Category: Santa Fe

July 18, 2023

MAVWA UPDATE – Punch needle class info (and more!)

Updated information

Logo for the Mountain and Valley Wool Festival

Mountain and Valley Wool Festival
Santa Fe in October

If you read the previous post from way back in June – hey, it’s summer and I’m enjoying a break! – you saw that I’ll be teaching an all-day workshop on punch needle rug hooking. At that point, I didn’t have the info on when the class would happen. I do now!

The class will be on Thursday, October 5. It starts at 9:00 and ends at 5:00 or whenever you decide you’ve punched plenty. Because MAVWA’s workshops happen on Thursday and Friday, students won’t miss any of the festival events that weekend. In fact, because my workshop is Thursday, you can still take a class on Friday too! See both days’ offerings HERE.

Punch needle rug hooking — Punch needle by Amy Oxford. Original design.

If interested, please note:
To allow folks from places afar to plan, festival organizers make decisions about workshops running in early September. If they don’t think they have enough students by around Labor Day, they will cancel a class. It happened to me last year. If you think you want to take a class, forget late registration. Do it now! Or plan on a private lesson here in Albuquerque. That also happened last year. LOL

In addition to this MAVWA update, take a peek at our CALENDAR page. There are some new listings just today. Most exciting is that I’ll be teaching a INTRO TO RUG HOOKING at Convergence in Wichita next July. I am sooooo thrilled. HGA (Handweavers Guild of America) hasn’t yet put up the info for Convergence, but keep an eye out for it. Back in 2014, before I moved out here, I attended the exhibits and vendors’ market at Convergence when it was held in Providence. Little did I know that I’d be a part of such a BIG EVENT so many years later. Or such a great organization. HGA promotes all fiber arts here in the US and abroad.

Lastly, I’m finally going to make it to Sauder Village’s Rug Hooking Week this year. WOOHOO! As a judge for this year’s Celebration contest, I was invited. I even get to put a rug in the Celebrations exhibit. How cool is that? Also very exciting: Because I hooked New Mexico’s cushion for the USA50 project, I have a piece in that exhibit too! I only wish that Ruth Simpson could attend with me. I did the easy part – hooking – while she had to put the whole thing together! Read about it HERE. So if you’re going to be there, I hope we can meet up. I’ve no plans other than soaking it all up and taking lots of pics. Let me know!

So, it’s been a busy summer so far. If you’re going to be in the New Mexico area, okay, a really BIG area, give a yell. High on Hooking will be at at Las Golondrinas in Santa Fe again the first weekend of August for the Beer and Food Festival. Stop by to say hello and pick up a gift for family, friends, or yourself. In the meantime, stay cool!

June 13, 2023

Punch at the Mountain & Valley Wool Festival!

Punch Needle Rug Hooking Workshop
Mountain and Valley Wool Festival
October, 2023

Logo for the Mountain and Valley Wool Festival

If you’ve had a yen to experience Santa Fe and all she has to offer – especially in regard to wool and fiber arts – then plan on being here the first week of October when New Mexico is at her most beautiful. And if you’ve been wanting or maybe putting off learning punch needle rug hooking, then start making your arrangements now!

High on Hooking will be offering a PUNCH NEEDLE RUG HOOKING WORKSHOP in conjunction with the festival, which, BTW, is the new incarnation of the Taos Wool Festival. Sadly, the festival outgrew its digs in Taos, but that is a HUGE PLUS for those of us south of Taos. Plus parking and just getting to the fairgrounds are soooo much easier.

Things going on at the festival:

An Outstanding regional wool market featuring Juried Artists, Crafters and Vendors offering their wool, fiber, yarns,fiber arts-related tools and equipment as well as finished items and other artistic, fiber creations.
Fiber Critter Corner that includes live sheep, alpacas, goats, angora rabbits, and more.
Demonstrations of spinning, dyeing, shearing sheep and many other fiber related skills.
Competitions for handspun yarn, hand dyeing, fleeces (wool and alpaca) and finished garments and home accessories.
Silent Auction, featuring many unique donated items.
Hands-On Activities for kids of all ages.
Workshops before the festival weekend.
Food vendors offering a variety of beverages, snacks and lunch items.
With the added ambience of live music, the festival is unique and fun for the whole family.

The workshop schedule isn’t out yet, but keep an eye out on the MAVWA site HERE. And feel free to contact me directly about the punch needle rug hooking class. In the meantime, enjoy your summer!

May 22, 2023

Santa Fe Spring Festival, June 3 & 4

18th Annual Santa Fe Spring Festival: Featuring Lavender and Fiber Art!

Celebrate Spring with our Spring Festival: Featuring Herb & Lavender, and the opening of our 2023 season! Learn about New Mexico’s rich cultural heritage through an array of fun activities and demonstrations. Experience traditional New Mexican ranch activities like sheep shearing, spinning and weaving, plus a fiber arts marketplace featuring local artisans and craftsmen, horno bread baking, crafts for children, and more!
-https://golondrinas.org/

We here at High on Hooking hope that you can make it up to El Rancho de las Golondrinas (just sounth of Santa Fe) to celebrate the start of summer here on New Mexico’s high desert. I’ll be sharing a booth with Barbara Knupper, weaver and jewelry maker extraordinaire. You can find her art at the Artful Artisan.

We invite you to peruse our wares and enjoy the atmosphere of the Spring Festival on the ranch! Bring the whole family!

PS – To those, like me, who might be from New England, Las Golondrinas is kind of like a more primitive Sturbridge Village, southwest style:

El Rancho de las Golondrinas is a living history museum located on 200 acres in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Museum, dedicated to the history, heritage and culture of 18th and 19th century New Mexico, opened in 1972. Original colonial buildings on the site date from the early 1700s. In addition, historic buildings from other parts of northern New Mexico have been reconstructed at Las Golondrinas. Villagers clothed in the styles of the times show how life was lived on the frontier in early New Mexico. Special festivals and weekend events offer visitors an in-depth look into the celebrations, music, dance and many other aspects of life in the Spanish, Mexican and Territorial periods of the Southwest.
-https://golondrinas.org/

September 2, 2022

Happy New Year!

I’ve always maintained that September 1 is just as much a new year as January 1. You have a holiday and then you give yourself permission to start over. Maybe it’s a school year, your health, a job, or just a way of looking at life. In my case this September of 2022, it’s health and working on a new perspective. (And don’t get me wrong, I think renewal goes on all through the year, it’s just more celebrated in January and September.)

It’s no secret that I have autoimmune issues. Fibromyalgia was just added to the mix. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it explains so much. But so often when you’re busy, you work with the data that you have. When you’re in your late 50s, you don’t go looking for more things to go wrong with the chasse. Actually, I’m in pretty good shape, I think. Nonetheless, I could be doing better, especially regarding stress and sleep. I need more of one and less of the other. Bet you can guess which is which. LOL

I decided, therefore, that I’m taking a bit of a sabbatical from many of my local responsibilities for two whole months! I’d like to say that I’m making the months all about Laura all the time, but that’s not the case. It would also be très boring. Even to me! No, in less than a week my parents are making their second trip in six years to New Mexico from Connecticut. They’ll be here for 16 days. We’ll be doing some touristy things and even heading up to Colorado for a few days. They’ve never been there. After they leave, I’ll be teaching hooking and punching at the Mountain and Valley Wool Festival in Santa Fe. That takes us into October when Tom and I and a dog or two will take to the open road for Seattle. The kid’s now been there for three months; it’s time for a visit. And while I once spent a weekend in that area years and years ago, I never got a chance to really see it. This is an opportunity, too, to add a few missing states to my repertoire. I’ve never been to Utah (other than Four Corners), Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.

By the time we get back, it’ll be Workshop Week 5 and even Halloween. Then the holidays and… You see why I need a break?

But I’ll be around online, certainly, and in touch with folks. Being away always lets me refresh, see things in a new way, and be inspired. All of which usually allows for some new and exciting artwork. At least to and for me. Perhaps for others as well.

PLACES WHERE YOU DEFINITELY CAN FIND ME THIS FALL INTO WINTER

Mountain and Valley Wool Festival (MAVWA): September 29 – October 2
The festival is Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2, but the workshops happen the Thursday and Friday before. I’m teaching Thursday. Find info HERE. BTW, if you’re thinking of coming for MAVWA, know that it’s the start of Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Think 500 hot air balloons in the air at one time. Pictures and words can’t do it justice.

In the Studio Online Workshop Week 5: October 23 – 30
While I’m not teaching this time around, I am the general administrator, so if you need a catalog or have questions, please give a yell. We have eight great teachers and workshops scheduled. If you’re just realizing you forgot to register, now’s the time. Some classes have filled, but teachers have waiting lists, and some have already scheduled second sessions. More info HERE.

High Desert Studio Tour – December 3
After missing two or three years, the High Desert Studio Tour is back! As in the past, I’ll be camped out at the home of ZiaWoolz. Dagmar generously invites myself and a few other artists to hang our shingles out with hers for the day. If you’re looking for some gorgeous, hand-dyed yarn, check out her Etsy shop, or better yet, visit us in December.

Dogs sit with hooked art — The boys bring you a HAPPY NEW YEAR WHAT’S ON THE FRAME this week. THE REZ is hooked on monk’s cloth with old t-shirts, wool strips, and wool yarn. So far…

View our CALENDAR page to see more dates to be added as we go further into the fall.

The boys and I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR, a cooler fall, and success with all your efforts at renewal!

July 19, 2022

UPDATED TEACHING SCHEDULE

Updated Teaching Schedule

High on Hooking is regularly available to teach individuals and groups in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area. Currently we’ve got workshops scheduled in early and late September at two different events.

HEART OF NM FIBER AND ART GATHERING – Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4

Held in conjunction with Wildlife West Nature Park’s Harvest Festival in Edgewood. There will be vendors, workshops, live animals, and demonstrations all weekend.

Intro to Punch Needle Rug Hooking
Saturday, September 3, 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Find class info HERE or contact Laura directly.

MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY WOOL FESTIVAL (previously known as the Taos Wool Festival) –
Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4

Now being held in Santa Fe at the County Fairgrounds. There will be: vendors of all types, artists, a “fiber critter corner,” auctions, demonstrations, hands-on activities for kids and adults, food vendors, and music. NOTE: Workshops are held Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30.

Intro to Rug Hooking
Thursday, September 29, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Find class info HERE or contact Laura directly.

Intro to Punch Needle Rug Hooking
Thursday, September 29, 200 – 5:00 PM
Find class info HERE or contact Laura directly.

High on Hooking is happy to teach in other locations, on Zoom, or even in our/your home. Just give a yell and tell us what you’re interested in. Topics include:

– Intro to Punch Needle Rug Hooking
– Introduction to Rug Hooking – Not So Traditional
– Hooking With and Beyond the Wool – using materials besides wool strips
– Hooking With T-Shirts
– Build a Baby Boucherouite – create a little mat from old textiles

Keep an eye on our Calendar page for our teaching schedule and upcoming events.

Shakerag studio assistant Claire Nolan — Claire Nolan, Shakerag Workshops studio assistant and student extraordinaire in class learned how to hook and punch with High on Hooking in June. Bravo, Claire! Now everyone be like Claire and take a rug hooking workshop.