Tag: Albuquerque Recycled Art Fair

March 22, 2017

Inspiration: Springing back to life

Flowers springing back to life in New Mexico. — “Welcome, spring!” exclaim the purple lilac and rosemary flowers in the common area behind our house.

After a rough weekend (involving the dreaded norovirus), I managed to get out to take a few pics of New Mexico springing back to life, at least around our house. Maybe it’ll give hope to those back east who’ve been smacked by those last nasty vestiges of winter. And truth be told, much like last year, spring has come early to Albuquerque by about three weeks. We’ve been spoiled since we moved here.

Lilacs — I love lilacs – their colors, their perfume – and was so excited to find that we had a bush in our yard here.

I laugh that I can take these photos of spring in March which, to someone from New England, seems too freaking early for flowers of any kind. That we’ve been in New Mexico for almost two years matters not at all. Sure, Deb down in the Carolinas, of A Daily Dose of Fiber, you showing daffodils in practically January I get, but it’s still amazing to me to have lilacs before Mothers’ Day.

Pear tree bloom — The pear trees have been blooming for a week and a half at least! What a shame that I recently read that they’re bad for the environment. Apparently, they cross-pollinate with other ornamental pears and create a super invasive wild species. Poo!

So, you’ve got all these beautiful trees blooming like crazy. You know what blooming trees bring? Pollen! Lots of poisonous powder. And pollen brings…sinus infections. I still maintain that, much as I hate what the pollen does to my sinuses, it’s a hell of an improvement over unending cold and snow.

Flowering tree springin back to life in NM. — Spectacular, yes? As I’m not up on a lot of desert botany yet, one of my ABQ peeps will have to tell me if this is a plum or red bud. (I suspect the latter.)

Hope you enjoyed the floral show. If you were here, you’d smell them whenever you walked out the door. Then rush back in for the saline and Flonase and such.

Allergies forcing me indoors isn’t such a bad thing. I have plenty of hooking to do. Fiesta work is ramping up. The class I’m teaching at the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center starts in less than two weeks. Time to work on that. Then the selling season starts with the Recycled Art Fair the last weekend in April. And in my “spare time” there’s the novel I’ve been hired to edit. So, in most every way, we are springing back to life here at High on Hooking.

Are you springing back to life these days?

Hooked rugs, mug rugs. — Finally, a peek at what’s on the frame these days. Mug rugs! (Sorry for those looking for the dog. Tynan was unavailable at publishing time to have his photo taken with the rugs. He will be back next week.)

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March 8, 2017

Where’s High on Hooking today?

Woman demonstrating rug hooking. — Mary Ramsey, AWAG president, indoctrinating, I mean, sharing rug hooking, specifically her “Chicken Cha,” with visitors to Heritage Farm in Albuquerque’s Botanic Garden.

Where’s High on Hooking? Like Waldo we could be almost anywhere. Though yesterday we were with other members of the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) at Albuquerque’s BioPark for our twice monthly demo gig. After last week’s news, though, we really could be almost anywhere.in the coming months.

Poster advertising Albuquerque's Recycled Art Fair 2017.

Like Lauren at Rugs and Pugs, last week was spent suffering through all kinds of nasty sinus issues and such. And we’re still on the mend! But life looked a hell of a lot better when one day’s email brought news of High on Hooking being juried into Albuquerque’s 8th Annual Recycled Art Fair. That’s the last weekend of April and conveniently located only a couple of miles down the road from my house at the Open Space Visitor Center. Besides vendors, there will be food, live music, and all kinds of good stuff.

Another email finally green-lighted me into this year’s Rail Yard’s Market downtown. Woohoo! I loved doing the market last year: tasty food, music, fabulous people-watching, and the chance to spread the gospel of rug hooking to new believers.

The first two Saturdays in April, we’ll be north of Santa Fe, up in Española at the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center teaching a beginners’ class using up-cycled t-shirts. Should be a fun time.

There are other irons in the fire. AWAG’s got Cheryl Bollenbach motoring down from Colorado to teach another class in early May. Fiber Arts Fiesta comes up a couple of weeks later. Lots of work going on with that! (It being my first Fiesta ever – having moved here only a year and a half ago – I feel like I’m about to be hit by a beautiful and handmade freight train. A freight train nonetheless.) Oh, we’ve got company coming twice! in May before Fiesta starts.

Life’s busy and that’s a really good thing. I mean, who wants to be bored? Not me. I can play “Where’s High on Hooking” all year long.

Keeping busy: This is a problem that you’re glad to have.
–American actor Michael Winslow

Dog on hooked rug. — Tynan presents this week’s “Current Rug.” Actually, there are three on the frame, all mug rugs as we get ready for the 2017 selling season. No, he’s not particularly interested in the mats; Tom was in the kitchen making “food” sounds. That was soooo much more compelling.

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