Hard at work. All of these women were instant pros !
This past Sunday was another beginning class at the studio. A delightful group of four women, one of whom had hooked a rug before, two had been casually dabbling and one almost complete novice except for a childhood experience with her grandmother.
The newbie was my son's girlfriend Ashley who caught on quickly and I learned later that she had hooked at her grandmother's knee. Shane drew up four coasters, each with a fancy anchor and she hooked these in red and the background with a luscious dark navy plaid. It doesn't get more nautical than that. As far as boyfriends go, a rug hooker couldn't ask for a better match. A personal dyer at her disposal and a beau with a key to the wool palace.
Emily, one of the women brought in a number of items her grandmother had handcrafted and all of her hoops and hooks. I see our grannies liked to collect hooks just like we do today. There must have been a dozen of various shapes and sizes. Emily's enthusiasm was thrilling a mirror image of my own beginnings. This wasn't her first piece as she had purchased a kit a while ago and struggled with the terrible quality wools that shredded in her hand even before it hit the backing. She deserved a medal for her effort and quite frankly I was amazed she even wanted to continue. She said she had no idea that hooking could be so easy when using top quality wools that don't shred or fall apart and now she looks ahead with smooth sailing. She designed a sweet little mosaic piece for the class and used her grandmother's tools. In her stash of hoops was a neat gadget stamped "Made In England" for attaching a hoop to a table. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture as it was a very interesting design that would hold a hoop to the table. Crafted out of wood, it had a barrel shape that cork screwed to the table with a vertical piece that had a slit for the hoop to rest in with a tightening screw to hold the hoop in place.
The day went quickly and all four students had a natural knack for hooking so I just hovered around telling stories and giving tips for making the work go faster and easier. All in all it was a lovely day with new friends made and four more hookers joining the fiber arts fold.
The newbie was my son's girlfriend Ashley who caught on quickly and I learned later that she had hooked at her grandmother's knee. Shane drew up four coasters, each with a fancy anchor and she hooked these in red and the background with a luscious dark navy plaid. It doesn't get more nautical than that. As far as boyfriends go, a rug hooker couldn't ask for a better match. A personal dyer at her disposal and a beau with a key to the wool palace.
Emily, one of the women brought in a number of items her grandmother had handcrafted and all of her hoops and hooks. I see our grannies liked to collect hooks just like we do today. There must have been a dozen of various shapes and sizes. Emily's enthusiasm was thrilling a mirror image of my own beginnings. This wasn't her first piece as she had purchased a kit a while ago and struggled with the terrible quality wools that shredded in her hand even before it hit the backing. She deserved a medal for her effort and quite frankly I was amazed she even wanted to continue. She said she had no idea that hooking could be so easy when using top quality wools that don't shred or fall apart and now she looks ahead with smooth sailing. She designed a sweet little mosaic piece for the class and used her grandmother's tools. In her stash of hoops was a neat gadget stamped "Made In England" for attaching a hoop to a table. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture as it was a very interesting design that would hold a hoop to the table. Crafted out of wood, it had a barrel shape that cork screwed to the table with a vertical piece that had a slit for the hoop to rest in with a tightening screw to hold the hoop in place.
The day went quickly and all four students had a natural knack for hooking so I just hovered around telling stories and giving tips for making the work go faster and easier. All in all it was a lovely day with new friends made and four more hookers joining the fiber arts fold.
 Linnell changing from the hoop she started on to the gripper frame to see what suits best. She is hooking Mary Doig's Three Churches from a kit. |  Emily holding her grandmother's bag to show it's size. This would have also made a fantastic purse, all it needs is a shoulder strap. |
Emily's grandmother's little purselike bag that held all her hooks and scissors. It was well made with a zipper top. So sweet, it should be a future workshop! Very nice floral design and leaves.
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