High on Hooking dogs Tynan and Bowyn wish you a joyous and restful holiday season. WOOF! (Meanwhile they await their gifts from Santa Paws – very serious business indeed.)
The gifts are wrapped; it’s Christmas for real now. I look forward to taking a week off from things I HAVE to do so I can accomplish some things I WANT to do. Like working on a new hooking project and planning some new ones for 2023. (More on those in a few weeks.)
If you’re still looking to fill a creative’s stocking or or even gifting yourself, HoH has a few ideas. Our winter teaching schedule is filling – for both in person and online events. Yay! After the holidays, I’ll give more info, but find the salient info below.
IN THE STUDIO ONLINE WORKSHOP WEEK 6 – Various Fiber Arts
February 16-26, 2023
Nationally known teachers! 9 workshops and 5 lectures plus 2 bonus events!
More info HERE.
FULLER LODGE ART CENTER / LOS ALAMOS ARTS COUNCIL Introduction to Rug Hooking – Saturday, February 25, 2023 Introduction to Punch Needle Rug Hooking – Saturday, March 4, 2023
Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM
More info HERE.
We here at High on Hooking thank you for all your support this past year – students, festival organizers, schools, and customers. We wish you the best of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, whatever winter holidays you might celebrate. Here’s hoping for a joyful and peaceful 2023.
I’ve always maintained that September 1 is just as much a new year as January 1. You have a holiday and then you give yourself permission to start over. Maybe it’s a school year, your health, a job, or just a way of looking at life. In my case this September of 2022, it’s health and working on a new perspective. (And don’t get me wrong, I think renewal goes on all through the year, it’s just more celebrated in January and September.)
It’s no secret that I have autoimmune issues. Fibromyalgia was just added to the mix. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it explains so much. But so often when you’re busy, you work with the data that you have. When you’re in your late 50s, you don’t go looking for more things to go wrong with the chasse. Actually, I’m in pretty good shape, I think. Nonetheless, I could be doing better, especially regarding stress and sleep. I need more of one and less of the other. Bet you can guess which is which. LOL
I decided, therefore, that I’m taking a bit of a sabbatical from many of my local responsibilities for two whole months! I’d like to say that I’m making the months all about Laura all the time, but that’s not the case. It would also be très boring. Even to me! No, in less than a week my parents are making their second trip in six years to New Mexico from Connecticut. They’ll be here for 16 days. We’ll be doing some touristy things and even heading up to Colorado for a few days. They’ve never been there. After they leave, I’ll be teaching hooking and punching at the Mountain and Valley Wool Festival in Santa Fe. That takes us into October when Tom and I and a dog or two will take to the open road for Seattle. The kid’s now been there for three months; it’s time for a visit. And while I once spent a weekend in that area years and years ago, I never got a chance to really see it. This is an opportunity, too, to add a few missing states to my repertoire. I’ve never been to Utah (other than Four Corners), Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.
By the time we get back, it’ll be Workshop Week 5 and even Halloween. Then the holidays and… You see why I need a break?
But I’ll be around online, certainly, and in touch with folks. Being away always lets me refresh, see things in a new way, and be inspired. All of which usually allows for some new and exciting artwork. At least to and for me. Perhaps for others as well.
PLACES WHERE YOU DEFINITELY CAN FIND ME THIS FALL INTO WINTER
Mountain and Valley Wool Festival (MAVWA): September 29 – October 2 The festival is Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2, but the workshops happen the Thursday and Friday before. I’m teaching Thursday. Find info HERE. BTW, if you’re thinking of coming for MAVWA, know that it’s the start of Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Think 500 hot air balloons in the air at one time. Pictures and words can’t do it justice.
In the Studio Online Workshop Week 5: October 23 – 30
While I’m not teaching this time around, I am the general administrator, so if you need a catalog or have questions, please give a yell. We have eight great teachers and workshops scheduled. If you’re just realizing you forgot to register, now’s the time. Some classes have filled, but teachers have waiting lists, and some have already scheduled second sessions. More info HERE.
High Desert Studio Tour – December 3 After missing two or three years, the High Desert Studio Tour is back! As in the past, I’ll be camped out at the home of ZiaWoolz. Dagmar generously invites myself and a few other artists to hang our shingles out with hers for the day. If you’re looking for some gorgeous, hand-dyed yarn, check out her Etsy shop, or better yet, visit us in December.
The boys bring you a HAPPY NEW YEAR WHAT’S ON THE FRAME this week. THE REZ is hooked on monk’s cloth with old t-shirts, wool strips, and wool yarn. So far…
View our CALENDARpage to see more dates to be added as we go further into the fall.
The boys and I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR, a cooler fall, and success with all your efforts at renewal!
Looking to learn rug hooking or punch needle rug hooking this year? If you’re in or plan to be in New Mexico in the fall, you’re in luck.
Logo for the Mountain and Valley Wool Festival – Looking to learn a new skill?
While High on Hooking is happy to give private lessons pretty much any time, we’re now announcing that we’ll be teaching at two fall fiber events:
HEART OF NM FIBER & ART GATHERING – LEARN PUNCH NEEDLE RUG HOOKING
–September 3/4, 2022
-At the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood.
-There will be vendors, workshops, live animals, and demonstrations.
-Workshops haven’t been scheduled just yet, so check back on their website or contact me directly to take part.
MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY WOOL FESTIVAL(previously known as the Taos Wool Festival)
–October 1/2, 2022 This is perfect if you’re planning to come to New Mexico for Balloon Fiesta!
-Santa Fe County Fair Grounds, Santa Fe
-There will be vendors, a fiber critter corner (live animals), demonstrations, live music, and food! Workshops aren’t scheduled just yet, but check back on the website. -We’ll be teaching both rug hooking and punch needle rug hooking.
In the meantime, in a couple of weeks, High on Hooking is headed to Sewanee, Tennessee, to teach at the SHAKERAG WORKSHOPS starting June 18. I believe that there are still openings for workshops, so take a peak if you’re looking to learn something new or just enjoy an adult-only, creative summer camp. My own classstill has room for one or two more.More info HERE.
Bowyn and Tynan bring you WHAT’S ON THE FRAME – May 31, 2022. Yes, Bowyn needs a haircut bad.
We’ve been so busy here that it’s been a while since I’ve shared what’s on my frame. Clearly, that peeves the boys who are always on the lookout for a job that provides them a treat or eight. So, here they are. And, yes, Bowyn is hiding much of the piece. More on it later.
LE VIN, LA VIE is hooked with repurposed textiles, old plastic bags, silk sari yarn, and wool yarns and strips. The “mini Me” inspired the whole series.
In the past couple of months, we started a fun, new series of hooked art: The Cocktail Series. So far we’ve finished two pieces: the “Margarita” and “le vin, la vie.” I’ve got more drinks in mind and will intersperse them between other larger projects. And stitching and crocheting projects as well, of course. Why do just one thing when you can fill your summer up with all kinds of fiber fun?
What are your summer plans??? I hope they include a bunch of fiber projects and at least a few margaritas.
MARGARITA hooked with repurposed textiles, silk sari yarn, wool strips, and tulle ribbon.
We’re in workshop heaven here at High on Hooking. Let me explain.
Your Boucherouite will be your own pattern. It can be small just to try it all out in the workshop or as large as you’d like. (Original design.)
MARCH 12: BUILD A BABY BOUCHEROUITE
Because of interest during Workshop Week 4, we added another session for those who couldn’t make it in January. (The class was getting a little large too.) If you’re interested and available on Saturday, March 12, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, give me a yell. We’re at six right now, so there’s a little more room. For info about the class, see HERE. (Also, watch for coming announcements regarding Workshop Weeks 5 and 6!)
APRIL 15: INTRODUCTION TO PUNCH NEEDLE RUG HOOKING
For the workshop – punch needle by Amy Oxford. Original design.
Albuquerque’s BIG, BIENNIAL FIBER ARTS FIESTA, postponed from last year, will be open for business Thursday – Saturday, April 14-15. There’s a superb line-up of classes including my own punch needle workshop on Friday at 10:00 a.m. It is in person, and you’ll need to be vaccinated, but masks will be optional at this point. Yay! You can contact me here or see WORKSHOPS LISTING.
JUNE 19-25: HOOK RUGS, SAVE THE PLANET
This is a week-long residency workshop in Sewanee, Tennessee, as part of the SHAKERAG WORKSHOPS. We’ll be doing
Table runner/wall hanging hooked with recycled textiles (old tshirts and bedsheets). (Original design.)
both rug hooking and punch needle rug hooking. In addition, though we’ll still have wool to work with, we’ll strive to look beyond the wool to materials that otherwise might end up in landfills. You know, old textiles you probably have in your house this very moment: ripped t-shirts, stained tablecloths, clothing and scarves that have seen better days… If you’re looking to pair vacation and fiber art therapy, this one’s for you. More workshop information can be found HERE and below.
Shakerag Workshops is a group of arts classes for adults held in June each year on the St. Andrew’s-Sewanee campus, in Sewanee, Tennessee. Instructors from around the world offer classes in a variety of media – knitting, basketry, book arts, clay, digital arts, felting, fiber, mixed media, jewelry, wood working, sculpture, and painting. Most participants, faculty, and staff stay on the campus, eating and working together for the week. After classes, participants enjoy hiking on the campus trails, swimming in the stream-fed mountain lake, and relaxing in yoga classes. Meals feature locally grown and organic foods served in historic Robinson Dining Hall. In the evenings, faculty members show slides and talk about their work. The studios are open throughout the night. The week culminates with a Tennessee meal on Friday evening for faculty and participants.
-from Shakerag’s website
As you can see, we’re busy these days here in the New Mexican desert. Covid’s waning, and folks are slowly getting back into the swing of things. More good news came in the mail yesterday in the form of Rug Hooking Magazine. If you recall that, during 2020, I spent much time on a yearlong project, the RIBBON RUG JOURNAL. If you turn to page 50 in RHM, you can read all about it! I also urge you to peruse Pretext Studio Rug Hooking’s Nadine Flagel‘s article on page 40. We share attitudes about the growing textile waste crisis. Her website slogan is Making Art out of Making Do: Reclaimed Text & Textiles. “Boucherouite” is a Moroccan-Arabic word for “torn” or “reused clothing.”
The High on Hooking Dogs, Bowyn and Tynan, bring you WOOLLEY MAT HORSE by Woolley Fox.
Bowyn actually calmed down enough to be in this week’s WHAT’S ON THE FRAME. This is a pattern I inherited when a member of the Adobe Wool Arts Guild passed away a few years ago. As a guild, we’ll be highlighting Pat’s rugs in a special exhibit at Fiber Arts Fiesta in April. The pattern, as I received it, was not identified.
You might remember, I hooked it a couple years back after receiving it. Because it sold, I needed to make another for the exhibit. Patti on Instagram was able to identify the pattern this week; she hooked it herself awhile back. LOL It’s from Woolley Fox and is called Woolley Mat Horse. As before, I’m hooking it with old t-shirts. Because we believed it to be Pat’s design, not a purchased pattern (also based on an antique rugs by Magdalena Briner Eby), I won’t hook the design again after I finish this iteration.
LASTLY, PLEASE KEEP THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE IN YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO HELP OUT IN A SMALL WAY, SEE THIS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ON ETSY, BY A UKRAINIAN ARTIST. (THERE ARE OTHER ARTISTS AND PRODUCTS AVAILABLE; JUST USE THE SHOP LOCATION FILTER UNDER SEARCH.) IT PUTS $5 IN HER POCKET, AND GOD KNOWS SHE AND ALL OF UKRAINE NEED IT.
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.
