Just stopping by to dash off wishes for a wonderful end to 2015 and a hopeful beginning to 2016. It’s been a busy hooking week, though, ironically, I don’t have much to show for it. You see, I have to get a rug started for the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council‘s April show. I believe I mentioned this before. Crunch time is coming. The theme is “Colors of New Mexico.” Designing this thing is giving me angina. I swear, I think about it in the shower, at 2:00 a.m. when I should be sleeping, when my kid’s begging me to go to the movies. I’m pretty sure I know where I’ll go with it now, but it’s still making me drink.
Behind-schedule poinsettia.
Then I spent one whole evening pulling out most of my almost-completed poinsettia. In my attempt to do a little shading, I used colors with hues much too close to one another. There wasn’t enough contrast between them so I was left with a merlot-colored SPLAT. I’ve since started hooking with more of a rosé and a pinot noir. I think it helped.
Okay, I’m in a wine frame of mind. Whoopee! It’s almost New Year’s Eve, you know. Not only that, yesterday Tom and I went out to lunch then made a little field trip to a local winery, Gruet, which specializes in making bubbly in the Champenoise tradition. (It’s illegal to call any sparkly stuff champagne, so I’ll be technical.) We wanted to pick up a bottle for tomorrow night.
Celebrate with Gruet bubbly!
Um, we were more than successful. A lovely, young woman poured tastings for us and two other couples from Dallas and Portland. We had a great time talking wine, what it’s like to relocate to Portland (Oregon, hookers, not Maine!), Airstream trailers, vanilla lip gloss, and what-have-you. An hour and a half later, Tom and I were wine club members. Lucky you: If you’re thinking about visiting us here in Albuquerque, we’re apt to pop open a bottle for you.
Please share any hooking you might have managed to do this holiday week. If you didn’t get any done, who cares?!!? My wish is that you spend the rest of the week relaxing and enjoying friends and family. There’s plenty of time to work in 2016.
Happy New Year!
May your 2016 be filled with the most wonderful of fireworks and new adventures. Happy 2016!
High on Hooking wishes you all a productive Advent. What are you waiting for?
It’s Advent in our house, the season of waiting. Of course, we’re waiting for Christmas. First and foremost, around here we do that by getting a tree and decorating the house. This year there’s a learning curve involved. One simply does not throw up window candles and a blow-up snowman in a southwest pueblo-style house as one did in their New England colonial. For one thing, there’s no front yard for Frosty. So, he’s history. Instead, his little, light-up, burlap buddy is gracing the front door. Glass balls gussy up some landscaping. Fortunately for us, the previous owner had strung our big, backyard pine tree (maybe it’s a ponderosa?) with lights long ago. (We pray to God that the lights continue to function.) Festive red and completely-appropriate-for-New-Mexico chili lights hang on the pergola.
Tree’s up New Mexican style!
I decorated the indoor tree last night. Despite our 12 or so-foot ceilings, we’ve been trending to shorter trees in the past few years. In Massachusetts, the family room had a cathedral ceiling. We spent decades practically needing a crane to dress the tree. It was plenty fun, but I’m done with the holiday bombast and have been moving to a quieter Christmas. That includes focusing on smaller things. Like the tree.
Because we’re new to Albuquerque, we’ve been anxious to experience some of the city’s traditions. The River of Lights is on the docket. I’ve hit up two big arts festivals. Trips to the fairs are also intended to gather intel, to determine the feasibility of High on Hooking setting up shop next year. We’ve got some possibilities…
The holiday charm of Old Town Albuquerque.
Friday night we headed out to Old Town to see the city’s Christmas tree being lit. Us and a couple thousand other people it seemed. Parking was a bitch! But it was a pleasant evening. Streets were closed and lined with hundreds of luminarias. Shops and galleries were open; carolers and school kids sang. Flamenco dancers in street clothes clicked their castenets. A good time was had by all. Till we tried to leave and sat waiting in traffic for some time. Yeah, now that we’ve experienced this venue, we’ll move on to something less parking-challenged in 2016.
Waiting’s not just a part of the Christmas holiday for me this year; it’s factoring into my hooking too. First and foremost, I’ve come down with a case of shingles. Damn rheumatoid arthirtis meds lowered my immunity that much. The ironic thing is that my guild members and I were discussing shingles – and the priority of avoiding them – when we did our monthly Botanic Garden demo a week ago! Little did I know what was percolating just under my skin at that moment… Hence, not much hooking’s going on.
But I am able to plan which is another big thing to do in December. Albuquerque’s Fiber Arts Council has scheduled its 2016 spring show. Members of all guilds are encouraged to submit pieces as are non-affiliated artists. The theme is “Colors of the Southwest.” Now I’m in the midst of planning a new rug that has to be finished by early March. Call me indecisive, but I can’t for the life of me choose from the various designs I’ve sketched. It’s back to the drawing board with help from the likes of Deanne Fitzpatrick‘s Simply Modern book. Unfortunately, Susan Feller‘s Design Basics for Rug Hookers is still buried in my unpacked boxes of books. But we’re making progress on that front! Bookshelves are being painted as I type. (Tom’s turn; we only have one paintbrush at the moment.) We will have an office again by Christmas.
Two little mats wait to be finished. Hope they’re done in time for the Adobe Wool Arts Guild Christmas party!
Waiting is a December tradition: for a baby to be born; for Santa; for family, friends, and festivities; for the new year and all it’s to bring. Being in a new place and home adds a wrinkle to it all. Not to mention the freaking shingles. But I’m praying that I’m able to gracefully and productively anticipate the results of all preparations, for Christmas and for rug hooking.
Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we’re waiting for…
—Charles Stanley
What specifically are you waiting for this December?
