs as found in the alphabet patterns.

Anne Holmes has begun to hook Alice, our big, beautiful Persian style oval pattern. Her colour palette is the polar opposite of Ginny's dark navy, primary colour palette with shots of green. Anne's will have a softer Victorian feel, with dusty rose, lavender, gold and creams. Both rugs will be stunning and it will be great to have contrasting pictures to offer so others can pick and choose the photo reference that suits their colour scheme best.

Alice, colour planned and hooked by Ginny.

Mary Doig is at rug school this week and emailed this picture of Anne Garrity who is hooking our pattern called "GEESE IN THE GARDEN" in class. I love her colours choices, bright and bold that really make the geese pop. Can't wait to see it finished! She's fast!

Bev Bownlow dropped by to show us her finished NAUTICAL RUNNER. Great job and I love the colour palette. She only purchased this pattern a short while ago....she's fast like sister Sue. If you love to sail or admire the sea, this compass rose design with stylized sea serpents is perfect.

4 Comments

French Country

5/6/2014

9 Comments

French country rug or “the $7,000 rug” as my loving husband refers to it!!!!!

Guest Blogger Francine Birket

First of all I am so flattered that Christine has asked for some comments to add to my in-progress 8’ by 12’ area rug. I am a new rug hooker, I bought my first kit in Cape Breton in 2009, we just retired and started our North American road trip. I was introduced to the craft and art of rug hooking from my dearly departed girlfriend Audrey who made me a gorgeous “old Santa” rug and her final gift was a frog design purse. I was intimidated by the beautiful rugs being made by Audrey’s group in Sarnia. So I thought maybe later on when I retire I could try it, my husband looked at me with sheer panic as he noticed the huge plastic boxes full of wool and patterns, the cutters, the frames. For him this would be a big cash drain!!!!

But once we toured P.E.I, Newfoundland and ended up in Mahone Bay I was in love!!!! So, five kits later, the last one being Cock a Doodle Two from Christine, this naïve, ignorant one, decides that I need to make an area rug for our living room that will complement our artwork and décor. The area has wall to wall carpeting (builder’s grade, only the best!!!) which we planned on replacing with wood flooring down the road anyway as I remind my husband!!!! Thus, he had named this effort the $7,000 rug!!!!! My husband hopes this rug will take 2-3 years, gee, is he ever wrong.

Some of the bridge players in our little town of Cobourg are rug hookers and introduced me to the guild. So, before I know it, a very generous lady, Elaine unloads four bags of materials, all parts of blankets!!! Motivated by the memory of my husband’s panic, I made a critical decision to hook the rug using mostly blankets to try to keep the costs down. I would guess that at least 50% of it will be made from blankets. Thrifts stores between Burlington and Cobourg have been and will be checked out as I try to complete the project.

None of this would be happening without the wonderful, generous ladies I have met in Cobourg, Fort Myers who contribute ideas, encouragement, techniques, wool and feedback. The design is my own, I wanted to convey Provence thus sunflowers, the poppies and the roosters. I will frame the roosters and flowers with stripes depicting French linens. The colours are reflective of the region as well. I must acknowledge Carol Feeney from Florida who designs and sells her exotic patterns, kits and wools. She provided input on colour choices and tweaked my design. So, I started working on this just before Christmas. The most challenging part for the next three months was not collapsing while hooking with all this linen around me in more than 25 Celsius weather. I can just imagine your concern and empathy now!!!! “Poor Francine is hooking in the heat and sun of Florida”.

9 Comments

Liking your project.....goes a long way to finishing it!

5/5/2014

15 Comments

By Guest Blogger Dick Barr

DICK HOLDING UP HIS HEIRLOOM GIFT TO HIS SON

Hi Christine,

I've hooked a lot of rugs and I believe in something I was told or read years ago…"you have to love your rug". Well, our first born and only son, asked for a rug for his bathroom and he described a "bear reaching for honey". I asked for more input, but all I got was, "I know what it looks like…in my head". Not much help.

So I took the measurements and checked some colors in the bathroom, cut some linen and started drawing. I was underwhelmed. Beginning to hook it didn't help much. I was using a lot of scrap, so no tactile "boost" from any hand dyed strips. With a dozen hours or so under my belt I was just about to the point that I was dreading the next 50 or so more. I just didn't care for this rug. I don't hook cartoon rugs. I like primitives; cats, horses, chickens, the odd village or farm scene. This rug was going to be a real bummer.

Then something really neat happened. I showed the design to my son. Ben is usually pretty calm. He doesn't show a lot of emotion. So it was particularly uplifting when he was really tickled with the design and said, "it's just what I was thinking of".

Funny, you can have a little guy around for 33 years and even though he is out on his own and quite independent, when you see that old glimmer of excitement in his eyes you are powerless to ignore it. From that point forward I "loved my rug".

Thanks for your blog. I always enjoy it!
Best regards,
Dick Barr

Dick Barr sent this touching story that's steeped in a lesson learned. It reminded me of the time, many years back when I hooked commissions. I found them to be trying, usually the patterns didn't inspire me personally and I was using colours that aren't normally a part of my repertoire so I was unenthused about the project. Not being motivated by the money and hooking for a stranger also made the effort lack luster.

Suddenly every loop is fingernails along a blackboard. To take the time and effort needed to hook a rug there needs to be a whole lot of inspiration, excitement, a thrill to see the finished project; the necessary fuel to take you to the end. Hooking a rug should never make you feel like your being escorted to the gallows. It's all about fun... sharing....a journey. It should be stimulation for the artist within, a connection to the finished product formed in your mind's eye, not a pin stuck in it. Any time there is drag, the project ends up in a closet, neglected and forgotten. I stopped doing commissions for these reasons and now only hook for my own pleasure. Once hooking becomes work, a chore, the fun fades away. Dick certainly summed up the emotional trail that is traversed when not inspired by a rug, but luckily he found the connection needed to make it to the finish line in the glint of his son's eye.

Thanks so much for sharing Dick and like your son, I was sentimental when I saw the heirloom you are leaving to your most precious creation, Ben.

15 Comments

Our new Octi-Spinner Floor Frame

5/3/2014

2 Comments

NEW!!!!!!!! - Octi-Spinner Floor Frame

Easily turns 360* on a Lazy Susan device to access any part of your rug. Large working space of 20" outside and 16 1/4" inside measurement. All hardwood construction, sturdily made.

Comes with a free flannel cover (value $36.95). Top part slides off and can be used independently as a lap frame.

Adjustable height and tilt knobs. Base folds up for travel. Padded feet to protect floor. Made in Nova Scotia. Click for pricing:
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/frames.html

2 Comments

Announcements!

5/2/2014

1 Comment

NS Guild Rug School is on again!

Our 2014 Nova Scotia Guild Rug School
starts this weekend and runs until Friday of next week.
I will gladly, stay open late or open the shop evenings and on Sunday if anyone wishes to take a drive to Mahone Bay as long as you phone, FB or email to say when you are coming! Have a great time everyone! Toll free 1-855-624-0370.

Exciting news!

Trish Johnson with her rug, "My Grandmother's Diary".

Guild member named Canada’s Rug Hooking Artist of the Year A member of the Georgetown Rug Hooking Guild has been named as Rug Hooking Artist of the Year for Canada.

The Hooked Rug Museum of North America (HRMNA) made the announcements for the “Rug Hooking Artist of the Year” for Canada and the United States last month. Representative samples of the artists’ work will be displayed as a special featured exhibit at the Museum for the 2014 season.

The winners are chosen because of their special attributes and their contribution to the contemporary advancement of the art of rug hooking and its gradual transformation over three centuries of development in North America, according to Chairperson of the Board, Suzanne Conrod.

“This assessment of rug hooking in comparison to an early stage of hooking, offers an opportunity to learn more about the amazing talents that exist in the art,” says Conrod.

Conrod announced Trish Johnson of Toronto as the Canadian Rug Hooking Artist while Sibyl Osicka of Ohio is her American counterpart.

“Being chosen as Rug Hooking Artist of the year is a dream come true. I’ve wanted a show of my work for a long time,” said Johnson. “Finally, my work will be shown as part of a larger body of work. Every rug has something to say but together they say more. Hopefully the viewer will be able to see the themes I have been exploring. Most of these rugs are about “Home” and what is dear to my heart.”

Johnson has been hooking since 1988. She was self-taught for the first four rugs then joining the Georgetown rug hooking group in 1999.

“I used to live in Fergus and drive to Georgetown to hook. Now I live in Toronto and still go to Georgetown. It is such an active group. I joined a beginner class of Shirley Lyons after I had been hooking on my own for a few years,” she said.

She has taken many hooking workshops and belongs to the teacher’s branch of the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild, the Georgetown Rug Hooking Guild and the Upper Toronto Hooking Guild.

“I like the feel of wool,” Johnson said. ” I like the soft warm fuzziness of hooking a rug, especially on a cold winter night. I feel content, hooking at home, alone but I also like hooking with others. We hook together, share the stories of our lives and have become friends. ”

Johnson hooks rugs about places that are important to her family history, trying to answer questions about what “home” means to her. Home is where the heart is and all of her rugs are about things and events that are dear to her heart. She designs her own patterns, mostly from her own photographs; dyes most of her own wool (especially the skies) and likes to use some recycled wool from Goodwill. Johnson has been featured in Rug Hooking magazine’s “A Celebration of Hand Hooked Rugs”.

The Hooked Rug Museum of North America is operated by a non profit society dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the art and traditions of hooked rugs and is located at 9849 Highway #3 (St. Margaret’s Bay Road), in Hubbards, Nova Scotia, telephone (902) 858-3060, www.hookedrugmuseumofnorthamerica.org. It is open from May to October.

Congratulations Trish Johnson!

1 Comment

February POM Winner!

5/1/2014

2 Comments

Rosemary Malone

Rosemary wins a 3 Pack of Dorr Natural wool! What a great present to receive in the mail! Hooker's Gold! Congratulations Rosemary!!!!

May's Calendar Pattern of the Month is ready to go. May had a lot of events and special days but for me it's all about Mother's Day. Not everyone likes to hook people so I opted to do a whimsical mother cat and a basket of kittens. The heart shaped flowers spell MOM. This pattern is free with purchase or you can order it to be sent to you automatically each month for $10.00 plus shipping. Pattern is for personal use only. Submit the finished rug by the end of July to qualify for a 3 Yard Pack of Dorr Natural. Complete all 12 and win a $500.00 shopping spree at the studio! Click this link to read about our contest. http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/contests.html

May's POM

2 Comments

Tip of the Day

NS Guild Rug School is on again!

Exciting news!

Rosemary Malone

May's POM

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