I’m feverishly hooking again. I attack things with a running start and then cross the finish line with a steady walk. This isn't a large rug so I'm giving myself a two week deadline and hope to stay on course.
One of the drawbacks of owning a shop is being immersed in all things hooking, 6 days a week all day long, so sometimes I don’t feel much like picking up my frame in the evenings, sometimes going weeks or months without pulling a single loop. Of course it is dependent on what project I’m doing. Sometimes I bubble over with excitement and work like a machine for weeks until I run out of fuel and then take a bit of time off to recharge the batteries.
But the thing is, I work at a pace that I’m good at, fast forward to hyper, all that short order cooking experience back in the day at the Red Buoy Take-Out Restaurant set my dial to Top Speed. Best thing I ever did was work there at thirteen, it molded me like clay and I can put dinner on the table in five minutes, or finish any chore in record breaking time. And, there isn't any rule about how quickly one has to hook to finish a project but because I'm so busy I need to get it done quickly before I'm distracted and speed helps get it done.
There's no shame in not finishing a rug when predicted, if that were the case my face would be covered in egg. Rug hooking waits for you patiently until you get back in the mood or find the time. Someone told me the other day they lost their mojo and I get that, but like riding a bike, it waits to be hopped on and off we go again. I hook for pleasure, not pressure, so I work when I’m inclined and that keeps me in a perpetual happy place.
I have two passions in life, rug hooking and Catalyst II, and marrying them together is absolutely thrilling; creating a union that serves me well, in function as well as beauty. Its a wool meets water sort of love affair and designing and hooking rugs for our boat...excuse me yacht...is about as exciting as it gets.
Catalyst’s cabin floor is teak and holly that I’ve varnished to a mirror finish. It’s glorious bare, but I want to protect that shine from shoe scrapes and pups toenails as much as possible. And the truth of the matter is, our pups don’t like jumping down from the settees or off the beds to the slippery surface so the rugs provide a padded landing.
There is only so much decorating you can do on a boat without glue or screws to keep it down so throw cushions and cute little curtains are about the extent of personalizing and cozying up the cabin. Because of the rocking and rolling aspect of sailing you can’t display knickknacks or they become airborne projectiles, so things like soft pillows are the way to go.
My hooked rugs will not only save the finish on the floors but provide much need colour. The boat came with red vinyl upholstered cushions, not exactly what I would have chosen but they are fairly new and well done and will serve us for years until they wear out. In the meantime I love red, blue and gold so that colour scheme is perfect and I’ve been building on it to make our floating cottage charming and comfortable. It’s like a home away from home that needs to be appointed with comfy things. Remember I Dream Of Jeannie and her bottle? Inside was the most beautiful sofas with the most beautiful cushions...I'm not that over-the-top but that's the feel I'm going for. Comfy with a capital C. I call it pimping our ride.
The previous rug I designed was a compass rose with sea serpents and rope on the borders. As long as this new one sports a common motif and colours they will blend and lay well next to each other. This one is for the bottom of the companionway steps, providing a soft landing and a virtual feast for the entrance to the cabin. The plaid idea came to me while hooking my Nova Scotia Treasures rug when I tried to create NS Tartan but then I found out it's copyrighted (so it’s a good thing mine version didn’t look much like the real thing), so I thought I would design and hook a my own plaid for the studio. This is the result, drum roll please, the Encompassing Designs Tartan. I’m not of Scottish descent but we are a company with 18 years history and why the heck not honour it with a plaid of its very own?
This plaid was fun to create. I had no idea when I began, no initial drawings or thoughts about it in my head. I started by laying down the gold and red crosses and then counting rows around them, moving out from there building blocks of colour. Once I had the first segment done it was so easy to keep duplicating and then the pattern began to come to life. It’s so easy to do and all about the count and colour. I’m so happy with the vibrant blues and shots of red, and even though green is not one of my favourites, the small punches of two tone green really set it all off and even add to the overall nautical flavour I was hoping for. The rope is of course standard and I hooked it a bit larger than the previous rug to surround and help tone down the plaid that is quite dominating.
I have one more rug to complete before August for the International Nonsuch Association Rendezvous in Halifax. The count now is 20 Nonsuch boats registered and growing daily. I can't wait to see all those beautiful boats lining the finger wharves and perhaps being invited on board to see how others renovate their cottages on the water to make them their own. I can't wait to share all our hard work and the one-of-a-kind hand hooked rug appointments that will make Catalyst II unique.
After this one, the forward berth needs a mat as well. I’m pondering that design as I hook this current one. Perhaps a mermaid with a sassy tail? I would also like to hook the nautical flag pillow I designed a month or so back that spells love, which sums up my feelings about our beautiful boat. Be still my heart....
One of the drawbacks of owning a shop is being immersed in all things hooking, 6 days a week all day long, so sometimes I don’t feel much like picking up my frame in the evenings, sometimes going weeks or months without pulling a single loop. Of course it is dependent on what project I’m doing. Sometimes I bubble over with excitement and work like a machine for weeks until I run out of fuel and then take a bit of time off to recharge the batteries.
But the thing is, I work at a pace that I’m good at, fast forward to hyper, all that short order cooking experience back in the day at the Red Buoy Take-Out Restaurant set my dial to Top Speed. Best thing I ever did was work there at thirteen, it molded me like clay and I can put dinner on the table in five minutes, or finish any chore in record breaking time. And, there isn't any rule about how quickly one has to hook to finish a project but because I'm so busy I need to get it done quickly before I'm distracted and speed helps get it done.
There's no shame in not finishing a rug when predicted, if that were the case my face would be covered in egg. Rug hooking waits for you patiently until you get back in the mood or find the time. Someone told me the other day they lost their mojo and I get that, but like riding a bike, it waits to be hopped on and off we go again. I hook for pleasure, not pressure, so I work when I’m inclined and that keeps me in a perpetual happy place.
I have two passions in life, rug hooking and Catalyst II, and marrying them together is absolutely thrilling; creating a union that serves me well, in function as well as beauty. Its a wool meets water sort of love affair and designing and hooking rugs for our boat...excuse me yacht...is about as exciting as it gets.
Catalyst’s cabin floor is teak and holly that I’ve varnished to a mirror finish. It’s glorious bare, but I want to protect that shine from shoe scrapes and pups toenails as much as possible. And the truth of the matter is, our pups don’t like jumping down from the settees or off the beds to the slippery surface so the rugs provide a padded landing.
There is only so much decorating you can do on a boat without glue or screws to keep it down so throw cushions and cute little curtains are about the extent of personalizing and cozying up the cabin. Because of the rocking and rolling aspect of sailing you can’t display knickknacks or they become airborne projectiles, so things like soft pillows are the way to go.
My hooked rugs will not only save the finish on the floors but provide much need colour. The boat came with red vinyl upholstered cushions, not exactly what I would have chosen but they are fairly new and well done and will serve us for years until they wear out. In the meantime I love red, blue and gold so that colour scheme is perfect and I’ve been building on it to make our floating cottage charming and comfortable. It’s like a home away from home that needs to be appointed with comfy things. Remember I Dream Of Jeannie and her bottle? Inside was the most beautiful sofas with the most beautiful cushions...I'm not that over-the-top but that's the feel I'm going for. Comfy with a capital C. I call it pimping our ride.
The previous rug I designed was a compass rose with sea serpents and rope on the borders. As long as this new one sports a common motif and colours they will blend and lay well next to each other. This one is for the bottom of the companionway steps, providing a soft landing and a virtual feast for the entrance to the cabin. The plaid idea came to me while hooking my Nova Scotia Treasures rug when I tried to create NS Tartan but then I found out it's copyrighted (so it’s a good thing mine version didn’t look much like the real thing), so I thought I would design and hook a my own plaid for the studio. This is the result, drum roll please, the Encompassing Designs Tartan. I’m not of Scottish descent but we are a company with 18 years history and why the heck not honour it with a plaid of its very own?
This plaid was fun to create. I had no idea when I began, no initial drawings or thoughts about it in my head. I started by laying down the gold and red crosses and then counting rows around them, moving out from there building blocks of colour. Once I had the first segment done it was so easy to keep duplicating and then the pattern began to come to life. It’s so easy to do and all about the count and colour. I’m so happy with the vibrant blues and shots of red, and even though green is not one of my favourites, the small punches of two tone green really set it all off and even add to the overall nautical flavour I was hoping for. The rope is of course standard and I hooked it a bit larger than the previous rug to surround and help tone down the plaid that is quite dominating.
I have one more rug to complete before August for the International Nonsuch Association Rendezvous in Halifax. The count now is 20 Nonsuch boats registered and growing daily. I can't wait to see all those beautiful boats lining the finger wharves and perhaps being invited on board to see how others renovate their cottages on the water to make them their own. I can't wait to share all our hard work and the one-of-a-kind hand hooked rug appointments that will make Catalyst II unique.
After this one, the forward berth needs a mat as well. I’m pondering that design as I hook this current one. Perhaps a mermaid with a sassy tail? I would also like to hook the nautical flag pillow I designed a month or so back that spells love, which sums up my feelings about our beautiful boat. Be still my heart....
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