It starts next Thursday, April 14, and runs through Saturday. Make sure you stop by the Adobe Wool Arts Guild booth to say hello and check out the hooked art made by our members.
I really have been lying to myself. More than I’d like to. But I bet you do it too. Take that last blog post of mine from a couple of weeks ago. It really must’ve been the chardonnay whispering because that little slow down before breaking down that I went on and on about… Yeah, it didn’t last very long. Oh, the gratitude crap did for a bit, but the oxygen mask? I took that off right quick.
My Stitch Camp piece piece watching me, always watching me. And waiting.
But I tried. I really tried. Last week I was smart enough to sign myself up for Stitch Camp which consisted of five days of self-paced and very short videos by Gwen Hedley. I have to say – and I am not lying to myself here – I started out well. Sunday I pulled out the paints, the fabrics, the various threads/yarns, the needles, all kinds of implements and textile substrates. On Monday I made my marks. Not sure how much I liked them, but then how often do we question our own artwork in the throes of creation? Onward ho! Tuesday, I cut the painted fabric into pieces. Come Wednesday – despite four online events, meetings, appointments – I sewed some of them together. I had momentum, a big stone rolling down a hill. I was making time for myself.
And then Thursday happened. I remember that I went out for a haircut. Where the rest of that day went, I have no idea. No worries, I told myself. There’s Friday and a weekend. Friday I watched the videos for Thursday and Friday. And then…nothing. The piece that I began last week sits draped over a dining room chair eying me with reproach. I tell it we’ll be together in a week or so. I hope that I’m not lying to it. And to myself.
Why am I lying to myself?
Like many of us, it’s because we just get too busy with all the things and people that make up our lives and relationships. I suppose that I’m grateful for that busy life; it’s certainly better than being bored and not having enough to keep me engaged. And I have great friends and family and projects.
Unfortunately, the Stitch Camp piece is destined to wait for another week or two because:
Tomorrow I have an online class about how to better serve on a nonprofit board. That’s two hours I’m happy to give to Susan’s Legacy where I’ve been a board member for three or four years. Women’s mental health will always be important to me, and we all know someone who could’ve used what SL provides.
Saturday I’ll attend an online Guild Development Retreat put on my the Handweavers Guild of America. No, I don’t weave, but it’s all about the betterment of all kinds of textile guilds. “Through panels and discussions, we hope to strengthen guild leadership, unite organizations, and provide a platform for the sharing of ideas. We want participants to end the day feeling motivated in their effort to build and grow their guilds so that all guilds can thrive.” The Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) here in Albuquerque is a fine guild, but we have our issues too. As president of AWAG, I feel this is an imperative. Two other members think the same and will “go” with me.
This is the newest Boucherouite-inspired hooked piece that I’m using to get ready for Sunday’s class. (Hooked with old bed sheets and a little t-shirt.)
Sunday we kick off In the Studio’s Workshop Week 4! My Build a Baby Boucherouite class is the first to roll followed by our panel discussion led by Susan Feller and three of the teachers: “What inspires you to be creative when in the doldrums?” Lord knows we’ve all been in the doldrums! There are a few workshop openings if you’re interested. Me, I’m adding to my workload creativity toolbox and taking Jane’s watercolor class. Because I don’t have enough to do. (As I type I’m also making a chicken soup.)
And because we never have enough to do, I’m trying to finalize AWAG’s plans to have Donna Hrkman here for a second visit in late February. We’re praying that Covid doesn’t waylay those plans a second time. Damn, I need to come up with a project for that too!
So all those nice sentiments I expressed last post? I guess that I prefer to think that I was hopeful rather than lying to myself. There are always going to be crazy days and weeks in our lives. It seems that this January is one of mine.
Tynan and Bowyn, the High on Hooking Dogs, bring you this week’s WHAT’S ON THE FRAME. Sadly, they’re frustrated with how little walking has been done in this new year, but they too look forward to better days.
And I remember now! Thursday went to buying a new mattress to deal with my lower back problem. That took a few hours. To all those who have kindly expressed concern, I’m on the mend…slowly. With steps forward and then again backward but then again forward. The new mattress is a help. We even got one of those frames that lets you raise your head and feet. Very cool. I will never live without that again, I promise you (no lying!).
Life really is good. Tom and I celebrated 29 years married Sunday. Of course, there is always Tynan and Bowyn. And they have made all the difference.
Welcome the whirlwind that is June. So much is going on! But it will be of a limited extent for the most part. In July, we’ll pack up the CR-V and head back east for a couple of weeks. Till then, though…
Unfortunately, Cathy Kelly and I won’t be heading to our first show to vend as expected this coming weekend. When Covid numbers weren’t quite as low as they are now, the Spring & Fiber Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas near Santa Fe was canceled for 2021. Bummer, I know. But we subsequently applied for the Harvest Festival in October (during the big Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque); hopefully, that will pan out. The weather will be cooler then too!
CREATE DIY Thursday, June 11, will find me back on Zoom to lead a Introduction to Rug Hooking – Not so Traditional. This workshop is part of CREATE DIY, an online textile festival from Quiltfest. Would-be students have until June 3 to register! More info can be found by following either of the links above.
Ah, the good. olde days when AWAG could hold our retreats and workshops 3 or 4 times per year. In this pic you’ll find, Liz, myself, Melinda, and Mary R. with our works in progress a few years back.
ADOBE WOOL ARTS GUILD AWAG, New Mexico’s only rug hooking guild, will hold its first meeting since March of last year this month on June 16! One of our members has graciously offered her lovely backyard (complete with shade and breezes). If you’re a hooker or puncher in the Albuquerque area who’s been looking for company, please contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com. As the President of the group, I can get you in. Really. Plus, we’re a fun group.
GHOST RANCH June 27-July 2, I’ll be up at Ghost Ranch north of Santa Fe to teach Hook a Rug, Save the Planet. I especially can’t wait because it appears that cell and Internet coverage are lacking up that way. Bummer…NOT! This promises to be a real get-away! We’ll be hooking and punching during this multi day workshop. And, no worries, there will be plenty of time to explore the ranch. My hiking shoes and camera are ready! There are several art-type classes running in June; find them here. (BTW, if you even think about heading to Ghost Ranch, I have one word: SUNSCREEN.)
Clearly, I’ve got a lot of workshop prepping to do! Meanwhile, for those who follow In the Studio and our Workshop Weeks, very soon we’ll be opening up registration for all workshops running during October’s Workshop Week 3. (Make sure you pen – not pencil – October 24-30 into your calendars!) We have more classes this time around -10! – and four new teachers. And, no, not every class is about rug hooking. Keep an eye out for more information! If you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about, email me. We’ll chat. You’re definitely missing something good.
“Abundance” (aka the “automatic hooked rug“) freshly steamed. Yes, she’s upside down. She’s the latest in my HAPPY RUG series. “Whimsy,” there on the wall, was one of the first happy rugs. 2021 can’t get enough HAPPY
The boys and I would love to show you “What’s on the frame” this first week of June, but it’s a surprise till it’s pretty much finished. Saturday, though, I steamed “Abundance,” and am hoping to get to finishing her off today. Or at least starting to. She’s pretty big, and she’s got three holes! Summertime and the sewing will NOT be easy. My arthritic hands ache just thinking about it. But she’s well worth it.
SUMMERTIME AND COVID’S ON THE WANE. What are you planning this June that you couldn’t do last June? Tell us in the comments. And stay safe!
Thursday makes it a year that “regular” life came to an end here in New Mexico. Not knowing what I know now, I rather welcomed it. No meetings for the foreseeable future! Remember – we never thought the crisis would go on for sooooo long, and Zoom wasn’t a BIG THING yet. I figured I’d have time to work on my own projects and actually get a chance to explore other ideas percolating in the back of my brain, maybe even move them to the front.
Some of that happened. I certainly had ample time to “play” with the Ribbon Rug Journal. In fact, without Covid, I’m not sure how I would’ve been able to log each day’s entry. (Now if I can only get to writing the magazine article on the damn thing!) I managed, too, to finish “Holes,” a rug about the effects of motherhood on women. But then Karen Miller came up with the idea for In the Studio with its presentations and two! online Workshop Weeks (keep watch; the third will be coming), my own class offerings, and, of course, rugs to make (I do have an Etsy shop). The forced time at home was not quite so restful. Such is our new reality.
A one-line, mirror sketching from 2019. Sadly, a self-portrait.
But some things didn’t change. This March, as I did in 2019 and 2020, I will participate in Sketchbook Revivalpresented by artist Karen Abend. It’s a free, online event whereby each day for a couple of weeks a different instructor presents a a different approach to filling up your sketchbook or journal. As much as I used to be good at that, I’m not anymore. Sketchbook Revival gives me a do-over each year and a way to learn new techniques. As Karen says:
Some sketches are colorful. A “creature” rug perhaps?
“Imagine waking up each day brimming with ideas, excitement, and confidence to open up your sketchbook and start creating, no matter what.”
As far as I’m concerned, sketching can be relaxing and enjoyable on its own, but more importantly, better sketching leads to more and better better hooked pieces. Click on the link above to join. While there are social media pages to share your work and to see that of others’, I generally prefer to keep to myself. And you don’t have to attend every session. I pick and choose. One comes out every day, but the videos stay up for a few weeks.
This was perhaps my favorite sketching session from last year. Who knew? Architectural drawing.
Day-hooking. I mentioned it last post. It’s not necessarily what you think. But it is another benefit of being stuck at home. I generally hook in the evening. Like many of you, if I don’t work with my hands after 8:00 p.m. or so, I’ll fall asleep. That’s when I catch up on TV and movies. But sometimes – like right now – I’m hooking a piece that needs: 1) good light, specifically, the light of day and 2) concentration. Like I said before, in another world in other years, my guild, AWAG, held three retreats and had a teacher visit us, usually for an open workshop. Each event gave me three whole days to work on more challenging rugs. And a multitude of folks to ask for advice when it was needed. Or even when it wasn’t. LOL
While I tend to do other tasks during the day, lately I’ve been trying to carve out some time for day hooking to get through this one difficult project. I feel guilty sitting on my ass, but the work happens, and I can even get some of those year-old NOVAs out of my DVR queue. So, day-hooking, yeah, it’s a thing.
Meanwhile, the night-hooking continues. Which is exactly what the boys bring to you today in the pic. I’ve started on the fourth of what I’m calling my #happyrugseries. I realized that after such a negative year, I’d prefer to mostly focus on the brighter aspects of life. For this one, I’m trying to really just go with the flow; there’s little advance planning in it. Other than the holes, which the rug dictated to me as I sewed on his tape.
“What’s on the Frame.” Bowyn takes being a High on Hooking dog very seriously while Tynan is quite blasé about it these days.
Nancy Hart of AWAG created a rug a couple of years ago that I really loved. I miss you, Nancy, but you’re here with me in spirit, and your rug is my inspiration for this project. Tom’s going to kill me as parked in the living room is a large shopping bag AND a laundry basket filled with all kinds of fiber to pick and choose from as I go. (Plus the day-hooking paraphernalia.) But I’m enjoying working on it all!
What’s got you’re attention these days as we head into the final stretch of the Coronacootie’s reign?
Public service announcements, odd from an art blog, I know. But still genuine.
PSA 1: Blepharitis, don’t let it happen to you.
PSA 1
You know when they say that you should throw out old makeup? Eye makeup, in particular? Yeah, it’s true. You go almost a whole year NOT going out, NOT needing to wear the usual make up (because God was cruel to redheads and caused our eyes and eyelashes to recede as we age). Who cared? No one was going to see you. And then you finally get a date early-bird-special evening/afternoon with your husband. You put on some mascara to go with your best yoga pants to have truly excellent gluten-free pizza at Farina Alto (in Albuquerque). You plan on, even try sitting on the patio, but the freaking wind is too strong. It’s 4:00 pm; there’s barely anyone in the restaurant, so you chance it and move inside. The pizza, the wine, they’re all great! And then a day later, your eye starts to twinge, then redden, then swell. Where’s an pyrate’s eye patch when you need it? By early Tuesday morning you’re in the urgent care located conveniently up the street. BLEPHARITIS, they say. WTF? Swelling of the eyelid. Who knew? The people who say to change out your old mascara knew. Stupid blepharitis, stupid coronacootie. Public service announcement 1: Chuck all makeup from 2020 and before; buy new shit even if you rarely wear it (and it looks practically new)!
PSA 2
If you’re working on a particularly difficult rug or painting or short story or other piece of artwork, always have something else requiring less concentration that you can work on in the evening.
PSA2 : Always have a rug that needs less concentration.
I typically work at night while I watch television or Netflix or whatever. Otherwise I’ll fall asleep. (I know you get this.) A couple of weeks ago, I started a piece, a wall hanging, that requires good light and my full attention. That means day-hooking. Not that I’m against day-hooking; actually, I love it. In fact, I really miss the Adobe Wool Arts Guild‘s three annual retreats, one of which usually happens at this time of year. I can hook all day long for three days in a row and get assistance when I need it from all my AWAG peeps. Sadly, our last retreat was in February of last year. Again, stupid Covid. Now I have to deal with this rug on my own. I miss you guys… Public service announcement 2: Work on your more difficult pieces during the day; save the fun, easier stuff for evening.
PSA 3: All rugs need a good forever home, including “Whimsy” (approximately 15″x36″).
PSA 3
Some rugs need a home. Yeah, this is completely self-serving. “Whimsy” is finished and looking for her forever home. And yes, in the pre-pictures on Instagram and Facebook, I did hide that she has a hole built into her. But that’s just part of her charm. Consider giving “Whimsy” a home. Public service announcement 3: All rugs need a home. Don’t let them suffer.
That brings us to the end of the PSAs. Though don’t forget that on March 20, High on Hooking is holding another online workshop: Hooking With and Beyond the Wool. If you’re interested in playing with fibers other than wool (much like those original rug hookers), contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com. It’ll be fun; I promise. Now keep hooking, or otherwise playing, and stay safe! We’re so close to being able to achieve herd immunity. Vaccinate!
Instead of “What’s on the frame,” we have a public service announcements corollary. Never ask Bowyn to be serious in the evening. His concentration, like my own, is shot. Tynan, meanwhile, is properly aghast.
GHOST RANCH
G THING yet. I figured I’d have time to work on my own projects and actually get a chance to explore other ideas percolating in the back of my brain, maybe even move them to the front.
