Melinda finished her ram – hurray! It’s based on a pic her photographer-husband Gary took when they were on vacation last year. She started it last spring when Cheryl Bollenbach was here for a workshop.
Thank goodness that the illness I wrote about last week abated enough for me to attend our guild’s three-day retreat Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I’d have hated to miss it; all the hooking and chatting and snacking with friends, that is. We try to hold a retreat three or four times each year now, and visitors are welcome should you be in the area. You don’t even have to be a hooker!
Luckily, we have a venue available to us at no cost. Yes, absolutely free. It is, ironically, a police substation in the Sandia foothills here in Albuquerque. Yes, the hookers have taken over the cops’ joint. Actually, it’s a rather inactive substation these days. Rarely any folks in uniform in residence. But it’s a fabulous room – plenty of tables and space, big windows letting in lots of natural light. This winter the heat’s even worked!
Can you believe that Nan‘s been hooking for less than two years??? She designed this; it’ll be a chair pad.At the same time Nan’s hooking her mom-in-law’s dog. He’ll be a pillow soon.
Mary S. was doing penance whipping the edges of this original rug for her granddaughter. This is not her first rug for a granddaughter by any means. Check out those eyes!
Liz has been using each retreat to get a lot of work done on a rug of her and her husband fishing. This time it was all about the water.Nancy Pierce was hard at work on a piece that she’ll have ready for sale at next month’s Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival in Albuquerque. Find her rugs and other pieces at her website and in this prior post.
Linda’s got the Celtic thing going on in this rug. Check out the matching ring!Meanwhile Ruth’s playing with all the colors in the crayon box. See the gold? It’s sexy jersey from Deanne Fitzpatrick. I really wanted to steal it from her.
Nancy made this little bag to carry her scissors and things. Like very much!And I think that I finally finished hooking the mystery rug. I say “I think” because I need to look at it some more to determine if it needs editing. Then there’s the framing. But I’m glad to be moving back to real fibers this week.Lastly, I share a modified Deanne Fitzpatrick pattern hooked by Cathy. I LOVE this little rug. The colors are so vibrant. Of course, because Cathy dyed the wool!
If you’re in the area, AWAG’s next retreat will be May 9-11.
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
Simply Modern by Deanne Fitzpatrick. If you don’t have this book yet, get it!
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?
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…
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.
High on Hooking wishes you all a productive Advent. What are you waiting for?
It’s Advent in our house, the season of waiting. Of course, we’re waiting for Christmas. First and foremost, around here we do that by getting a tree and decorating the house. This year there’s a learning curve involved. One simply does not throw up window candles and a blow-up snowman in a southwest pueblo-style house as one did in their New England colonial. For one thing, there’s no front yard for Frosty. So, he’s history. Instead, his little, light-up, burlap buddy is gracing the front door. Glass balls gussy up some landscaping. Fortunately for us, the previous owner had strung our big, backyard pine tree (maybe it’s a ponderosa?) with lights long ago. (We pray to God that the lights continue to function.) Festive red and completely-appropriate-for-New-Mexico chili lights hang on the pergola.
Tree’s up New Mexican style!
I decorated the indoor tree last night. Despite our 12 or so-foot ceilings, we’ve been trending to shorter trees in the past few years. In Massachusetts, the family room had a cathedral ceiling. We spent decades practically needing a crane to dress the tree. It was plenty fun, but I’m done with the holiday bombast and have been moving to a quieter Christmas. That includes focusing on smaller things. Like the tree.
Because we’re new to Albuquerque, we’ve been anxious to experience some of the city’s traditions. The River of Lights is on the docket. I’ve hit up two big arts festivals. Trips to the fairs are also intended to gather intel, to determine the feasibility of High on Hooking setting up shop next year. We’ve got some possibilities…
The holiday charm of Old Town Albuquerque.
Friday night we headed out to Old Town to see the city’s Christmas tree being lit. Us and a couple thousand other people it seemed. Parking was a bitch! But it was a pleasant evening. Streets were closed and lined with hundreds of luminarias. Shops and galleries were open; carolers and school kids sang. Flamenco dancers in street clothes clicked their castenets. A good time was had by all. Till we tried to leave and sat waiting in traffic for some time. Yeah, now that we’ve experienced this venue, we’ll move on to something less parking-challenged in 2016.
Waiting’s not just a part of the Christmas holiday for me this year; it’s factoring into my hooking too. First and foremost, I’ve come down with a case of shingles. Damn rheumatoid arthirtis meds lowered my immunity that much. The ironic thing is that my guild members and I were discussing shingles – and the priority of avoiding them – when we did our monthly Botanic Garden demo a week ago! Little did I know what was percolating just under my skin at that moment… Hence, not much hooking’s going on.
But I am able to plan which is another big thing to do in December. Albuquerque’s Fiber Arts Council has scheduled its 2016 spring show. Members of all guilds are encouraged to submit pieces as are non-affiliated artists. The theme is “Colors of the Southwest.” Now I’m in the midst of planning a new rug that has to be finished by early March. Call me indecisive, but I can’t for the life of me choose from the various designs I’ve sketched. It’s back to the drawing board with help from the likes of Deanne Fitzpatrick‘s Simply Modern book. Unfortunately, Susan Feller‘s Design Basics for Rug Hookers is still buried in my unpacked boxes of books. But we’re making progress on that front! Bookshelves are being painted as I type. (Tom’s turn; we only have one paintbrush at the moment.) We will have an office again by Christmas.
Two little mats wait to be finished. Hope they’re done in time for the Adobe Wool Arts Guild Christmas party!
Waiting is a December tradition: for a baby to be born; for Santa; for family, friends, and festivities; for the new year and all it’s to bring. Being in a new place and home adds a wrinkle to it all. Not to mention the freaking shingles. But I’m praying that I’m able to gracefully and productively anticipate the results of all preparations, for Christmas and for rug hooking.
Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we’re waiting for…
—Charles Stanley
What specifically are you waiting for this December?
