Category: sun

August 24, 2021

Take time to smell the sunflower!

Will you be at Mountainair’s Sunflower Festival Saturday?

Dog with hooked sunflower wall hangings. — **Bowyn will be sad if he doesn’t get to meet you at Saturday’s Sunflower Festival.**

Unfortunately, last weekend’s textile art sale in Santa Fe was a bit of a logistical bust. But is it really a loss when you spend time hanging with a bunch of other talented fiber artists here in New Mexico or anywhere. NO! Fortunately, Cathy, my partner in crime, and I have the Sunflower Festival in just a few days. It’s always a fun time what with the arts, the music, the food… And Mountainair is a cool, little mountain town, very BIG sky country.

As you can see, I’m ready for the Sunflower Festival. Sunflowers are truly one of my favorite flowers, and if you’ve been following me for at least a year, you know that I like to hook some version of them annually. This year I went small, three wall hangings. And instead of keeping it all t-shirt all the time, I mixed it up. Each one has some amount of t-shirt, bed sheet, wool strips, and wool yarn. The variegated backgrounds were dyed by my own little hands during my “retreat week” back in June. Oh, and I included itty-bitty glass seed beads in the – what else? – sunflower seed heads!

Sunflower wall hanging. (Old t-shirts and bed sheets; wool strips and yarn; glass seed beads.)

It’s the end of summer here in New Mexico, and while the sunflowers are blooming and it’s still warm, you can see that fall’s on its way. Kids have been in school a couple of weeks. (Being from the East Coast, that’s still weird for me.) Already I’ve spied some turning leaves here and there. The Hatch chiles are roasting in the grocery store parking lots. That heavenly aroma!

Fall is a looking forward time for me. How to change up the house decor – pumpkins and candles, of course. The holidays! We just rented a house for a week’s vacation in Arizona (which lets us be self-sufficient in this unnecessarily continued time of Covid, but I digress). New rugs and other textile projects. Workshops.

On that workshop note, I want to remind everyone that In the Studio Workshop Week 3 will be here in two months. Less than that, actually. I’ll be teaching two sessions of Hooking with T-Shirts. The first will be Saturday, October 23. There are a few places still open in each class, so if you’re interested, email me at Laura@highonhooking.com. Some workshops are full but may have a waiting list available. Others still have room. Just contact the teacher of the class you’re interested in.

Lastly, a gentle reminder. The rug hooking week at Sauder Village just wrapped up. Trolling Facebook, I’ve seen wonderful photos of the gorgeous rugs that were on display. One thing, though, that I noticed about many of the posts was the lack of attribution. We need to remember that when we post pics of others’ artwork, we need to give the artists their due and provide their names. An easy way to get that info is to take a quick pic of the little card that’s invariably right next to or just below the rug, painting, quilt, or other piece of art you’re photographing. Then you’ll have everything together when you go to share the art porn.

As summer winds down here in the northern hemisphere, what plans are you making in order to really appreciate and enjoy the autumn? Maybe you’ll head out to Mountainair!

February 17, 2020

Hemming, Hooking, and Punching, oh my!

Here in Albuquerque, we’re hemming, hooking, and punching, oh my!

The hemming part of hemming, and hooking, and sewing, oh my!

HEMMING
The secret project is almost done. The hooking’s complete, but there’s a LOT of hemming to be done, rug binding to be sewn down. It’s been taking a LOT of my time. But if I can finish that and figure how to hang it, I think that I’ll enter it into a fiber show up in Santa Fe to run during the New Mexico Fiber Arts Center (formerly Española Valley Fiber Arts Center) Fiber Crawl in May. Check out the info whether you’d like to be a participant or would prefer to check out the festivities this year.

HOOKING
Cathy and I have one more evening in Santa Fe as artists in residence at the Inn on the Alameda. There’s not been all that much action, but we usually get in a few good chats with a guest or two. Two weeks ago we met a group of ladies who came from all over the US to take a workshop that would teach them how to make clothes from the cloth that they’d woven back at home. They were really into the tactile nature of our hooked rugs. One woman had inherited hooking paraphernalia from a relative and got all hyped visiting us. Another loved the idea of using used clothing, especially t-shirts, and wants to give hooking a try. Alas, she isn’t from here, so she’ll have to find a teacher on her own.

Meanwhile, Friday, a friend of a LeeAnne, an AWAG guild mate of mine, came here for an intro lesson Friday. (Bowyn was a BEAR, wanting desperately to become her new best friend. Ideas of what to do with a dog when you teach in your home? Till he’s trained, that is.) Barbara came last week so that she could attend AWAG’s first hooking retreat of the new year. If you’re in the area of Hope Church on Juan Tabo in Albuquerque Wednesday or Friday, 10-3, we cordially invite you to stop by. If hooking’s your thing, bring that. Knitting, embroidery, whatever, we’re happy to have you. (FYI, Thursday, we’ll be holding an in-guild miniature punch needle class, so our hospitality will be “compromised.”)

Dog on hooked rug — Tynan brings you this post’s “what’s on the frame”!

Lastly, as you can see in the photo, Tynan brings you this week’s “what’s on the frame.” It’s a cheery and color-full rug that I’m hooking with old woven bed sheets. Unlike other on-going projects, it’s highly portable. Each evening, too, I hook my daily entry on the ribbon rug journal. More on that next time.

Punch needle rug hooking example — Come punch with me in Santa Fe on February 29.

PUNCHING
And lest anyone forget, Saturday, February 29, I host my first Intro to Punch Needle Rug Hooking class up in Santa Fe, in the New Mexico Fiber Center’s new shop. It opened back in November. Most exciting, doing a class in Santa Fe instead of Española cuts my commute by a full 30 minutes! If you haven’t been there, make sure you make a trip. It’s cute and carries more finished goods than the Española headquarters. And if you’d like to try punching à la Amy Oxford, sign up ASAP. If you can’t make that class, contact me about a class in my home or even yours.

Toma nd Bowyn, man and dog — My other two boys, Tom and Bowyn. Like most days in New Mexico, Saturday was sunny, so the four of us piled in the car went off on a jaunt. Have you done any good walks and hikes lately?

Okay, things could be a lot worse. Hemming, hooking, and punching are all better than working in an office or shoveling snow or even having a mammogram or dental work. Frankly, they’re better than teaching Bowyn over and over how to be a good canine citizen. He’s stubborn and more than a little crazy, that one. But you have to love him. Or at least Tom and I have to. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THIS WINTER DAY?

June 25, 2018

Cool da Vinci stuff on a HOT day

da Vinci scuba suit — This scary individual is actually a copy of just one of **da Vinci’s scuba suits**. In 2003, some chick named **Jacquie Cozens** actually attempted a dive in a similar suit. Apparently, she had “limited success,” whatever that means.

The last two weeks of June tend to be the hottest of the summer here in Albuquerque, so Tom and I headed off to the very much air conditioned Museum of Natural History here in town. It was more of a targeted visit; a Leonardo DaVinci show has been ensconced there since February. It’ll be gone by next month, so we saddled up the Accord and headed into Old Town. Thought I’d share a few pics with you, then you won’t have to go yourselves. While it was a nice exhibit and contained a fair bit of info on Leonardo, it wasn’t worth the $22 per person ($20 for seniors!). Maybe if there had been his actual paintings and such rather than digital copies, etc. Still, inspiration and stories were everywhere!

da Vinci painting — **“La Bella Principessa”** was a nice, little portrait. It appears that this baby was holed up in someone’s cellar or collection for centuries before anyone thought that it might’ve been painted by da Vinci. They thought it was by some German dude.

da Vinci notebook page — Okay, this is cool. They had copies of some of da Vinci’s notebooks. This recorded his ideas on a **GIANT horse statue** that he spent years planning for some patron. In the end, he never built it. But the drawing is wild.

da Vinci costumes — Who knew the dude was so into theater? Not only did create sets and such, but he created costumes too. Yes, he took up thread and needle and sewed! Not an interactive exhibit, so I was not able to entice Tom to try on the scarlet cape and tights.

da Vinci crossbow — Have issues with your neighbors whether they be next door, in the next town, Mexico or Canada??? This **giant crossbow** wasn’t available for purchase, but I bet it could do the job for you. Da Vinci was BIG into weaponry.

da Vinci tank — Perhaps you prefer a **tank** for your military needs? Those tubes sticking out of the bottom, which round the whole machine, are the guns.

Because our tickets included it, after perusing the da Vinci exhibit, we thought we’d hang in the planetarium for awhile. One piece of advice in case you happen to catch a show: Bring a parka! Don’t care that it was 98 degrees outside. In the planetarium it was January in Minnesota!

The reality is that this week’s going to be even warmer than last week. Hooh, boy. Guess that means I’ll stay in and hook. What a hardship. Oh, well, there are shows to apply to. And I’ll be loading up the Etsy shop with more goodies too, especially as…I finally sold my first rug there! Woohoo!

dinosaur — How are you keeping cool this summer? Movies like the new Jurassic Park? Museum visits? Lucky enough to live near a beach (like I used to)? Or just holing up in the AC with friends? Share your plans here!

October 3, 2017

The power of community

Drafted Monday

Community involvement — *High in Hooking all set up and raring to go at the OFFCenter Folk Art Festival Sunday.*

Today was a bad day. For the victims in Las Vegas, for their families, and for all of the United States. How to write a blog about rug hooking or art or anything that seems frivolous in comparison? I decided not to bother. Instead I decided that I should concentrate on “community.”

Yesterday I was a vendor at the OFFCenter Folk Art Festival here in Albuquerque. Frankly, as far as selling goes, the day sucked. I didn’t even sell a mug rug set. The folks around me didn’t do too well either. In my case, I’d been afraid that my price point was too high for the event. Was I right? I’m not completely sure, but I suspect that had a lot to do with it. Was I disappointed even though I knew I might have a problem? Of course, but, you know, packing up, I told myself and Tom that it could’ve been worse.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here. There was bright sun, and it was about 75 degrees tops. Sure, Albuquerque typically enjoys about 310 days of sun annually, but last week wasn’t at all typical. It rained for a number of days in a row. I needed waterproof shoes to set up in the grass, but I was able to change into canvas sneakers right after that. My point: it was much better to be out and about with others than to be sitting in the house listening to the Patriots lose.

The OFFCenter Folk Art Festivval is most definitely a family affair. Everyone and anyone can get in on the action.

The OFFCenter Community Arts Project’s mission is:

To promote positive self identity and resilience through art making by providing a safe environment for creative social interaction with an emphasis to enhance the lives of those most marginalized in our community.

They have a studio and shop across from Robinson Park where yesterday’s festival was held. It’s not just an event whereby selling artists pay a fee that raises monies to support the project. There are grants and donors and volunteers to do that. No, this festival is a CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS AND THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO LIKE TO MAKE ART. And I’m not only talking about the artists like me who were selling. It’s very family-friendly. There were tents and tables set up for kids and adults alike to make art. They didn’t have to buy it from me or the toy-maker or the illustrator or the painter. And while they drew and

crocheted and linked beads, there was music to dance to. There were giant puppets! See their pics!

The Project serves anyone and everyone in Albuquerque who chooses to go there. They, you, I, we all can make art for free. This is part of the Center’s vision statement:

…to provide a working model of a non-institutional community art setting that sustains and improves community mental health and social capital.

My aunt was an art therapist so I know the value that creative pursuits offer to those with mental illnesses let alone to those of us who are “normal.” I’m not lying when I talk to people in my booth who say, “That obviously takes so much time and patience.” My response: “It’s my therapy.” In fact, that’s what many of my guild-mates say when we’re out demonstrating around town. We’re not lying. You know. There’s something calming about working with your hands; the repetitive movement is soothing. It doesn’t have to be hooking. All artists feel it. The Zen-like concentration keeps us in the moment, relieves us from ruminating constantly on all our problems. And we all have problems.

Today the entire country is living not just a problem, but a nightmare. Worse, we keep re-living the nightmare. I don’t know what the answer is, but somehow communities have to come together – if only for consolation. Yesterday I saw a community that was clearly providing all kinds of mutual support. It was beautiful. And it’s a start.

From the OFFCenter Arts Project:

Annually, we serve ~3,600 predominantly low-income artists of all ages, from child to elder. They’re often living with disabilities or other hardships, recovering through the arts, building community and hope inside and outside our studio walls.

If You Believe in What We Believe…Please Support Us!

September 20, 2017

Picking grapes and making friends

Sunday Tom and I tried something new: picking grapes destined to be bottled up as wine by Casa Rodeña right here in Albuquerque. The winery offers an interesting list of “extra curriculars” to members and the public, things like yoga and Pilates in the barrel house, french lessons, even networking for professionals (folks with jobs, not wine-drinking pros).

Earlier in the month, I’d received an email inviting us (and anyone else on the mailing list) to pick grapes on the property and then enjoy a meal and wine. Sounded good to both of us. Apparently to plenty of others as well; there was a l-o-n-g waiting list.

Bring a hat and sunscreen! Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.

They weren’t kidding. Hey, it is New Mexico, the high desert. Plus we’re at an altitude of about 5000 feet. The sun’s muy fuerte. While Tom – being Lebanese – is swarthy and tans at the drop of a hat, I am not. In fact, I’m the perfect melanoma storm: pale skin, red hair, lots of freckles. Hence, I do NOT leave the house without plenty of SPF 50 or higher sunscreen on this body.

Not so promptly at 9:10 or so (New Mexican time is often like Caribbean time), they gather us together to give the pep talk. Casa Rodeña was once again, seventh time in a row, voted best winery in the Albuquerque area. Not surprising; it’s the best we’ve found here. Could easily hold its own in Napa or Sonoma. Don’t worry about the bees. They’re just interested in the juice. And we’re screwed without them! Amen, but a lot of those “bees” looked suspiciously like yellow jackets. Amazingly, none of us we’re stung (or bitten). There’s a romance in grape-picking. And it’s good that we’re doing something slow, even old-fashioned in this digital, always go-go-going age. (I’m paraphrasing.) I couldn’t disagree with that assessment. Besides, the whole thing ends in wine. That’s romantic enough for me. It’ll take us a good three to four hours. By 10:30, you’ll be wondering when it will end. Picking grapes is WORK. Yes, yes, it was. With all those capital letters, it most definitely was WORK.

For some reason grapes prefer to grow low on the vine, like way down towards the ground. Okay, it didn’t help that I’d blown my lower back out earlier in the week. Saw the chiropractor who told me to keep moving. That worked fine till I stretched after being on the recumbent bike Friday. Tom: You think it might be too much for you? We were to pick grapes at a winery. Then have free food and wine. My thought: If you’re gonna drown, go for the deepest water you can find.

So, we picked. And we ripped the leaves off the vines to expose the grapes. They couldn’t hide! And we picked some more. Get hungry? Eat some grapes, but keep picking. (Okay, they had water bottles and some snacks.) For a long time, Tom and I worked the same row of vines. Me, being the more anal one (for this activity), I worked long and hard on my vines. No grape was going un-picked. There was a lot of crouching. Eventually, though, it was easier to just sit on the ground. We were all getting dirty.

And then…there were no more grapes to pick! Lunch time! Hot and sweaty, I just wanted some water, which was readily available. I downed that puppy in no time, and we made our way over to where parties and weddings and such are held. A band played jazz. We found the food and wine lines and collected our reward.

Where to sit? Seats and tables were at a bit of a premium, but, you know, at events

Making friends and stomping grapes…with Susan on the right.

like this one, fellow workers become friends. We sat down with another couple. He was mellow, and she was a little bit rowdy…much as myself. Sure, it was a little difficult to talk over the music, but we managed. Turned out Susan’s a technical writer, and Jerry’s an artist. We hope to dee them again sometime soon.

There was wine, talk, music, more wine, and much fun. Susan even managed to get me into the tank to crush grapes à la Lucy (enjoy below). Despite my sore back – I went back to the chiropractor Monday – Tom and I will definitely be back at work picking grapes next year.

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