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Fall fiber frenzy

 

 

Tote bag - Fall fiber frenzy
One of Catherine’s kick-ass “Everywoman Tote Bags.” And what do I use this one for? To carry all my meeting paperwork, of course. Come see all the colors she makes them in at the High Desert Studio Tour Saturday!

Like I mentioned last week, I’m kind of slammed for the next couple of weeks in my own personal Fall fiber frenzy. This Saturday is the High Desert Studio Tour on the east side of Albuquerque. I’ll be at Stop #3 on the map below (if you click, you’ll get a better one) where Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd runs her ZiaWoolz business. Each year she generously offers me space for the event. This year Catherine Wies, another multi-talented Adobe Wool Arts Guild member, will have her wares there too: all kinds of versions of her “Everywoman Tote Bag.” I may have to buy another one to put Dag’s hand-dyed yarn and project bags in. Yeah, I’ll spend more than I’ll ever make. But the goods are all worth it. Plus we have a lot of fun. Stop by!

Meanwhile, I’m busy hooking away for Saturday and next weekend too up in Santa Fe at the Fall Fiber Fiesta. Then there are the meetings: guild (I told you I’m president now, right?); next year’s Fiber Fiesta here in ABQ; the Fiber Arts Council’s Education Committee; the food pantry I deliver to, and Susan’s Legacy. All this with a cold that won’t quit. I swear that between us, Tom and I can incubate it till next spring…

I hate meetings, but they’re a necessary evil for worthy organizations and causes. And if you have any interest in Fiesta or the Fiber Arts Council, click on those links above. Regarding Susan’s Legacy, if you’d like to help women trying to help themselves out of mental health and addiction disorders, see our website. Disclaimer: I’m a Board member, and such troubles have run in my family.

High Desert Studio Tour - part of Fall fiber frenzy
Info on the annual High Desert Studio Tour this Saturday in Albuquerque. More info on the website, www.highdesertliving.net. Remember, three of us will be at Stop #3. Follow the purple balloons!
Dog and hooked rugs - Fall fiber frenzy
Tynan whores for a treat brings you this week’s “What’s on the frame?” As you can see, there are actually four little rugs on there right now. I’m low on mug rugs which make excellent and unique gifts for the holidays. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Check out our Etsy shop. There may be one or two there right this minute. If not, give a yell and tell me what you need.

 

 

 

Hope to see you this weekend in Albuquerque or next in Santa Fe. Remember: Mention the blog post and get 10% off any rug. It’s part of spreading the gospel of rug hooking and buying handmade this holiday season!

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November and its events are here!

 

Hooked rug in front of fireplace; November is the time to turn on the fireplace.
November in New Mexico is the time to turn on the fireplace. (Still not used to that coming from a house where we burned wood in our fireplace.) Still, the “Tree of Life” looks great in front of this “new” one. Bet it would look even better in front of your fireplace.

 

Today is November, the start of the holiday season. Really. I can’t believe it either, but yesterday was Halloween, so it must be true. Which means that I better get a move on. High on Hooking’s got two big events in the coming weeks:

Guess what? I’m not ready for either. There are several rugs in the house here in various states of (in)completion. Yep, I’ve got days of work ahead of me till November 19 comes and I can breathe. (We won’t even talk about how I’m hosting Thanksgiving here and have to plan for that too.)

 

 

On the road before November's events start - Tynan and me.
Tynan and I enjoying the grass and fall weather somewhere on a Missouri highway.

I might have been further down the road with the rugs I need to still finish, but real life got in the way.  Tom, Tynan, and I were gone for just over two weeks driving back east for the first time since moving to New Mexico back in 2015. We’re tired now, having been on the road all that time, moving between Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to see family and friends. But it was well worth it. There was lobster, colorful foliage, a trip to the beach, and on and on. Tynan even provided a travelogue for our Instagram page for all but one of the days away. If you didn’t see it, pop on over there.

 

Hooked rug and crocheted shawl
Not the usual “What’s on the frame” this week. Though, technically, the rug is still on the frame; one of many. Actually, this is what I accomplished on the road. One rug started and one crocheted shawl finished.

 

 

 

 

Must head back to the hooking and sewing now. Hope to see you at one of our events this November. Mention the blog and get 10% off any rug.

 

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Studio time! And an Etsy faux pas?

 

 

Studio and guest room
New studio/guest room! Rather, this week it’s a guest room/studio!

The studio is as done as it can be for now which is good because COMPANY ARRIVES TOMORROW! Hence, it will be a guest room starting then rather than a studio. But that’s a good thing. (If I remember to go out tomorrow morning and get some soap and tooth paste.) Not unlike New England – remember, we arrived here just over three years ago from Massachusetts! – this is Albuquerque’s hopping time. No, not for colorful maple leaves and apples, but because it’s Balloon Fiesta time! The party starts Saturday and runs through next weekend.I’ll actually be at the Rail Yards vending on the last day of Fiesta; here’s hoping that some tourists mosey on in and can’t stop themselves from buying some hooked rugs. 🙂 Hey, it can happen. Last year a nice young man from San Francisco did just that very thing.

Hot air balloon in Albuquerque
Albuquerque: the hot air balloon capitol of the United States. Caught this one while I was walking right near my house. The other day I counted 26 up, up, and away!

In the meantime, “Fireworks” was purchased from my Etsy shop. I mention it because 1) I love that rug so it was hard to see it go and 2) I might’ve made a faux pas when I put a pic of the rug up on Instagram and mentioned that it was on its way to its forever home.

Funny story. Etsy tells me the rug is going to a guy in Texas. No problem. We package it up, and my courier, i.e., Tom, takes it to UPS. Off it goes. I put the post up on Instagram. Marketing, I call it. Next thing I know, some woman is responding on Instagram that it must be her rug, that her boyfriend was going to buy it for her, but she told him he should make it a Christmas surprise or one for her December birthday. Huh??? I don’t know her, so I check her profile, and – lo and behold! – she’s from the same Texas city! I tell her that I hope I haven’t ruined the surprise and…that she needs to take a pic of it in its new home. 🙂 Long story longer, the purchaser/boyfriend messages me through Etsy. He’s laughing and confirms the whole thing. So, I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t mention when I sell something??? Nah!

Have a great week all! And if you’re in for some spectacular fall scenery, come on down to Albuquerque and see the balloons!

Tynan dog and hooked rug
Tynan brings you this week’s “What’s on the frame?” The primitive is almost done! Think I need to make some color adjustments, though. Either way, the hooking will be finished tonight. Woohoo! Remember, it’s hooked from recycled t-shirts.
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Crazy days at High on Hooking

Hooked rug
What’s occupied my time these last crazy days of summer. “Patriotic WOOF” was a commission that last week went to its forever home in Missouri. If you notice, it’s an almost copy of my original OD green “WOOF.”

 

Hi, guys! Did you miss me? I hope so. Sorry about the longer than planned hiatus, but life’s been filled with crazy days here at High on Hooking. And they continue for another week. Sharon Smith of Off the Hook Wool Rugs comes into town today; she’s running a three-day workshop for the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG). Meanwhile, if you’ve seen my personal Facebook or High on Hooking’s Instagram feed, you know that my 21-year old daughter, “the Kid,” suddenly got a full-time job up in Durango, Colorado, an absolutely fabulous mountain town about 3½ hours north of Albuquerque. Hence, she’s moving. We were up in Durango this past weekend securing an apartment. She’ll leave for real Sunday, her minivan stuffed with a bed and necessities. Tom and I will follow her up with packed car(s) Thursday.

You can see the crazy days? But I’ll be back in a week or two. So much to tell, especially regarding our river cruise vacation in Bordeaux last month. Good pics to share. And we’ll have photos of the Sharon Smith workshop too. So much going on… So little time…

How was your summer? Any interesting stories?

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What’s on the frames this week

 

What's on the frames beside the Big Boucherouite and Tynan?
Tynan presents one of the “rugs on the frame” this week. As you can see, I managed to get around the whole perimeter of the “Big Boucherouite.” Woohoo! Unfortunately, it has to take a back seat to the rug below. But I’m getting more excited the farther I get with it. Soon color!

Sure, “what’s on the frames this week,” but more like “what’s not happening this week?” Too much stuff is breaking as I get ready to take my first vacation with Tom for the first time in, like, 10 or 11 years! And it’s a good vacation, made more special because it’s the year of our 25th wedding anniversary (long gone by back in January). But more on that another time.

Just take in all these things I have to get done this week :

 

What's on the frames? A new "Woof" rug.
Look familiar? Yep, it’ll be an almost-clone of “Woof.” A lady saw the original in my Etsy shop but didn’t want the OD green background that I hooked in. She prefers a blue-based background. Perfect for last week’s Fourth of July holiday judging by the great pic of her pups that she sent. All SIX! were decked out in red, white, and blue and had American flags. Gotta love the dogs!

 

I won’t bother you any with any more specifics, but I’ll show you the other rug that’s on the frame this week. How’s your summer going? Busy???

 

 

 

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