I’m back for one last photograph in 2019. Sorry, the idiots haven’t had me groomed for the holidays. Their bad! Regardless, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I plan on writing more of these posts in 2019, but right now I have to keep their mitts off my toys. Love – Tynan
In the words of Canadian rug hooker extraordinaire Laura Kenney, “Merry everything!” In her post of the other day, she signed off for the year. What an excellent idea, I thought. There’s so much going on these last days of 2018, and I want to enjoy it all. (Okay, I’d like to hook some too. And finish crocheting a gift.)
Like Laura, I wish you a happy everything, whatever it is that you might celebrate this time of year. And mostly I hope for all of us a New Year filled with joy and especially kindness. Here’s to 2019!
Pertinent info regarding Fall Fiber Fiesta this weekend.
A BIG THANK YOU to Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd of ZiaWoolz for opening and sharing her beautiful home during Saturday’s High Desert Studio Tour. Yes, I did buy almost, but not quite more than I sold. But who can resist those hand-dyed yarns and fingerless mittens (yeah, I bought another pair of those), etc., etc. Because Dag’s yarns are too light to hook with, I’ve never been able to purchase any of her yummy colors. (Tom just wouldn’t understand me purchasing yarn to look at. He’s so silly, I know.) BUT, having just finished crocheting a shawl (sized more like a scarf to me) – my first “big” crochet project in years – I rewarded myself with some of her yarn to repeat the project in BRIGHT summery colors. More on that another day.
Goodies by ZiaWoolz. She’s got an Etsy shop, peeps.
Really, can you resist these? And I’m not just talking Hersey’s Kisses here.
And lastly, this week’s “What’s on the frame” feature is really about what’s NOT on the frame. These little rugs have to be finished up in the next couple of days to be ready to go Friday morning. So much to do, so much to do…
You know, mug rugs give quick validation, but I’ll be glad to get back to bigger rugs after this weekend. BTW, if you can’t make it to Fiesta, we do have an Etsy shop. I’ll have time to update it after I cook Thanksgiving dinner. Give a yell if you don’t see what you need. Or want. We can help. Really…
Again, feed the Fall fiber frenzy by visiting High on Hooking up in Santa Fe this weekend. As always, mention the blog and get 10% off any rug. See you there!
When you fall, you just have to get back up no matter how much your wrist and your ass hurt.
Okay, if you follow on Facebookand/or Instagram – and I strongly encourage that you do – you probably know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, let me clue you in.
After my last blog post w-a-y back on December 12 (where I shared how one of my rugs, barring director cuts, will be performing in the TV show Better Call Saul), I took a few weeks off to enjoy the holidays. Having a little time, I figured that I’d get my ice skates sharpened and perhaps, finally, after about four years off the ice (because the blades were much too dull and, frankly, dangerous to skate on), take a turn around the rink. Being from New England, I’ve done most of my skating on ponds, but out here in the desert, you find a rink. There are only two in the ABQ area.
Maybe I should’ve trusted that they were sharp enough. Tom was waiting for me, albeit in a comfy patch of sunlight on a couch in the entrance area. He can nap anywhere. All it would’ve taken was a couple of laps around the rink to know they were sharpened just fine. But, as in many things, I’m enthusiastic. So there were some back cross-overs and a few little hops. It had been four years, but I was doing pretty well. Till I wasn’t.
So, in this photo you can see how I fell on both my ass and my right wrist. I admit that I was probably showboating a bit wearing a dress on a weekday morning. (It’s amazing how much Sasha Cohen looks like me in this pic.)
My sister-in-law texted me afterwards: Old people don’t skate. Oh, but 53-year olds do! And I got back up and skated some more. I was not going to let those other younger and less proficient skaters think that I’d hurt myself skating…more enthusiastically than they had. Besides falling is part of the game! Did you not observe all those “professional” folks eating ice during the National Figure Skating Championships last week? Then I fell again. On the same wrist. A couple more limpy turns around the rink, and I headed out to Tom and my shoes.
No, I did NOT tell him how much my wrist hurt. Truly, I figured that, given my arthritis, I could probably shake it off (like I do every morning). Besides, we had a party to go to that evening. Where much merriment was had; I headed to the urgent care and then the orthopedist early the next morning. Where they they gave me an early Christmas present, a nice, baby-blue cast.
And how it looks today. Kind of steampunk or Borg, don’t you think? It’s better than a cast, though in the house I prefer a smaller, more flexible brace. Much better for hooking and such.
Actually, they couldn’t tell if the wrist was broken but, because of the bone involved, for two weeks had to treat it as if it was. Lucky me. Here’s a short list of the things I do with my right hand/wrist/arm combo: write; shift my car; type; hook; crochet; brush my teeth, shave my legs; cut and chop my food… While I did find a way to hook, shift, and shave some, Tom valiantly took up my slack. What a great husband I have! He didn’t even complain about the crankiness, though he did snark a fair bit about my skating prowess and age. 😉
Friday, we found out that my scaphoid bone is NOT broken. Woohoo! It just hurts like hell with certain movements. But I’m being good as I settle back into writing a legible grocery list, crocheting a shawl, and hooking (!!!) a new project – more on that later, but I’ve included a pic. I’ll hold off on the ice skating till the wrist and my tailbone have fully healed. Tom threatens to bubble-wrap me.
Now that I’ve disclosed my own tale of stupidity and triumph – I did get up and skate on not once but twice – feel free to share yours here. But before you do that, head to your closet. Do you have any quality purses in there that you don’t use anymore? You know, the kind with brand names. I need them. Bad, but for a really good cause. I’ll tell you more about that next week. Now run to your closet and check…
“What’s on the frame” this week will be clarified in the coming weeks. And Tynan will be back too. Stay tuned!
PS: A BIG shout-out and thank you to Mary Jane Peabody of Mary Jane’s Rugs for including not just my rug and thoughts in her New Year’s post, but those of a few other hookers as well. If you haven’t seen the post yet and are in the mood for a little rug porn, head over to Mary Jane’s website. (But NOT Cathy Kelly; you aren’t allowed to see the page for a few weeks. Trust me. 🙂 )
“The First Boucherouite” hooked from old bed sheets and a little t-shirt added in. It’s going to be a TV star!
My rug’s going to be a TV star! I just know it. Of course, it’s leaving me…in the New Mexican dust.
I can explain.
If you remember, I told you that I did well selling at the Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta last month. In fact, someone really liked one of my personal favorites, the “First Boucherouite,” so she purchased it. While I knew I’d miss it, I’d named it “First” for a reason; I’m going to make another Boucherouite, bigger even, and maybe actually keep it for myself. I’ve already started buying the bedsheets at Savers.
Anyway, after the buyer had settled up with the cashier and left, show organizers paid my booth a visit. Turns out that the woman works for Better Call Saul – you know, the TV show created as a prequel to Breaking Bad. Both shows not only take place here in Albuquerque, they’re filmed locally as well. It appears the chick’s a set designer and always on the lookout for new materials to dress the set. All I knew is that she not only bought my rug, but a couple of lovely Navajo rugs and some other items too. (That I know because she and a friend – who bought one of my signature rugs! – were keeping their treasures behind my table as they perused the fair.) I was informed that if the television show intended to actually use any of the artists’ pieces, we’d receive a release to sign.
So life goes on. The episode makes a good story to tell, and that’s about it. Until yesterday afternoon when I opened my email. Loe and behold, there’s a message with the subject line: BETTER CALL SAUL TV REQUEST. I’m in the car. Tom’s driving. The kid’s with us. I tell her the story; she’s properly incredulous. Then she says, “You better be prepared when they cut the scene. They do that a lot.” Duh, but thanks so much, Debbie Downer. And I carried her in my own body for nine whole months…
Regardless of Miss Pessimism, we’ll see what happens. And I better start watching Better Call Saul. That’s not a hardship; I just have to find the time. Having been a big fan of Breaking Bad, I was planning on firing up Netflix at some point to catch the new show. New – ha! The email said that they’re currently filming the fourth season. Guess I better get a move on.
And on that note, I bid you all wonderful and light-filled Hanukkahs, Christmases, and New Years. I’ve decided to take the rest of the year off from regular blog posts. No fears, you can always find me on Facebook and Instagram. (I’m pretty new to Instagram, but I love it. It’s so much quicker than other social media, yet you still get to see lots of cool pictures of peoples’ work.) ‘Tis the time for parties and such (and concomitant cleaning of one’s house to make ready for those parties). Make the most of the holiday season. Find some time to relax. Gift yourselves with TIME to read and rest and to enjoy your family and friends. Oh, and to hook. Make sure you hook. See you in 2018!
Tynan and I wish you the brightest of holiday seasons! We have no “rug on the frame” this week; I’ve been crocheting lately, and the one rug I am currently working on is a surprise for Brigitte Webb to view when it’s finished. See you in the New Year!
Tynan and this week’s rug on the frame, which has been the rug on the frame for a few weeks. So close… Gotta finish it for Saturday’s Sunflower Festival.
As you can tell by the look in Tynan’s eyes, I have NOT finished the Boucherouite-esque rug yet. Yes, I am very close, but here’s the thing: I need it completely done for Friday evening when I pack the car for Saturday’s vending gig. That gig would be the Sunflower Festival in Mountainair, about an hour and a half southeast of Albuquerque.
The Sunflower Festival is supposed to be a fun time, and I’m looking forward to it. But I’d feel a hell of a lot better if the rug was done NOW! See, I have a few other things to do this week. Ironically, they’re all hooking related. Thursday, I’m hooking with friends. I considered staying home, hopefully, sewing up sed rug, but then they pressured me, told me they were making gluten-free items for lunch. Who blows off friends like that? (Or the GF food?)
Friday, Cathy Kelly is teaching some of us in the guild a yarn-dyeing method that’s done with a microwave oven. We’re dyeing yarn rather than wool fabric, so it really appeals to me. Check out the yarn she brought in to entice us into learning the technique. Yum!
Yarn dyed by Cathy Kelly. Not sure if I’ll hook with mine or use it in some crocheting project.
So, somewhere during the next two or three days, I need to finish hooking the rug, steam it, and hem it. Then price and tag it and enter it into the inventory log. Agh! Oh, and pack the mobile store into the car, adding a tent and leaving room for Tynan. Since we’ll be gone all day Saturday, he gets to go. While I love his company in the booth, he does have a habit of upstaging the merchandise. Maybe I can get him to demo the “Woof” rug while he schmoozes with potential customers.
Gotta run now, have to hook!
PS: Check out the home page; we’ve added two other shows to the vending line-up.
If you’re local or happen to be in New Mexico Saturday, come on down to Mountainair’s Sunflower Festival. Mention this blog article and get 10% off the rug of your choice!
