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 nothappening 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 :
an acupuncture visit;
a “see you in September” luncheon and group hooking for Mary, a guild member who’s moving back to Wisconsin, but, fortunately, will be back in September for our Sharon Smith workshop (and this winter too, we hope);
find some GOOD earplugs so that I can sleep when “Snoring Tom” when we go away;
pay my New Mexico gross receipts tax for the first six months of 2018 (the rest the country just calls it a sales tax);
update my inventory after Sunday’s Rail Yards Market – hey, I did really well; some lady bought out almost half of my mug rugs to send here and there for gifts;
all the other things you usually have to do just to live – clean, bake, shop, etc., etc.
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???
That’s the thumbnail of first rug I put up on my Etsy shop: “Hatch’s BIG Chile.” I thought that it was pretty appropriate given how much I love my new state of New Mexico. But can you believe that I’ve lived her for almost three years?!!?
After about three years of telling myself that I was going to put an Etsy shop together, I finally broke down and did it. Woohoo! (Okay, the last vow was to do it this past winter. I got close; it went up the first day of spring, which is still practically winter in a lot of the country.)
You’ll find the shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HighonHooking. Now, no sniggers. I know it’s still just an itty bitty shop with – at the moment – two listings. But everyone’s got to start somewhere. And not only did I have to figure out all that was involved with the shop and creating listings and taking pics, I had to do some updating of the website here, so that things would match. Okay too, maybe I hadn’t taken care of the Gallery in a while. Maybe some of those items were sold last year. But it’s better now. Not perfect; I’ll work more on completing the website after the Etsy show has a little more…heft.
So, spread the news! You might want to add that I’ll be adding more rugs to the shop on a regular basis. If you have any ideas of how to make it a more inviting shop, give me a yell. I’m happy to get advice, especially if you already have your own Etsy shop. And if you do have a rug hooking ETSY shop, feel free to share the address below in the comments. Later I’ll transfer the info onto the “Cool Resources” page.
To those who celebrate as I do, have a joyful Easter surrounded by friends and family!
“What’s on the frame” this week isn’t what’s on the frame. Instead I’m doing a LOT of sewing: starting and finishing rugs. If you’ve been around awhile, you know that I sew my rug binding on before I start to hook. It’s just the way I was taught. Plus I can hook right up to the tape and rarely need to do any whipping. But maybe you enjoy the tedium of whipping? Said NO ONE ever! Because I have Albuquerque’s Recycled Art Fair next month, I’m trying to get a jump on several mug rugs. Then there are the finished rugs; well, not completely finished rugs. I’ve been putting off their hemming. Also not my favorite thing, but so much faster than whipping (she said gleefully). And unless they sell right off, all these rugs and mats will appear in my Etsy shop. For those missing Tynan, I thought it best to keep him away from all the pins and needles. He can’t get hurt. Tomorrow’s his 10th birthday!
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!
It’s December, Christmas-time here at my house, and the waiting’s begun…
— For Christmas, but that’s a given.It is Advent. In the meantime, I’m trying to get decorations up and cards written. Then there are the cookies to bake and a party to prepare for. But again, this is usual stuff at this time of year. And I’m behind just as I am most years…
— A phone call to go through. I just got back from Albuquerque’s Biopark where I was doing rug hooking demos with the guild and walked into the husband and the kid both manning phones that were on hold. If I have to listen to the disembodied voice repeating “all our agents are busy” for much longer… The kid needs new healthcare, and it’s not been an easy process. How many of you can relate?
No waiting in traffic during the day! Bossy is one of the new exhibits at the BioPark’s River of Lights. See it through the New Year. Sure, it’ll look better at night, but you get the general drift. It’s a beautiful show and a great fundraiser for the park.
— A brandy, new rheumatoid arthritis med to work. I started it about a month ago. I hear I’ll know within six to eight weeks if this one will do the trick. At least my own insurance finally agreed to cover it. 🙂
— A rug design idea. The Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council is sponsoring a show in April. The theme is “Earth, Wind, and Fiber.” The call for entries opens January 1 and closes February 25. Despite mulling on it for longer than I’d like after I get into bed, I’ve not yet come up with a design idea for a rug to enter. Think, think, think…
The lovely lady behind those Foster Grants purchased “The First Boucherouite” last month at the Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta. It’s still one of my favorite rugs, and I called it the “First” for a reason. Hm, do I really need a brand new idea this week to start working on a rug?
— A secondary rug design idea so I have a rug to work on while I wait for the above idea to come through.
— High on Hooking’s Christmas party. Okay, that’s just what Tom and I call it, but every year we plan an evening nice out at a good restaurant. No ordering at a counter!
— What Tom and I will do for our 25th anniversary next month. We’re thinking a BIG trip, but not in January. We haven’t decided where or when yet, but more on that to come…
— The Old Pueblo Rug Hookers Hook-In on January 27. I’m even more excited for the trip this year because last January I won a great door prize: free admission in 2018! Woohoo! And it’s always warmer in Tucson than it is here in ABQ.
We’re just waiting for the Patriots to continue their magic.
— Tynan to finally get a little brother! It probably won’t happen till the spring or so, but Tom finally agreed that we’ll get a puppy this coming year. Woohoo! I love having two dogs, and Tynan benefitted from the “wisdom” of his predecessor Murphy. Albuquerque is a great city for rescues, so we’ll probably go that way. There’s gonna be a baby in the house again! (Beth Miller of Parris Hill Wool Works knows just what I’m talking about. Check out Wyeththese days!)
What are you waiting for this holiday season? Whatever it is, remember these wise words from Grumpy Cat:
Patience:
What you have when there are
too many witnesses.
Tynan’s back with “What’s on the frame this week.” He’s not showing you a lot of the rug as it’s one of nine “friendship rugs” that some of us in the guild are working on. More about them on 2018. And, yes, that is my completely undecorated Christmas tree in the background.
