Category: rugs

February 13, 2017

Adobe Wool Arts Guild excellent February adventures

Adobe Wool Arts Guild rug hooking retreat. — Adobe Wool Arts Guild members at our winter retreat in Albuquerque. From left to right: Mary R., Nancy, Mary S., and Melinda. Here we are after we moved into the much warmer hallway to hook.

February’s a big month for the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) here in Albuquerque. In addition to our usual monthly meeting and two demo days at the BioPark, we’ve been participating in the Artful Threads show down in Belen’s Harvey House (February 2, 11, and 18). The 25th brings the BioPark’s Winter Wool Festival (make plans to visit that day!). Best of all is our own winter retreat which started today.

Hooked rug. — Mary S. is working on a large Currier and Ives design. She loaded it up on her Cheticamp frame, which was new to some AWAG members.

Melinda’s almost done hooking her 10-year project (much of which she hooked in the last year after she moved to NM from NH). This rug is 5 feet by 3 feet. I will definitely feature this fabulous rug when she finishes it.

Two women and a hooked rug. — Mary S. advising Liz on her rug.

We held a fall retreat last October. It was a chance to get together and hook uninterrupted for three whole days! Liked it so much, we decided to do it again this month. The good thing is we can reserve a local police substation for free. Worked like a charm twice before for us. There was a little hitch this morning, which happened to be the day winter returned to Albuquerque for a few days. (Yeah, we got an inch of snow, and temperatures DID NOT reach 70 like they did last week. It got to maybe 40. I hear your “sympathies,” New England.) When we opened up the room, it was 53º. It never hit 60. Except in the bathrooms.

Snowy New Mexico scene. — This is a winter storm in Albuquerque. Sure, you can’t see the Sandia Mountains looming behind the cloud, but all we got was about an inch of snow. An inch. It’ll be in the 50s come Wednesday. THIS IS WHY I MOVED HERE FROM NEW ENGLAND! (Sorry about that extra foot or two today, Maine.)

No matter. We fired up the little hotpot and made tea. And kept our jackets on. Eventually, we moved into a hallway that was a bit warmer. And after entertaining a curious, young officer with a background in graphic design, a maintenance man showed up, hopefully ensuring a warmer retreat day tomorrow. Just in case, a few of us will show up with space heaters. Moral of the story: Nothing screws with a hookers’ retreat.

What does your guild or hooking group do to spark creativity and camaraderie?

Have a happy Valentine’s Day, all!

February 8, 2017

It’s all about the photo…of the dog

This week’s blog is all about the photo…of the dog. Because everyone seems to enjoy his weekly updates of the larger rug I’ve been working on since early January. Here’s this week’s:

Photo of dog on hand-hooked rug. — Tynan is the new face of High on Hooking. Here he “relaxes” on the current rug. (T-shirts hooked into a traditional pattern gifted to the Adobe Wool Arts Guild here in Albuquerque.)

For those who are wondering, Tynan is an almost 9-year-old Welsh springer spaniel. (His birthday is next month.) Some of you might notice that he’s looking a lot less scruffy in this pic; he got a haircut just yesterday. He’s become fond of demonstrating how much dogs (and even cats) love hand-hooked rugs. In fact, he believes that every dog deserves his or her own rug. Fortunately, High on Hooking can help all you dog parents and grandparents with that. Finally, Tynan will do pretty much anything if he believes that food will be involved. Yes, he did get a treat after his photo shoot.

We’ve got another photo or two. This is a mug rug my niece requested after seeing other mug rug sets on my Facebook pages. In this case, she sent a pic of the mug for me to work from.

Photo of cupcake mug rug. — “Kendall’s Cupcake mug rug. (T-shirts, beads, pom-pom.)

photo of girl and mug rug set. — Niece Kendall with her mug and custom-hooked rug. Doesn’t the kid just slay you?

Happy “customers” make me happy. 🙂

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December 15, 2016

“Resting” in December and looking to hooking in 2017

Mug and rug. — 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 Arts Center. Should’ve had it done last week, but that’s the holidays for you.
Since I’ve been going on about Albuquerque’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.

Mary Ramsey hooking a rug in December, 2016. — 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.

Darlene Nelson holding up hooked rug in December, 2016. — Isn’t Darlene Nelson’s wood man exquisite?

Linda Towle hooking a rug in December, 2016. — 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!

Pic of snowman mug rug in December. — Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from High on Hooking!

October 31, 2016

Vending opportunity this weekend.

There’s no better fiber friend than one who surprises you with a vending opportunity. That’s exactly what my guild mate and yarn-dyeing-woman-extraordinaire Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd did during our latest AWAG hooking retreat a couple of weeks ago.

Mary bought the mug rug set on the left, but the one on the right will be available this Saturday during the High Desert Studio Tour in Albuquerque.

Because our guild is making rug mugs to sell (for charity) for next May’s Fiber Arts Fiesta here in Albuquerque, someone unfamiliar with the idea asked me to bring some in to show as examples. I brought their matching mugs even though buyers will just get the little rugs at Fiesta. Lucky for me, though, one member bought a set, and Dag invited me to sell them and some smaller mats at her house during the High Desert 8th Annual Studio Tour this coming Saturday here in Albuquerque. Woohoo! They make excellent Christmas and hostess gifts, you know.

If you live nearby, check out the High Desert website for a map of participating studios. There should be approximately 20 artists spread among the 13 sites. The tour includes painters, jewelry makers, potters, and different types of fiber artists – including Dag and me!

Not only did Dagmar dye this late fall-looking yarn, but she also knits extraordinary sweaters and sews and sells very cute project bags. — Not only did Dagmar dye this yummy, late fall-looking yarn, but she also knits extraordinary sweaters and sews-to-sell very cute project bags.

As I said, Dag creates fabulously colorific yarns at Zia Woolz. Check out her website and Etsy shop here. Not only that, she’s just fun to hang with. Plus she has absolutely AWESOME views of the Sandia Mountains from her living room window. And she makes a mean lentil soup.

If you’re in the area Saturday, stop by and say HI to both of us. Hopefully, I’ll have more info regarding yet another vending opportunity by then.

For those who might be interested, the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council has put out the call for entries for next year’s Fiesta. Have a look or give a yell if you have any questions. Please join us for this great fiber event!

September 26, 2016

Pumpkins are popping!

"Pumpkin"; 20"x21"; all recycled t-shirts — “Pumpkin”; 20″x21″; all recycled t-shirts

It’s officially fall, and the pumpkins are popping even here in New Mexico. Along with them come the roasting chiles, the mums, and Halloween costumes and candy in stores (we’re not even gonna talk about the Christmas ~~shit~~ stuff I saw in Walmart yesterday). While I love summer and warm weather, I won’t deny my affinity for most things autumn: cooler temperatures, pumpkins (of course!), candles, sweaters, fires (even if out here they’re usually gas-fueled rather than wood), exchanging flip-flops for my kick-ass, little booties, and so on.

"Little Pumpkin"; 10"x10"; all wool (not one t-shirt loop!) — “Little Pumpkin”; 10″x10″; all wool and even llama (not one t-shirt loop!)

Like New England, New Mexico holds off till fall to show its best self. In Albuquerque we may not get the range of foliage colors quite like we had in Massachusetts, but the yellows and golds of the cottonwoods and aspens stand out brilliantly against the almost daily blue-blue sky. And there’s little chance that a nasty, wind-driven rainstorm (worse, an ice storm!) will strip the leaves off the trees one night while we sleep.

This week I’m finishing up three mug rugs to sell Sunday at my final Rail Yards date for the year. (Until December 11’s Holiday Market, that is, but more on that later.) Two are autumnal in nature, one being a pumpkin. There are two other pumpkins in my inventory, and I’m hoping that at least a couple of them find new homes this coming weekend.

Okay, this little guy is all t-shirt too. I can't help myself. He's 6"x6". — Okay, this little guy is all t-shirt too. I can’t help myself. He’s 6″x6″.

No blog next week; we’ve got my sister-in-law coming into town just in time for Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta. Tom and I are looking forward to going to a “Glow” one evening which is when they fire up some of the balloons after it gets dark. They don’t go anywhere (because flying in the dark would be a CRAZY thing to do), but they look pretty…glowing. Hopefully, pics will come out so that I can share them here.

What do you look forward to most when cold weather and fall finally come calling? Share your pumpkins on High on Hooking’s Facebook page.