Tag: contemporary rug hooking

April 7, 2021

Teaching at CREATE DIY in June

CREATE DIY High on Hooking will be teaching at CREATE DIY in June.

I really do miss – and prefer – teaching in person, but one of the Coronacootie’s most pernicious side effects is how it’s kept us all from one another. From family members, from friends, from students and teachers, you get the idea. But humans do adapt, and makers still gotta make, so Zoom entered all our lives. Truthfully, I think that we all understand that that hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. Many more folks were able to “get together” through Zoom talks and workshops than would’ve been possible pre-Corona. And Zoom will continue well into our futures even when we’re all vaccinated up and, hopefully, have achieved herd immunity and get back to meeting each other in real life. But till then…

If you or someone you know would like to learn how to rug hook, in June I’ll be teaching a class through the online textile arts festival CREATE DIY. In fact, there will be several workshops and a couple of lectures going on during the event. General info can be found HERE. Topics include:

Quiltfest presents … Create DIY, a comprehensive journey into the magical world of the textile arts. Indulge yourself with Create DIY! This online festival includes educational workshops, studio tours, live presentations, and more.

Quilting ■ Needle Felting ■ Stampwork ■ Crochet ■ Wearable Art Japanese Boro Stitching ■ Jewelry ■ Paper Weaving ■ Dollmaking ■ Dyeing ■
Thread Painting ■ Dorset Buttons ■ Embroidery ■ Rug Hooking■ Macrame ■ Knitting ■
Modern Weaving ■ and more!

Join us online:
Thursday through Saturday, June 10-12, 2021

Introduction to Rug Hooking – Not So Traditional
Friday, June 11
Half-Day Workshop
12 pm – 3 pm EDT, Friday, June 11

Learn the basics of traditional rug hooking with a bit of a twist. Not only will we use the usual wool fabric strips (more about that in class), but we’ll also try old t-shirts, yarn, ribbon, and anything else you might have in your house that you can pull a loop with. We will:

Discuss the history of rug hooking and where it is today, including its various forms;
Learn how to prep our materials;
Begin hooking a “mug rug,” a small table mat, or wall hanging; and
Discuss the ways we can finish the piece when the hooking is done.

Welsh Springer spaniel on hooked rug — While big brother Tynan snoozes, Bowyn brings you “What’s on the frame.” “Abundance,” part of the #happyrugseries, is an adventure in mark-making with all kinds of fibers. And she has three holes!

There’s more info online HERE. Kits are optional, but participants need to contact me to make sure they have everything. Contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com if you have any questions.

Hoping to have a new and very special venue announcement in the next week or so. Stay tuned!

So, after a year, what’s your stance on Zoom workshops?

March 16, 2021

Of sketching and day-hooking

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 BI Ad for Sketchbook Revival 2021; sketching 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.

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.

Sketching — 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 Revival presented 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.

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.

Dogs with hooked rug — “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?

Workshop reminder: Hooking With and Beyond the Wool happens this Saturday. Contact me if you’re interested.

March 2, 2021

Public Service Announcements

Public service announcements, odd from an art blog, I know. But still genuine.

Public service announcement 1: Don't let blepharitis happen to you. — 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.

Rug needing less concentration — 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.

Whimsy, a rug needing a forever home — 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!

An extra public service announcement, crazy dog — 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.

February 13, 2021

Hooking With and Beyond the Wool Workshop – March 20

Hooking With and Beyond the Wool Workshop running again.

Interested in hooking with things you can find in your home? Want to try fibers other than or in addition to wool? Maybe help the environment a little? Then join High on Hooking for an online workshop in March. Information is below. Note that the class is limited to 10.

HOOKING WITH AND BEYOND THE WOOL – Online Workshop

hooked rug like will hook in Hooking With and Beyond the Wool Workshop — “Journey” (hooked with old bed sheets and t-shirts)

Get ready to experiment with new and different fibers in your rug hooking. Working on a “sampler” pattern, we’ll explore how different types of fibers hook up and how they “play” with wool and each other.

Early rug hooking was a make-do affair using feed bags, old clothes, and other “used” fabrics. Those pioneering hookers were practical to a fault and threw nothing away; they couldn’t afford to. Today that’s less of a problem for most rug hookers using both virgin and recycled wools. But why limit ourselves to just wool strips?

Hooking with materials other than wool allows us:

The chance to create new and different effects in our rug hooking;
To work with what we may already have in our homes;
To go back to the thrift store to source some of our fiber (now that quality wool’s often scarce there); and
To potentially do some good for the environment.

This class is designed for a student proficient at rug hooking basics, particularly the mechanics of pulling loops through a backing.

Because this is an online workshop, students will supply their own materials. You may draw up your own sampler pattern or enlarge one electronically supplied by teacher.

DETAILS

Class will run Saturday, March 20, 1:00 PM Eastern.

This class will be held online through Zoom. Upon registration and payment, the Zoom link and password will be sent via email (after March 1).

Class will be limited to 10 people.

The class is ONE SESSION, approximately 2.5-3 HOURS in length.

The COST of this class is $45 US.

Student will supply:

Hooks;
Backing, preferably linen or monk’s cloth rather than rug warp;
A frame;
A variety of “alternative fibers,” list to be supplied upon registration; and
A mind and spirit open to experimenting.

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

Laura Salamy is the hooker behind High on Hooking.

I’ve never been a “traditional” hooker, preferring to color outside of hooking’s more “typical lines.” Instead of limiting myself to wool, I prefer to use most any material I can get my hands on. Often that means cutting strips from old t-shirts and bed sheets. Up-cycling throw-aways to art is a priority for me. Our landfills are filling up. Or they’re already full. While certain projects benefit from virgin wools or other fibers, I like to do my little part to slow that process and make something lovely at the same time.

Laura’s work has been seen in various exhibits as well as Rug Hooking Magazine; ATHA Art of Rug Hooking magazine; Karen Miller’s book Eyes Open to the World: Memories of Travel in Wool; and Judy Taylor’s T-Shirt Treasures: Creating Heirloom Hooked Rugs from the Humble T-Shirt. She currently serves as President of the Adobe Wool Art’s Guild, New Mexico’s only rug hooking guild.

Learn more about her work at https://highonhooking.com.

February 1, 2021

A rug influenced by another artist

Hooked art influenced by another artist — I’m calling it “Pat’s Rug” for now. It was influenced by another artist, my aunt.

I’ve finally finished the rug that my aunt, another artist, last year asked me to hook for her. She gave me no guidelines other than that she likes reds, blues, and gold. What to do? Pat works in paint, pens, and pencils and such. More abstract stuff. Fortunately, I’ve got a few of her pieces, so I thought, why not go to a source, her own work.

Work by another artist — Artwork by Pat Croke, my aunt.

Will she be able to tell that I used her drawing to inform my hooked art? Hell, if I know. I’ll tell her though. (And about the African bark cloth influence as well.) Lines and colors. Being a textile piece, though, I get the benefit of texture too: loops of old t-shirts and the sparkly sharpness of the two gold ribbon types that I used.

Close-up of the rug that currently has no name. Hand-hooked with old t-shirts and ribbon.

I just hope she likes it.