Category: yarn

August 10, 2021

Project Porn – the work of summer, 2021

Summer’s been flying by, and I was gone for part of July. But the work of summer, first mentioned back in June – that’s been ongoing. Enjoy the project porn.

Project Porn, hooked rug — ABUNDANCE, the latest of the #happyrugseries rugs. Mixed fibers, many recycled. (15″x48″)

#happyrugseries
I started the #happyrugseries back at the end of last year so that I could concentrate on something other than all the overwhelmingly DOWNER news that we were (and continue to be) subject to. These pieces have to have a certain joy to them, most of which can be seen in their riot of colors. In June I finished a large-ish happy rug ABUNDANCE. She was hooked using a variety of fibers, mostly what I had on hand, in an “automatic” or stream of consciousness style. And, yes, she has holes!

New Mexico Cushion
In late June, Ruth and I finished New Mexico’s contribution to the USA50 project. You can find more about that HERE. It was a relief to get it into the mail and up to Canada. I could finally work on my own projects and start adding to the Etsy shop.

Project porn. New Mexico USA%) cushion. Design by Patricia lowden. — New Mexico’s contribution to the USA50 project. Design by Patricia Lowden. Hooed by Laura Salamy. All put together by Ruth Simpson. Thank you, ladies!

Retreat Week
You might remember that I claimed the last week in June for my personal retreat week after a class I was to teach at had to be postponed. I had a lot on tap for that week.

Write an article on 2020’s Ribbon Rug Journal. Check! It’s written, but I need to take some photographs and submit it. At least the words are done!

Project porn; hand-dyed yarn — Yarn destined for punching.

DYEING! I know, you don’t hear much about dyeing from me, especially given that I hook with so many old bed sheets and t-shirts which come in all sorts of vivid colors. Nonetheless, I’ve been planning to dye some wool yarn for quite a while. I’ll use the bulk of it to punch with or sell/share with punch needle rug hooking students when I can host an in-person class. Had a great time doing it and will definitely do some more.

Project Porn; kawandi quilt — My first Kawandi project. Quilt scraps and recycled linens.

Kawandi Quilting – It’s a form of kantha-like quilting. While I have plenty of friends who are quilters, I am not. At all. Mostly, I don’t like how much room it takes and that you need a machine. But I’ve always loved kantha quilts and stitching by hand is more to my liking. After doing some research online about what I might actually be able to make, I was happy to find these Indian quilts which are pieced together using scraps of fabrics. Another form of recycling – yay! I had plenty of quilt scraps from Ruth; plus there are all kinds of old sheets in my “stable” that I can hook with. But I wasn’t done: I have a lot of old cloth napkins that have seen better days. Cut everything up and…I had a quilt. Sure I made some errors, but I was pretty happy with it in the end.

Project porn; ecohooking — VOYAGE PLASTIQUE was hooked using plastic bags that might have otherwise made their way to the ocean.

#ECOHOOKING – Given all the wildfires, the melting tundras, violent storms, and ocean pollution, I decided to do my own little part and hook a piece with plastic bags that otherwise might have ended up caught in a tree. Having already hooked a larger such piece, I’d kept the most colorful bags I didn’t used. Despite the heavy environmental theme, I was hoping she might make some folks smile given her sunny disposition. It worked! Tom mailed VOYAGE PLASTIQUE off to her forever home in New Hampshire just this morning.

July travels
Last month Tom, Bowyn, and I saddled up the CR-V for a 2200-mile trip or so back East to see friends and family. (There were another 2200 miles to drive back, of course.) Tynan got a staycation with Ruth. Sitting in a car for several days does call for some handwork, and I was prepared.

Personal best crocheting project – I prefer not to hook in the car, but I will crochet. Before we left, I decided on a project that was NOT a shawl, my usual travel go-to. Nope, I searched and searched online for something.
Finished! “Easy crochet top down” by Modessa.

Some tops looked interesting, but I couldn’t deal with having to crochet up two identical halves. (Mostly because I doubt my ability to do that, especially on a distracting trip). I finally came upon the cool EASY (emphasis on easy) CROCHET TOP DOWN. Reading it, the syntax and directions are off a bit as the chick who created the pattern isn’t a native English speaker. If you choose to crochet the pattern, I’d advise that you watch the video. I did. Many times. Oh, and there’s not a lot of counting in this piece. A big bonus. BEST: I finished the top last week, and it even fits me. I’ll block it this week then post me wearing it on Instagram.
New rug – While I don’t hook in the car, if I’ve driven to my destination, I will hook when I get there. Usually more than I did on this particular journey. But before I left, I drew up a new pattern, sewed on my tape, and gathered up and stripped some old t-shirts. I find that hooking with t-shirts works best when I’m on the go. That wool allergy isn’t going anywhere, and bed sheets shed thread like the dickens.
Bowyn sharing the floor with the “travel” rug. He’s happy to be out of the car.

What’s on my plate at the moment
Since I like to crochet all patterns twice so that I know I’m proficient, that I didn’t just get lucky, I’m planning to do up the top in another color. It helped that JoAnn’s has a summer yarn clearance going on. (I spent a lovely hour there yesterday picking up some bamboo and hemp yarns. I hope to do a bag with the latter. All those colorful yarns; I couldn’t help myself.)

And because I have two sales coming up very soon, I decided to put the travel rug away and do a few small wall hangings. Sunflowers! I love sunflowers and try to hook at least one each year. Plus, one of the sales is the Sunflower Festival down in Mountainair, a mountain town south of Albuquerque.

Project porn - summer 2012. — Bowyn takes this chance to have a treat and bring you the sunflowers in this week’s WHAT’S ON THE FRAME.

All in all I’ve been pretty productive this summer. And there are still a few weeks left! Perhaps it’s a byproduct of the pandemic; I realize that I’ve become a little less social. I like having more time to myself to create, to concentrate on projects that I deem worthwhile, whether they’re for my shop or my own growth. The challenge will be how to keep at least some of that time for myself once the Delta variant disappears and we can move back out into the world for real.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the project porn. How has Covid affected your art practice?

July 6, 2021

New Mexico’s contribution to the USA50 project

So, maybe a year and a half or two ago, I offered to hook New Mexico’s contribution to the USA50 project. I finally started to hook it in April. As many worthwhile endeavors do, it took longer than expected.

USA50 Poster — USA50 poster courtesy of https://remileves.myportfolio.com/usa50.

For those not familiar with the USA50 project, it originated with another big, creative venture, the hooked cushion collection at the Barachois Historic Church in New Brunswick, Canada. The church, “the old whitewashed building on New Brunswick Road 133, will be 200 years old in 2026. This small church is among the oldest Acadian buildings still standing on its original site.” In order to celebrate the anniversary…“the committee thought then that a collection of 50 hooked cushions [on the church benches] would probably be feasible and would certainly arouse the interest of the population.” (Quotes from https://remileves.myportfolio.com/bonjourwelcome.)

The Barachois Historic Church is an ancient wooden building, which first opened its doors in 1826, and is still standing after nearly 200 years. The building was disaffected in the late 1970s, and reprieved from demolition in 1980. It has since been transformed into a local Museum, art gallery and summer classical concert venue. For over 40 years a wide variety of cultural events have been presented there. In order to be more comfortable on the old wooden pews, many event goers took too bringing a cushion to cultural presentations, and leaving it on the bench. Over time, this developed into a sort of tradition. This has inspired the Historic Church Preservation Committee. The “200 hooked cushions for my 200th” public art collection became the first permanent collection of the visual arts in the historic church. We cordially invite you to be part of the “USA50” collection to seal indefinitely our countries friendship and give the two collections the international destination status it deserves.
(From the USA50 Facebook page.)

Poster for initial cushio project — Poster for the Barachois Church’s 200th Anniversary and hooked cushions exhibit opening.

This [initial 200 cushions] collection, like others across America, proudly celebrates the volunteer work of artists in hooking. The project lives up to their community spirit and helping others, their creativity, their energy to work towards a common goal to meet the challenge. These artists, mostly women, gave in order to realize our dream. What is even more fascinating is that for many, our dream has become theirs too. Everyone had a reason to embark. That’s what created magic. Many artists pay tribute to their ancestors, a family member, Acadian friends, a colleague hooker, history, the art of hooking or just the cause.

(Quote from https://remileves.myportfolio.com/bonjourwelcome.)

The official opening of the cushion exhibit was on August 18, 2019. Over 1000 people came to view the cushions that day. American hookers were in attendance. They suggested the USA50 project, one cushion from each state.

One cushion per state representing memorabilia, landscape, bird, flower, or other representation particular to that state. Already rug hookers from all over the United-States have shown interest…
(From the USA50 Facebook page.)

Hence my participation in the project. But, while a Hatch chile pepper or a hot air balloon would’ve been good representations for New Mexico, I preferred something more authentic. Something, perhaps, Native American as they were here long before the Spanish showed up in the 1500s.

A few years ago, during a visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center here in Albuquerque, I purchased a travel mug with artwork by potter Patricia Lowden, a member of the Acoma Pueblo about 40 miles west of the city. I use the mug all the time and thought that a design like hers might best represent New Mexico. Long story short, I was able to contact Patricia through the Cultural Center. After explaining the project and how I would NOT monetarily benefit from the cushion, she generously offered not to let me use the mug design but to send me a similar design! That made my life a LOT easier.

"Rainbird" travel mug; design by Patricia lowden. — “Rainbird” travel mug; design by Patricia Lowden. They’re ceramic now. You can find it **HERE**.

I hooked it using different wool yarns. Ruth Simpson, friend and fellow member of the Adobe Wool Arts Guild, graciously put the whole thing together.

A little about Patricia:

I am full Acoma. My great grandmother is Lupe Chavez who lived to be 105 yo. She was a potter, piki maker. Both my grandmother’s on my mom and dad’s side were potters as well. …My mother was Anita Lowden. She was a famous potter in the Indian market and won a lot of blue ribbons for her work. She made pots, animals and pitchers. She and grandmother Jesse have pottery in the Smithsonian. My oldest sister and I do the pottery making now. We learned from our grandma Andrea as we grew up closer to this side of the family. I am a 4th generation potter. I use the coil method to build my pottery. I grind my clay after soaking it. There are several steps to making and painting the pottery. I use a yucca brush to outline n paint my pieces. I make water jars, seed pots, canteens, vases, and wedding vases. I make various sizes. When people order they usually tell me how much they want to spend or I make a variety if they want more than one piece. I use traditional paints. I have been painting and making since I was 15 yo when my grandmother asked if I would outline for her, but I played with the clay when I was younger like 8 when my grandmother asked if I would like to make something to sell as she was getting ready for a feast to sell her pottery. I helped my grandmother as she was getting older and couldn’t see very well but she could still make pottery. My grandmother always encouraged me to try new designs… I love what I do and now I have a 14 year old daughter, Destiny, who I am teaching. She has made a few pieces and has sold them on her own. I am very proud of her because she will carry on my designs and the old style of making pottery.

New Mexico USA%) cushion. Design by Patricia lowden. — “Rainbird,” New Mexico’s contribution to the USA50 project. All wool yarn on monk’s cloth. Design by Patricia Lowden. Hooked by Laura Salamy. All put together by Ruth Simpson. Thank you ladies!

Patricia has seen the cushion and told me that she and her family really love how it turned out. I’m hoping to hook up a smaller version for her to hang in her home.

Make sure you go onto Remi’s site and the Facebook page to see pics of the various cushions created for both projects. There are still a few states that are unaccounted for. As of May, they included: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah. Do you live in or are you from one of these? Perhaps you can help finish up the USA50 Collection. Contact Remi Levesque through his website or the Facebook page.

Note: Please respect Patricia’s traditional design. Do not copy.

September 8, 2020

Come to the Alt Fibers Hook-In October 14!

Been hoping to attend a hook-in?

Hooked rug — Up close and personal with “Autumn’s Coming.” The pumpkin is hooked using wool strips and yarn and recycled t-shirts. The background is primarily cotton batik. See it in the **Etsy shop**.

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!)

April 22, 2020

Share those hearts! And other news.

Heart hooked rug for hearts for heroes — Show me your hearts; here’s mine. I attached it to my spring door decoration. It was hooked with wool, silk, and silk sari yarns. #heartsforheroes

We’re still looking for those hearts. Tag them #heartsforheroes. If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, click here now. Relatedly, Maggie Bathory at the Aspen Rug Company has a contest HEARTS FOR HOOKERS going on over at her place. Combine our two projects; do good and maybe win some wool!

In other news, I’m still not working particularly efficiently as I’d hoped to back when this all started. If you wish, you can read about that here. The situation wasn’t helped when my kid had health issues that ultimately pushed her into the hospital up in Colorado where she lives…3½ hours away. That was nerve-wracking as Tom and I couldn’t just run up to be with her. Nope, in the end she had to do it all by her lonesome. There have been some hiccups, but her health is safe and she’s back at work…on the frontlines…at a grocery store. (Another plug for #heartsforheroes.)

But I have gotten some things done. Two rugs left the Etsy shop for their forever homes. Yea! Virtual shopping can be as good if not better than going to the store. I know, three pairs of shoes have made it to my house from DSW via the post office. Then there are those two Kohl’s deliveries. Pro Chem and Maritime Family Fiber…

Hooked wall hanging — “Sacred Life” now lives in Louisiana with Susan. She and Carolyn are hoping to make a trip to New Mexico late in the year. Pray they get a chance. Till then, this will have to do.

Intrigue: There’s been an ongoing rug “sale” story; really it’s all about a would-be scammer who wanted to take me for about $1000. And get a rug in the deal! That deserves it’s own post. Watch for it in the future.

Then I sold a pattern of “Big Boucherouite” after someone saw him in Rug Hooking Magazine. Damn, I think that little nugget of information was lost in the coronacootie hubbub. Yep, take a gander in the current – March/April/May – issue. My article starts on page 40. I’m so tickled! Anywho, later this week, I’ll be making that pattern available in linen and monk’s cloth in the Etsy shop. Or just contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com if you’re interested in one. Or in any other rug that I’ve hooked, for that matter. Most can be easily drawn.

Rug Hooking Magazine article — You know, I’ve had short stories printed and even rugs in the ATHA Magazine, but what a gas to have my own article and artwork in Rug Hooking Magazine!

Drawing a hooked rug pattern — This was part of the process when I drew the “Big Boucherouite” pattern for Leslie. Thank goodness for a large area on tile, and even more, doors to keep the dogs at bay.

Ribbon rug journal easter entry — Ribbon Rug Journal entry, April 12: “Easter, 2020” or “Easter, Corona Style.” Hopefully, the Easter Bunny didn’t catch the coronacootie when he delivered the eggs and candy.

Like I said in an earlier post, the Ribbon Rug Journal takes up more of my hooking time than I anticipated. I guess that’s not such a problem this year though. Sadly, so many vending and other in-person events are cancelled that I have time to spend on a big project like this one. Just the other day I finished the first roll of burlap ribbon. The new roll is a tad more difficult to work with as its weave is much looser. Danger, Will Robinson! It’s also wider which is a mixed blessing. There’s more space to hook, but showing any kind of detail is a no-go.

Other than that, there’s lots of cooking and eating and drinking going on in the Salamy house. We’re still really well stocked up. The boys keep us walking most days, thank goodness. It’s safer that way, otherwise the Wild Child (aka Bowyn) gets himself into much too much mischief. He took out a skein of rug yarn within five minutes of it being in the house. Snaked his little paw right through the doggie gate to snag it! I have managed to give them both haircuts, not that I’ll be accomplished enough to hang out a groomer’s shingle when this whole pandemic crisis is over. But I can now wield a pair of clippers and cut toenails. I call that a victory.

dogs on hooked rug — A FIRST! Tynan allowed Bowyn to share his “What’s on the frame” duty this week. (It all fell apart after I snapped the pic.) I’ll hook the last bit of this cheery, recycled bed sheet rug tonight. Then it joins a finishing queue along with a punched pillow.

I’m still interested in what you’re hooking up or even cooking up this Covid-19 “vacation.” Tell us about it below. Better yet, show us on the High on Hooking Facebook page. And get those hearts up on your front windows and doors. Share your love and gratitude with the heroes showing up at your house with yarn and shoes and food and…

March 11, 2020

About the Ribbon Rug Journal

For all those who’ve been watching my Instagram account and wondering, I’m finally getting around to talking Ribbon Rug Journal. What’s the old adage? That you can make anything a habit if you do it for 21 days? I’ve managed to keep up with it for over two months – that’s 70 days! – so chances are good that I’ll make it farther. And by creating a whole blog post about the damn thing, I’ve got further accountability (read that as digging myself further into a hole). I think. Maybe.

For those of you who are wondering what the hell I’m talking about, a picture is worth a thousand words. And the first pic shown above is the entire Ribbon Rug Journal thus far. See, I’ve had a few rolls of burlap ribbon hanging around the house for a years. I wanted to do something “hooking” with them, maybe make a Christmas banner or something despite the fact that I’m loathe to hook Christmas anything.

Ribbon Rug Journal entry — **Ribbon Rug Journal January 16: “BB-8, the Droid.” That was the day we went to see the new Star Wars movie. Wool yarn.**

One day in December I was showering (that’s important; the shower is where I do all my best thinking) and could see through the glass shower door into the closet where I keep a bunch of my fiber stuff. Including sed burlap ribbon rolls up on a high shelf. Suddenly it comes to me: hook a little something every day into the burlap ribbon, you know, kind of Jack Kerouac-esque. But I wouldn’t write or type my “journal,” I’d hook it.

Ribbon Rug Journal, January 1: "Fireworks!" — **Ribbon Rug Journal, January 1: “Fireworks!” Mixed fibers, including blingy, wired ribbon.**

You come up with a GREAT idea and you run with it. You don’t really think about:

What every day of a whole year means (when even posting to a blog once a week has become too demanding);
What if you have to travel?;
Your days are often already much too filled with other stuff;
Burlap ribbon might not be the best backing to hook on;
You might actually get sick of the project;
You’ve already got how many other projects going?;
And so on; you get the drift.

And yet, “she” persisted. I’m not actually sick of the project, so that’s good. Very good, in fact. Some folks suggested I limit it to a month rather than a year, or maybe hook monthly entries, but I decided to stick with the original idea. I don’t know why. I don’t even know why I felt a need to add an extra project to my life!

I am abiding by a few rules:

Each space measures approximately 2.5″x3″.
Other than perhaps purchasing more burlap ribbon, I have to use whatever I have on hand to hook each day. It is permissible to steal materials from anyone who might be with me when I’m hooking the ribbon rug journal.
Ideally, each entry should have something to do with my day. But if I’m desperate, you might see a “quilt square” of worms. You try coming up with something every single freaking day.
I am allowed to incorporate other fiber techniques if I choose (and feel up to it).
I must keep scrupulous documentation of each day’s entry (beyond what I put on Instagram. I keep a notebook.

Inspiration photo for Ribbon Rug Journal — **This is an inspiration photo for a journal entry.**

There are evenings that I suddenly remember I have to hook the day’s entry (the horror!), but so far so good. However, I have learned a few things.

It can take a LOT longer to hook each day’s journal entry than I anticipated. (I am soooo behind on many other “real” projects.) First I have to come up with something that interests me and that can physically be hooked into the damn ribbon. Each space is about 2″x3″ so details must be limited. I generally draw it in with the Sharpie.
My ideas don’t always pan out once they’re hooked. Like that quail the other night. He didn’t even get an eye! Maybe if I used the trick whereby you look at your work from a distance… But no, without my title and explanation, you’d have had no idea it was even a bird.
Nonetheless, I’ve taken to looking at my entries as sketches. And sketches aren’t made to be erased. They’re for learning. So, I’ve rarely pulled an entry out. (Who wants to start over after an hour when an actual rug is waiting to be hooked???)
Drinking and hooking in tiny spaces can be…unfortunate. Back in January Tom and I had a great bottle of wine on our anniversary. There was shrimp cocktail. There might have even been wine before the wine. But after the festivities…there was the Ribbon Rug Journal.
Every night there is the Ribbon Rug Journal. If I blow it off one evening, it will just multiply to two Ribbon Rug Journal entries. That would be more unfortunate than sub-par inebriated hooking. It’s better to suck it up and complete the exercise daily. No being lazy.
Burlap does indeed suck to work with. I’ve even got a regular hashtag #burlapsuckstoworkwith. In the case of the ribbon, it’s the threads perpendicular and attached to the edges that break. Then you get holes. I’ve had to wrap yarn and strips and whatever I’m hooking with around the edge just to keep the whole day from falling out.
Yarn works best! Yarn thinner than rug yarn, though I can get the latter and a #6 strip through the backing if I stay away
Ribbon Rug Journal March 7: “Springs here!” This entry was based on the photo I took earlier in the day when I was out and about on errands.

from the ribbon’s edge. Which I don’t always do because of the day’s design. Also, being fond of alternative fibers in my regular hooking, I continue to use them here: ribbon, teabag paper, kitchen string, plastic bags, etc. I look forward to whatever else I might try.
People are really getting into the Ribbon Rug Journal. I’ve even had requests. @Vickisuestone of Instagram asked for a ladybug last week. I could do that, and I did. Melinda and I were carpooling and stuck in traffic last month. She suggested the night’s entry be a car in traffic. I hooked my little red car. No room for the traffic. But I’m so happy people are responding favorably to what has the potential to become my personal hell.

Ribbon Rug Journal March 27 — Ribbon Rug Journal February 27: “Don’t Panic.” Yep, its the dreaded coronavirus of the day but rendered cute and cuddly in wool strips. (By the way, that’s a felted Ash Wednesday right before the virus. Just a little irony?)

So, that’s the deal with the Ribbon Rug Journal. If you haven’t seen it, you can find each installment on my Instagram account, as I mentioned, and on my Facebook pages, my own and High on Hooking’s. If you have any ideas for me, I’m happy to hear them. It would help if you sent wine too. (Alcohol kills germs, right?)