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What’s next for High on Hooking?

 

Two dogs and a crocheting project
Tynan and Bowyn present “What’s on the Hook” this week. By the way, the little guy is feeling much better and is back to all his mischievous ways.

What’s next? Why we’re officially into the holidays! Interestingly, that means that, at the moment, there is absolutely nothing on the frame. Not that I’m sitting on my butt, eating bon bons. No! Especially since the damn Coronacootie has seen fit to provide me an extra five pounds given how it keeps me at home. New Mexico has been pretty much locked-down till yesterday. Even if it wasn’t, the surge numbers scare the crap out of us.

Uncharacteristically, there’s absolutely nothing “On the Frame” this week. (Yet.) There is, however, something on my crochet hook. I’m making a cute basket-bag; the pattern and yarn are courtesy of We Are Knitters, if you’re interested. And I’m putting the finishing touches on “The Angel of 2021.” Will show her tomorrow, I hope. That almost-lockdown made it difficult to get a couple of items.

And we’re getting some classes ready for the New Year. God knows it’ll be a l-o-n-g winter, so we need something to keep us busy.

Baby Boucherouite class is what's next for High on Hooking
You too can “Build a Baby Boucherouite” or, as I like to call it, Barbies Magic Carpet. It’s what’s next on Zoom for High on Hooking.

First class up will be BUILD A BABY BOUCHEROUITE on Saturday, January 16, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Email me at Laura@highonhooking.com if you’re interested in coming. I ran that class in October during In the Studio’s Workshop Week and it was well received. More info to come, though you can see the basics here. If you’re on my waiting list from last time, no worries, I’ll be contacting you.

Speaking of Workshop Week, in the Studio’s Workshop Week 2 is coming! We’ve got a couple of new teachers this time around, so be watching for registration info too!

 

Let us not forget that it is the season of gift-giving. Remember that old adage: RUGS MAKE THE BEST GIFTS! Especially, hand-hooked rugs. Check out our Etsy shop to see what we have in our section of Santa’s Workshop this year. Spy something you like, you can buy it there or contact me directly at Laura@highonhooking.com and get $10 off the Etsy price for items over $50. As usual, I’m also open for commissions.

I wish everyone a safe holiday season. Although I’ve removed “autumn” from the house, I haven’t put the tree and other Christmas decor up. I suppose that’s really what’s next here. I have time; Advent just started Sunday. Besides, it’ll be a “small” Christmas this year, only the favorites will be out. What about you? Going all out as usual?

 

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Planning for the hooking New Year

Happy New Year and welcome to 2017! Yes, my tree is still up. Tomorrow begins the de-Christmas-ification here at High on Hooking.

Happy New Year and welcome back to High on Hooking! So excited to have you here. If you recall my last post, I talked about resting up during the holidays and considering what I want to do in 2017. Not sure I really rested, but I did manage to cut back some of my social media use, and I have to admit I enjoyed that and taking a few weeks off from blog writing too.

I did finish my class proposal for the Española Valley Fiber Arts Center. Hopefully, I’ll hear back from them soon, but in the meantime buddy Melinda and I are hoping to get up north on a yarn-centric field trip next week. We’ll stop at the Center on our way to say hi. And we have coupons for the shop. Yea!!!

Another goal was more reading; I did that! Hell, I’m still doing that. I managed to read all the stories assigned to me by Fifth Wednesday and even started a new book for pleasure. (It’s called Steps and Exes: A Novel of Family, and it’s by Laura Kalpakian. I’m enjoying it; you might too.) Meanwhile, I’m also reading a few others (you know, the ones in the car, in the bathroom, the

Photo of book by Deanne Fitzpatrick: Simply Modern.
Simply Modern by Deanne Fitzpatrick. If you don’t have this book yet, get it!

kitchen…) For purposes of bettering myself as High on Hooking, though, I’m deep into Grow Your Handmade Business by Kari Chapin and Deanne Fitzpatrick’s Simply Modern: Contemporary Designs for Hooked Rugs. I’ve had the latter for a while and flipped through for inspiration; now I’m committed to actually reading a few pages each evening before I start hooking.

And of course, just as in the old year, in the new year there has been hooking. After I finished my autumnal Tree of Life (okay, it’s not really finished, only the hooking’s done), I started a “new/old” rug. Someone gifted my guild (Adobe Wool Arts Guild, aka AWAG) with some old patterns last year, and even though I don’t really use patterns, I took one. It’s very traditional, but I wanted to make it more “me.” So I’m using t-shirts. So far it looks pretty cool according to guild members. I concur. Thoughts?

Traditional rug hooking pattern being hooked in t-shirts.
The start of my new/old rug being hooked in t-shirts. Anyone have an idea who might have created the pattern?

You might also remember that I mentioned finally getting my “big” Fiber Arts Fiesta project together as it’s due for jurying on March 1. I really do have a great idea of what I want to do. It’s a little mixed media, and it’s sitting in my brain. BUT, I’ve realized that I’m running low on time what with a lot on my plate, so that one’s going on the back burner. I’ll enter the rug above for sure, maybe something else I did last year too. AND…

Rug Hooking dog in the New Year.
An updated “Tynan” with a second eye. though it undoubtedly still needs some tweaking.

Here’s a slightly updated Tynan. He’s my dog that I started back in May when Cheryl Bollenbach was here “classing up” AWAG. I meant with all my heart and soul to get back to him after High on Hooking stopped selling in 2016. Somehow that didn’t happen, and now AWAG’s made plans to have Cheryl back for another workshop come this May. Woohoo! HOWEVER, I certainly can’t have last year’s project unfinished when she returns, so last week I picked Tynan up again  – slightly panicked, I admit, after all these months. We did okay, got the second eye in which was what really had my panties in a bunch. So, we’re on our way…

And if rug hooking wasn’t enough, I got a yen to do some crocheting over the holidays. Here’s what’s on the crochet hook right now (which is on the opposite side of my chair from the rug hook). It’s a child’s afghan; maybe we’ll be able to sell it this coming season. Regardless, it’s a nice diversion.

Crochet stitches in the New Year.
I’m crocheting in Bernat Blanket Yarn; it’s so cozy-comfy!

 

 

That’s my story for now and I’m sticking to it. What’s making you high on hooking this New Year?

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Frustration, artistic and otherwise

"Difficult" yarn to the left. Size N/15 needle/hook. Much friendlier yarn on the right.
“Difficult” yarn to the left. Size N/15 needle/hook. Much friendlier yarn on the right.

It was supposed to be a brief break from hooking, still creative, still fiberific; instead it was an exercise in frustration. To give my hands a rest, I’d made a detour in Walmart (where I am now forced to do part of my weekly grocery shopping – grrr…) and headed to the craft aisles to pick up some yarn and a crochet hook. No biggie. My aunt taught me how to crochet when I was in sixth grade or so, and I’d picked up that hook now and again throughout the decades. Last time I’d even made myself a lovely shawl,  using filet crochet and beading. This time all I wanted to do was a simple cowl-like scarf. How hard could it be?

Plenty, it turned out. I’d chosen a big novelty yarn, one that had a lot of…fluff, for lack of another word. But with double crochet, how hard could it be? Even with the giant needle I’d purchased. Again, plenty. I couldn’t see all my stitches. The little “hairs” tangled making it difficult to even pull errant stitches out. My rows weren’t even. After ripping multiple attempts out over and over again, I finally declared, “Enough!” Despite all my assumptions and confidence, I was a crochet washout. The years had finally caught up with me.

Not! Having to be out and about yesterday afternoon – another source of frustration, having to teach the kid to drive – I had my chauffeur take me to Michaels where they have plenty of less complicated yarns. While she headed to the Dunkin Donuts next door (you can take the girl out of New England, but you CANNOT take Dunkin Donuts out of the Massachusetts-born and -bred girl), I ran in for the yarn. After perusing a bit, I found a nice multicolored, kind of chenille skein. Very nice. On sale too. Always a plus. So, tomorrow night, after I purchase yet another needle… The new one is too big, and I haven’t unpacked my old ones. They must be hidden away in some hooking boxes.

I’d start it tonight, but I’m treating myself to a solo trip to Barnes and Noble’s cafe. To write. I’m one of those people who needs to be alone when I start a short story. The other people who live in my house are in the house ALL THE TIME! Worse, they want my attention. Being home, therefore, is not conducive whatsoever to writing anything more than a Facebook post or maybe a blog entry. (Presumably, a blog post is completely true and not fictional at all.) There may be others in B&N’s cafe, but I can ignore them, chalk them up to white noise in a way I just can’t at home. Hence, I’m off for a different kind of artist’s date. And I will drive myself, thank you very much.

Wool strips, though the pumpkin itself is hooked from llama yarn.
Wool strips, though the pumpkin itself is hooked from very fun, very orange llama yarn.

Lest you think hooking’s been neglected, I’ve been having some fun with the Bliss cutter guild-mate Linda lent me. I’ve chosen to cut by hand for so many years that it’s quite the luxury. To that affect, I’ve been laying down wool strips in a quickly drawn up pattern. I’ll let you know how I feel about using such “even” strips. I fear I might find the preciseness somewhat stifling, that my true Type A (for anal) personality might come out in a way I try to avoid in hookling, the one place I feel free to be…well, free.

As my pumpkin indicates, even here in Albuquerque  fall’s very definitely arrived. Our leaves are changing colors and even blowing off in the wind. We’ve had a first killing frost. The sandhill cranes, our resident snow birds, are flying in. Can’t wait to see that. Apparently, they hang around the Rio Grande for the winter. Pics to follow!

What strategies do you use when things are working out like you planned? Can you call someone? Go online? Spill your secrets here; help a gal out. And while you’re commenting, are you a precise hooker or more “anything goes”?

 

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