Category: wool

November 13, 2018

Fall fiber frenzy, Part 2

Fall fiber frenzy continues. The year here at High on Hooking culminates in the Fall Fiber Fiesta, Friday – Sunday, up in Santa Fe. You are coming, yes?

Fall fiber frenzy - post card for Fiber Fiesta — Feed the Fall fiber frenzy by attending Fiesta! **Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center** does a great job with this event.

Postcard info on Fall Fiber Fiesta — Pertinent info regarding Fall Fiber Fiesta this weekend.

A BIG THANK YOU to Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd of ZiaWoolz for opening and sharing her beautiful home during Saturday’s High Desert Studio Tour. Yes, I did buy almost, but not quite more than I sold. But who can resist those hand-dyed yarns and fingerless mittens (yeah, I bought another pair of those), etc., etc. Because Dag’s yarns are too light to hook with, I’ve never been able to purchase any of her yummy colors. (Tom just wouldn’t understand me purchasing yarn to look at. He’s so silly, I know.) BUT, having just finished crocheting a shawl (sized more like a scarf to me) – my first “big” crochet project in years – I rewarded myself with some of her yarn to repeat the project in BRIGHT summery colors. More on that another day.

Fall fiber frenzy things to buy — Goodies by ZiaWoolz. She’s got an **Etsy shop**, peeps.

Really, can you resist these? And I’m not just talking Hersey’s Kisses here.

And lastly, this week’s “What’s on the frame” feature is really about what’s NOT on the frame. These little rugs have to be finished up in the next couple of days to be ready to go Friday morning. So much to do, so much to do…

Fall fiber frenzy - littel rugs to finish — You know, mug rugs give quick validation, but I’ll be glad to get back to bigger rugs after this weekend. BTW, if you can’t make it to Fiesta, we do have an **Etsy shop**. I’ll have time to update it after I cook Thanksgiving dinner. Give a yell if you don’t see what you need. Or want. We can help. Really…

Again, feed the Fall fiber frenzy by visiting High on Hooking up in Santa Fe this weekend. As always, mention the blog and get 10% off any rug. See you there!

November 6, 2018

Fall fiber frenzy

Like I mentioned last week, I’m kind of slammed for the next couple of weeks in my own personal Fall fiber frenzy. This Saturday is the High Desert Studio Tour on the east side of Albuquerque. I’ll be at Stop #3 on the map below (if you click, you’ll get a better one) where Dagmar Beinenz-Byrd runs her ZiaWoolz business. Each year she generously offers me space for the event. This year Catherine Wies, another multi-talented Adobe Wool Arts Guild member, will have her wares there too: all kinds of versions of her “Everywoman Tote Bag.” I may have to buy another one to put Dag’s hand-dyed yarn and project bags in. Yeah, I’ll spend more than I’ll ever make. But the goods are all worth it. Plus we have a lot of fun. Stop by!

Meanwhile, I’m busy hooking away for Saturday and next weekend too up in Santa Fe at the Fall Fiber Fiesta. Then there are the meetings: guild (I told you I’m president now, right?); next year’s Fiber Fiesta here in ABQ; the Fiber Arts Council’s Education Committee; the food pantry I deliver to, and Susan’s Legacy. All this with a cold that won’t quit. I swear that between us, Tom and I can incubate it till next spring…

I hate meetings, but they’re a necessary evil for worthy organizations and causes. And if you have any interest in Fiesta or the Fiber Arts Council, click on those links above. Regarding Susan’s Legacy, if you’d like to help women trying to help themselves out of mental health and addiction disorders, see our website. Disclaimer: I’m a Board member, and such troubles have run in my family.

High Desert Studio Tour - part of Fall fiber frenzy — Info on the annual High Desert Studio Tour this Saturday in Albuquerque. More info on the website, **www.highdesertliving.net**. Remember, three of us will be at Stop #3. Follow the purple balloons!

Dog and hooked rugs - Fall fiber frenzy — Tynan ~~whores for a treat~~ brings you this week’s “What’s on the frame?” As you can see, there are actually four little rugs on there right now. I’m low on mug rugs which make excellent and unique gifts for the holidays. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Check out our **Etsy shop**. There may be one or two there right this minute. If not, give a yell and tell me what you need.

Hope to see you this weekend in Albuquerque or next in Santa Fe. Remember: Mention the blog post and get 10% off any rug. It’s part of spreading the gospel of rug hooking and buying handmade this holiday season!

May 30, 2018

Progress is s-l-o-w

Hand-hooked mug rug set — A new mug rug set: “Meanderings.” And it’s all wool! Not a t-shirt or bedsheet loop in sight. It “debuted” at **Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market** Sunday.

So last week’s post was all about making changes; not necessarily BIG life changes, but the small ones that you hope really take hold. This week is about the progress I’ve made in the last week. Or not made.

The good news:

I did not turn on my laptop two whole days last week.
I managed to make one journal entry. And one is better than zero.
I did NOT freak when I decided not to pass on various blog and Facebook posts.
After such a busy two months, I finally got to clean up some of the dirt and clutter piles that had grown in my house. I have more to go vis à vis “life clutter,” but more on that later.
I’ve realized that looking at Pinterest just before I go to bed results in brain-racing and too many ideas all at once which in turn results in no sleep. Knowledge is power…when I choose to use it.
Today I took a whole day to make a field trip with friends. Cathy, Melinda, and I headed up to Española Valley Fiber Arts Center to drop off some guild donations. After that we investigated a thrift store (where they were selling four – 4 – iced tea spoons for $600!) and had a leisurely lunch in Santa Fe. No one looked at her phone during the meal. (I think.)

The bad news:

I spent more time on my phone and tablet on the days that the laptop was off. At least I can’t play Scrabble on my phone. Thank goodness; the game is a HUGE time-suck.
While I’m glad about being off the laptop and doing other non-electronic activities, certain things haven’t gotten done that need to be done, particularly, updating my Etsy shop. That’s a definite negative especially as I’ve sold a couple of listed items at shows.

Since I can’t seem to come up with another negative, it appears that there’s been progress. We’ll see what happens this week and beyond.

How about you? How do you manage the whole balance thing when it comes to electronics, real life, and what you really want out of that real life?

Dog with hooked rug in progress. — Tynan brings you “What’s on the frame” this week. It’s long and narrow. Hang it horizontally over a door or vertically down a wall.

May 8, 2018

Fiber arts eye-candy from the “Water” show

Admit it – you’ve been waiting to see some eye-candy ever since I mentioned the various shows I’ve had work in.

April and May are busy, busy months for Albuquerque’s fiber arts scene this year. We started with the “Earth, Wind, and Fiber” show put on by the Fiber Arts Council. Then a few of us participated in the “Recycled Arts Festival” and “Cinco de Mayo Folk Arts Fest.” If that’s not enough, the fiber arts show “Water” is running at the Open Space Visitors’ Center lobby on Coors Boulevard. It started April 28 and continues through June 3. Concurrently, “Remembering Water” is being shown in the main gallery. Works by two artists, Linda Rael and K.M. White, populate that show. Meanwhile, preparations are being made throughout the central and northern parts of the state for the second annual New Mexico Fiber Arts Crawl. Cathy Kelly and I will take part in that as demonstrators/vendors that weekend – May 18-20 – at Casa San Ysidro in nearby Corrales. Maybe you can stop by???

For now, though, enjoy the aforementioned eye-candy from the Water shows.

Poster for show with eye-candy. — Where you can find fiber arts eye-candy till June 3. Go now!

Fiber arts eye-candy. — “The Gorge/Water Cycle” by Judith Roderick. Hand-painted silk art quilt. The picture can never do this justice, but note how the bird is also part of the gorge.

Fiber ars eye-candy. — A close-up of Linda Rael’s “Water is Life.” Dyed, painted, stitched, and found objects.

April 3, 2018

Earth, Wind, & Fiber Show is finally here!