Category: Tynan

October 6, 2020

October events: Are you going?

OCTOBER EVENTS

Hooked rug — October’s here, the pumpkin time of year! This little guy was hooked using wool strips and yarn and recycled t-shirts. The background is primarily cotton batik.

October started at a run right out of the gate. Not sure how that can be in these days of Covid, but I suppose it shows that we’re all adapting to our new reality. And, hey, it’s not all bad. Because of Zoom, many of us are seeing each other on a pretty regular basis, which would NOT have been the case if we had to travel any distance to get together.

So, exactly what’s up in October?

Photo for one of the October events — IN THE STUDIO WITH JUDI MILLER – wEDNESDAY, 2020; 1-2 PM EASTERN (11-NOON MOUNTAIN

Wednesday, October 7:
IN THE STUDIO WITH JUDI MILLER

Canadian artist Judi Miller joins moderator Karen Miller of Karen D. Miller Studios to discuss artist residencies. Maybe you’ve considered one? There’s still time to purchase a ticket today to get the scoop. Info can be found here. Starts at 1:00 PM Eastern.

Wednesday, October 14: ALT FIBERS HOOK-IN

This is a chance to just sit and hook together – okay, on Zoom – for an evening. If you’ve been wondering about hooking with something other than wool, this is the place to come and discuss. Grab a beverage and a project and join us. More info can be found here. Starts at 5:00 PM Eastern. And, yes, wool’s invited as well.

Wednesday, October 21: ADOBE WOOL ARTS GUILD MEETING

If you’re a fiber artist in New Mexico and interested in joining AWAG, the only rug hooking guild in the state, please give a yell to attend. We’re not officially meeting in person yet, but Zoom has let folks meet and talk to one another. Please contact moi at Laura@highonhooking.com for more info. (That’s because I’m the guild president.) Starts at 1:00 PM Mountain time.

Monday-Friday, October 26-30: IN THE STUDIO’S FIRST WORKSHOP WEEK

Who says we can’t have classes during Covid? Not only can we, but people from all over Canada and the US and even beyond can participate!

Teachers include: Karen Miller, Susan Feller, Meryl Cook, Beth Miller, and moi. Workshops by Susan and myself are full, but, if you hurry, you might grab a place in the others. (There are waiting lists.) BTW, not only are there classes, but bonus evening sessions include a hook-in and a panel discussion. More info here.

With all these October events, I don’t want to hear that you’re bored or you have nothing to do. You are cordially invited to pretty much…everything! Until we get a Coronacootie vaccine in place and working, this is how we’ll be getting together. But I suspect we’ll keep Zooming at least part of the time because, you know, it works! Hope to see you online!

Dogs present "What's on the frame" this today. — Aren’t they playing nice? Tynan and Bowyn both bring you “What’s on the frame” today. It’s a Boucherouite-inspired rug hooked with t-shirts. I started it on vacation last week. Right now it’s got kind of an October vibe going with those Halloweenish colors.

September 24, 2020

New season, new rugs, new scenery!

It’s a new season. Finally! Fall officially started Tuesday when the autumnal equinox happened. For those of us who can’t wait to give 2020 the boot, it couldn’t have come sooner.

Tynan in Bosque/woods in the new season. — A fall picture of Tynan running in the **Bosque** in a fall past. Sadly, he’s a little slower these days, but he enjoys his sniffing time there.

Fall is like the New Year to me; it’s a time of new beginnings. Sadly this year, that also necessitates endings. Right now I’m thinking about Friday’s death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I like to think that she’ll have even more influence up there in heaven than what she had here on earth which is and was FREAKING AWESOME. Women, teach your daughters well. I was reading an article today about how much more house- and child-work women have to do at home during this time of the Coronacootie. It’s often been at the expense of their jobs and careers. If, like me, you’re not out in the world-at-large working, perhaps you can offer a helping hand to a working mom you know. She shouldn’t have to lose her career footing just because she can multitask better than a man, just because kids ~~are~~ have to be on her mind more than her partner’s.

Angel Ruth, pray for us!

So, new season, new scenery. Tom and I are finally getting out of Dodge! Our 2020 vacation plans have dwindled throughout the spring and summer from a driving trip to Oregon (we were calling it the pinot noir tour, alas) to a wedding in Rhode Island (no to planes and too many motels on the road) to northern Colorado (couldn’t find a place to rent) to farther south in New Mexico (too expensive to rent a house and the town was filled with Texans escaping germs and heat) to…thankfully…kind of in the middle of nowhere northern New Mexico. (But there is internet access, speed unknown.)

So, we’ll be off soon to visit mountains other than our own Sandias here in Albuquerque. Somewhere cooler! The plan is to veg: read, hike a little, walk, hook, read, write, read.

Did I mention reading? I have a novel written by a good friend (see below)* queued up, a backlog of New Yorkers, and String Felt Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art (by Elissa Auther) as recommended reading by Susan Feller of ArtWools.

Book and magazines — Some of my reading materials for vacation. Kerry’s novel *Heat Stroke* is on my tablet.

I’m in the midst of sewing rug tape onto a new rug that will entertain me up there. It’s Boucherouite-esque. All recycled t-shirt. Colorful – much like the new season – but not taxing to hook. Like you want on vacation.

Below Tynan brings you part of the rug currently on the frame, though the hooking will be done tonight. You can only see a portion of it now because it’s a commission due next month. It’s hooked almost completely in wool strips and yarn. I know, I know, that doesn’t happen too often in this house. And that will continue as I found out that my wool dust allergy is worse, now extending to some loose, bulky yarns. Bummer, but I won’t give them up completely. Love them too much.

A reminder! My Alt Fibers Hook-In is taking place Wednesday, October 14, at 7:00 PM Eastern. For those in the Mountain time zone like me, that’s 5:00, cocktail time. Perfect! You can learn more about the event in the link above, but it’s a time for:

sharing experiences hooking with materials other than wool;
experimenting;
Tynan presents “Whats on the frame” today.
drinking cocktails;
chatting as if we were in a room together (the cocktails will help with that);
and whatever other topics and questions we come up with.

Please know that this is a hook-in, NOT a class. And wool, you’re welcome to come. I know that you play nice with other fibers in my rugs. Email me at Laura@highonhooking.com if you’re interested. (Know that may take awhile for me to get back to you.)

I pray to God that you manage(d) to get away from your everyday view for at least a little while. It’s good to get out. I’m hoping to avoid the news as much as possible and forget…what I’ll have to come home to. At least my mind and my soul will be rested.

Angel Ruth, pray for us in this new season!

*Heat Stroke is by Kerry Radloff

September 8, 2020

Come to the Alt Fibers Hook-In October 14!

Been hoping to attend a hook-in?

Between my workshop last month and social media chatter, it appears that many are interested in hooking fibers other than (or at least as well as) wool. Again, there’s nothing wrong with wool; in fact, the current rug on my frame is hooked with wool strips and yarn. I will say that the latter allows for easier breathing given my wool dust allergy.

All this being so and seeing how everyone is missing HOOKING TOGETHER, I’m offering an Alt Fibers Hook-In on Wednesday, October 14, at 7:00 PM Eastern, which makes it 5:00 Mountain time, my time. Evening should be a little more relaxing, though, unfortunately, the event must be BYOB.

What you’ll need to bring to the Alt Fibers Hook-In:

A hook;
A hooking project;
Your “fun” fibers – and wool can come too;
Your beverage and snacks of choice; and
Enthusiasm, questions, tales (tall or not).

This is not a class, but a time for give and take with one another. A time to share what might have worked for you. A time to ask if anyone has experience with ______. A time to have some fun.

DETAILS

Hook-In will run WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 7:00-9:00 PM Eastern.

Tynan invites you to the Alt Hook-In. He also presents this week’s “What’s on the Frame?” It’s a commission being done in wool strips and wool yarn. He apologizes for his summer absence from the blog. (As he calls me dirty names.)

Hook-in will be held online through Zoom. Upon registration and payment, the Zoom link and password will be sent via email.

There is a COST of $10 to help defray my Zoom account costs.

Hook-In will be limited to 20 people.

For more information or to register, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com.

Both Tynan and I hope that you can come. (But don’t tell Bowyn!)

August 5, 2020

Sunflowers – hopefully they’re a neutral subject

SUNFLOWERS

Hooked Sunflower Rug used as a bench cover — “Melinda’s Rug” shown as a bench cover. It was hooked using recycled t-shirts.

I decided to talk sunflowers , mostly because I’m pretty sick of all the negativity surrounding us today. And yet…I bet there are folks out there that can find something disapproving about one of my favorite flowers. Too bad! Because, as I will remind you all, I AM THE BOSS OF MY RUGS. AND MY BLOG.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can go on. Sunflowers are starting to bloom here in New Mexico. The garden varieties and the ones that I find on my walks in the Bosque, the woods running along the currently almost non-existent Rio Grande River here in Albuquerque. Sorry! I’ll try to get back to being positive.

New Mexican Sunflower — This is the first sunflower that greeted the kid and me as we crossed over the Texas border into New Mexico five years ago last week.

I recently finished “Melinda’s Rug,” and many of you have seen it on my social media accounts. It’s pretty in pastels. Just the colors that Melinda loves, particularly the turquoises. (An aside: It’s a housewarming present for the house she and Gary build over two years ago. I’m a tad tardy.)

But it’s not the first “sunflower” rug that I’ve hooked. In fact, I like to make at least one per year. And I always do one, a mug rug, for the silent auction at Mountainair’s Sunflowers Festival. Which will not be taking place this August. Thank you, Coronacootie. 🙁

I decided to take a look back and see the progression of this series of mine.

BTW: I’m not a botanist. So don’t hold me to a strict definition of sunflowers.

Round sunflower hooked rug — I’m pretty sure this is the first sunflower rug I hooked. It says 2013, but I think it’s older, that that’s when I took a photo to get ready to sell it. Some lady told me that I should’ve put elastic around the edge so it could be used as a toilet top cover. That was after she told me how she used to hook. In the 70s. I really wanted to tell her a few things…

Sunflower hooked rug — After blue I decided to try red for a background. Sure, they were simplistic. but they sold! Again, recycled t-shirts.

Sunflower hooked ruggggg — It’s another mostly wool sunflower rug. With a little silk sari yarn hooked in too. Silk sari yarn is perhaps my most favorite thing to hook. I seem to recall that there was a little velvet involved in this one too.

Dog on sunflower hooked rug — I went back to recycled t-shirts for this table runner/bench cover. Tynan liked it. I really loved the green background! So did customers. 🙂

Sunflower hooked rugs — I liked the green t-shirts so much that I went for it again the next year.

So, I hoped you enjoyed the “Sunflower Tour” as much as me. But maybe you’re a tulip person. Or you prefer zinnias. I’ve done those flowers too, but not like the sunflowers. They’re special. To me, at least. But if you’ve got examples of other flowers, please share them on our Facebook page. We love seeing beautiful things, no matter what they may be.

Till next week, please stay healthy. And positive. I know it’s hard these days. It can be depressing. But the country and world have gone through worse. Most of all, remember to be kind to the other folks out there. We’re all in it together.

BTW: If you have any interest in High on Hooking’s inaugural Zoom workshop Hooking With and beyond the Wool on August 19, it’s almost full. See details here.

April 27, 2020

Time to buy the patterns!

"Big Boucherouite' rug hooking pattern, one of our patterns — This is “Big Boucherouite” all drawn out on linen for Leslie. I can’t wait to see how she makes him come to life.

As I mentioned last week, High on Hooking has started something new: We’re offering patterns to all the rug hookers out there. Truthfully, though, we sold our first pattern last year. It was requested, not on rug backing, but on paper. Someone loved our “WOOF” rug but wanted a couple of personal changes made to it. Happy to do it.

Currently, the pattern for “Big Boucherouite” – in linen or in monk’s cloth – is listed up on the Etsy shop. I recently sent one off to Leslie. If you’re interested, I will draw it upon order to your specifications. It’s too big for paper, though. Feel free to contact me through Etsy or via Laura@highonhooking.com. In fact, most any of my rugs can be made into patterns.

This week we’re finishing up a punched pillow and hemming the recycled bed sheet rug. My hands and wrists are unexcited by both of those activities. And then there’s paperwork covering the dining room table (except where the dust is). On the plus side, we’ve started a new rug. Nothing makes me happier than that. And I see a hike in our near future. Early in the day, though, as summer’s suddenly broken here in the New Mexican high desert. Going into the 90s this week. Time to get Bowyn his pool!

Dog on hooked rug — Clearly, Bowyn’s got a ways to go before he can take over for Tynan’s “What’s on the frame.” What is this pattern? But Tynan was distracted and ran off when Tom made noises in the kitchen. What’s a dog to do?

WHAT WILL YOU DO THIS WEEK TO MAKE LIFE A LITTLE LIGHTER?