Tucson’s Old Pueblo Rug Hookers will host their annual Tucson hook-in January 28.
It’s a busy, busy week here at High on Hooking. And a short one too. Today six of us from the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) were doing our regular demo schtick at Albuquerque’s BioPark – at Heritage Farm in the Botanic Garden, specifically. (We’re there the first and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Feel free to visit.) Come early Friday morning, four of us will saddle up (okay, we’ll climb into Cathy’s SUV) and make the eight-hour trek to Tucson.
What’s in Tucson, you ask. Besides warmer weather, of course. Well, I’ll tell you. Saturday, the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers are hosting their annual Tucson hook-in at La Paloma Country Club. Last year I was a OPRH virgin. Not this year, sisters! And I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I had a great time on my hooker-girls’ weekend. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might
2016’s prize! An Anderson frame at last.
remember how last year I managed to “win” an Anderson frame in the silent auction. There was some serious back-and-forth with another woman, but she already had an Anderson, and I’d wanted one for years. (The reality is that there were two up for auction, and she got the second one with it’s smaller hooking area.)
Like I said, four of us AWAG members will drive the l-o-n-g drive to Tucson Friday. Two other members will meet us there, their significant others left behind to fend for themselves in hotel rooms while we hook, chat, purchase, eat, make friends, bid, hook, eat, and chat some more. It’s going to be a great weekend!
Tynan presents this week’s current rug update. He will allow me to bring it to the Tucson hook-in to work on and share.
Attend a hook-in lately? (I’m talking to you, New England peeps! I know all about the Eliot Hook-In happening the same day as Tucson’s.) What made it so worthwhile for you? Share any hook-ins coming up!
“Seize the day.” I decided that would be my rallying cry today after I listened to Ellis Paul’s song.
She comes to my bed like a whisper
Slips in the sheet like a ghost
Says in my ear “Hey mister,
You need to take this girl to the coast.
I need to kick my feet up in the ocean
Feel the taste of the salt sea spray
Baby let’s live in the moment
For it feels like life is taking the moment away”
Seize the day, Seize the day, Seize the day…
–Ellis Paul
The song goes on from there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a video of him singing it. Sorry.
Frankly, it’s not been a great month. That it’s only January makes it all worse! My grandmother died early this morning. She was 95-ish, and it was expected. Hell, I’m 52; how great is it that I even had a grandparent still alive? One that would swim in Long Island Sound all the way through November into her 70s? Bike and drive into her 80s? Loved her husband to pieces and her cats and dogs as well? I need to be like that.
There are other family issues, other losses. Someone’s lost a job. Two friends have recently lost their dogs. Tynan had a dental emergency last week; suddenly nine (yes, nine!) teeth
Someone was under the weather the morning after his extractions.
had to go. Not sure why as he’d had a cleaning less than two years back. But at least he’s still among us, back to his old self, albeit without so much chewing.
Then there’s just the general tenor of the whole country lately, and this week specifically. We’re so divided in our…dissatisfaction. What about a collective attitude adjustment where we focus on the positive for a change? Maybe do something with it.
So, I’m seizing the day, my day. It’ll be a quiet one, and that’s okay. There’s writing this blog post, applying to this years Railyards Market, cleaning out some clutter and getting some laundry done. And I’ll continue hooking my rug, one of two that needs to be pretty much done come March 1. (That’s the cut-off date for entries in this year’s ALBUQUERQUE FIBER FIESTA if you’re interested in sharing some of your work.)
Seizing the day for me doesn’t have to be a big, bombastic event. All it means is that I’ll do what I set out to do, that I won’t bitch about other “stuff,” you know that crap you pretty much can’t do anything about anyway. It means that Tom and I will take Tynan for a little walk later during which we’ll notice the blue sky (oddly enough, it’s been raining the past few days here) and the birds overhead. We’ll revel in the 50-degree temperature, look at the snow on the nearby Sandia Mountains, and remind ourselves of how smart we were to move to New Mexico.
Are you seizing the day
or will you let all the negativity get you down?
If you can’t lighten up when you see these little dolls, you’re never going to! (Artist unknown; pic taken at Española Valley Fiber Arts Center.)
One of the cases containing fiber art at the Albuquerque Sunport. You can see Cathy Kelly’s fabulous rug down in the bottom, left corner of the pic.
If you’re coming to the Albuquerque Sunport (that’s the Airport to anyone unfamiliar with the city) in January, you might be surprised to find a substantial fiber exhibit on the way to the parking garage. Yes, fiber! Tom and I went to see it this morning.
In mid-December the Fiber Arts Council put out a surprise call for artwork from supporting guilds. “Hey, we need your pieces tomorrow – Sunday – at Rebecca’s house. We’re installing it Monday!”
More fiber art at the Sunport.
Cathy Kelly and I were able to get a couple of pieces to Rebecca’s in time, so the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) was definitely represented. The display is up until February 2, so if you live in the area, get thee to the Albuquerque Sunport. If you don’t live here, Southwest is the major carrier here when you arrange your airline tickets. 🙂
Sorry that I can’t provide the names of all the local artists, but at least you can get an idea of all the creativity that’s present here in Albuquerque. It’s one of the reasons we picked the city to become our new home last year.
Weaving and needlework, oh my!
Thank you, Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council! PS – That’s my rug hanging on the left-hand wall. It’s aptly titled “Welcome to New Mexico.”
Kudos are due to the set-up team and to all artists who made this exhibit happen on three-days’ notice! Carol Ellis, Board Member and Education Chair, thanks all for acting so promptly and for providing so many fabulous pieces of fiber art! We were able to use almost everything that was delivered. Additional thanks are due to Rebecca Wardlaw for collecting and organizing this Council Exhibit. Photos of the exhibit are featured on Facebooks pages of Rebecca Wardlaw and ABQ Fiber Arts.
Happy New Year and welcome to 2017! Yes, my tree is still up. Tomorrow begins the de-Christmas-ification here at High on Hooking.
Happy New Year and welcome back to High on Hooking! So excited to have you here. If you recall my last post, I talked about resting up during the holidays and considering what I want to do in 2017. Not sure I really rested, but I did manage to cut back some of my social media use, and I have to admit I enjoyed that and taking a few weeks off from blog writing too.
I did finish my class proposal for the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center. Hopefully, I’ll hear back from them soon, but in the meantime buddy Melinda and I are hoping to get up north on a yarn-centric field trip next week. We’ll stop at the Center on our way to say hi. And we have coupons for the shop. Yea!!!
Another goal was more reading; I did that! Hell, I’m still doing that. I managed to read all the stories assigned to me by Fifth Wednesday and even started a new book for pleasure. (It’s called Steps and Exes: A Novel of Family, and it’s by Laura Kalpakian. I’m enjoying it; you might too.) Meanwhile, I’m also reading a few others (you know, the ones in the car, in the bathroom, the
Simply Modern by Deanne Fitzpatrick. If you don’t have this book yet, get it!
And of course, just as in the old year, in the new year there has been hooking. After I finished my autumnal Tree of Life (okay, it’s not really finished, only the hooking’s done), I started a “new/old” rug. Someone gifted my guild (Adobe Wool Arts Guild, aka AWAG) with some old patterns last year, and even though I don’t really use patterns, I took one. It’s very traditional, but I wanted to make it more “me.” So I’m using t-shirts. So far it looks pretty cool according to guild members. I concur. Thoughts?
The start of my new/old rug being hooked in t-shirts. Anyone have an idea who might have created the pattern?
You might also remember that I mentioned finally getting my “big” Fiber Arts Fiesta project together as it’s due for jurying on March 1. I really do have a great idea of what I want to do. It’s a little mixed media, and it’s sitting in my brain. BUT, I’ve realized that I’m running low on time what with a lot on my plate, so that one’s going on the back burner. I’ll enter the rug above for sure, maybe something else I did last year too. AND…
An updated “Tynan” with a second eye. though it undoubtedly still needs some tweaking.
Here’s a slightly updated Tynan. He’s my dog that I started back in May when Cheryl Bollenbach was here “classing up” AWAG. I meant with all my heart and soul to get back to him after High on Hooking stopped selling in 2016. Somehow that didn’t happen, and now AWAG’s made plans to have Cheryl back for another workshop come this May. Woohoo! HOWEVER, I certainly can’t have last year’s project unfinished when she returns, so last week I picked Tynan up again – slightly panicked, I admit, after all these months. We did okay, got the second eye in which was what really had my panties in a bunch. So, we’re on our way…
And if rug hooking wasn’t enough, I got a yen to do some crocheting over the holidays. Here’s what’s on the crochet hook right now (which is on the opposite side of my chair from the rug hook). It’s a child’s afghan; maybe we’ll be able to sell it this coming season. Regardless, it’s a nice diversion.
A mug and its rug to welcome the cold winter months of 2017.
The calendar tells me that there are 15 or so days left to December and 2016. The 15 prior to today – and many more before them – seem to have just come and gone in a rush of mug rugs and holiday fairs and fall visitors and holiday preparations and meetings for this and that. Add in a dollup of family issues and arthritis crap, and I’ve realized that something’s gotta give or I will.
Fortunately, I’ve actually managed to get most presents bought and my cards and packages posted. (We were hoping to get back to New England this Christmas, but the kid has to work, so no dice. We will DEFINITELY be there next year!) Now I need to take some time, not really to rest per se, but to recharge and start thinking about 2017. That means sitting down by myself and playing and planning. The “by myself” part is the BIGGIE. Social media’s been a constant bug in my ear lately – the blog, Facebook posts for myself, H on H, and my guild. Hell, it takes so much time just to delete all the holiday offers I’m getting in my two mailboxes every minute of every hour of the last two months! And then there’s the stuff I actually want or have to read! It’s time to get off of the merry-go-round for a couple of weeks. Oh, I know it won’t be a complete black-out; I’m not that good. (Plus I’m nosy.) Still, I need to remember what it’s like to enjoy sharing something rather than feeling as if life on earth depends on my posting it.
What exactly will I play and plan, you ask? Don’t worry; I’ve got plenty to keep me busy for a LOT LONGER than I have.
First and foremost, I have to get my class proposal to the Espanola Valley Fiber ArtsCenter. Should’ve had it done last week, but that’s the holidays for you.
Since I’ve been going on aboutAlbuquerque’s Fiber Arts Fiesta coming up in May, I really have to get on that stick and get my own project started. I’ve been running things through my mind for months, and I think I know what I want to create. Well, I almost did; it changed some last night in bed. Different lightbulb went on keeping me up. It’s time to run with all the ideas, mock them up, whatever. The thing is due for jurying come March 1. That’s like two months away! Gotta get to work.
Website and other business stuff. Jean Ottosen‘s been so good talking about her
Newest issue of Fifth Wednesday Journal.
business changes and challenges, that she’s inspired me. It’s time for a more formal approach. Jean, be warned! You may get a call.
Reading and reading and reading. I love to read, but this time of year, I don’t get a lot of pleasure reading done because it has to wait till I get in bed and you all know what happens then. Make no mistake, I’m reading plenty – at least two short stories each evening. I read the slush pile for a great lit journal, Fifth Wednesday, from October through January (and again in the spring). It’s a labor of love, particularly this year as we’re reading for the twentieth anniversary issue. LOTS of authors are sending stories in hoping to be included. Some are good, some aren’t. But it’s a great chance to switch up that creativity thing.
AWAG President Mary Ramsey working on her mug rug doo-dahs (see last week’s blog post). Notice how the glass she’s holding matches the wool so perfectly.
In between all those “workish” things, there’s always time for some fun. Yesterday the Adobe Wool Arts Guild celebrated the holidays and another happy year hooking together. Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd of ZiaWoolz hosted marvelously. There was food and a fiber-themed Yankee Swap And food. And hooking. And fun. Always fun. I got so lucky when I moved here and joined AWAG. I love my guild.
Isn’t Darlene Nelson’s wood man exquisite?
Linda Towle was working on her owl doodahs!
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and here’s to 2017! See you in a couple of weeks!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from High on Hooking!
