Tag: hooked mats

September 1, 2020

IN THE STUDIO – Sept. 9 with Meryl Cook

Meryl Cook:
The basics of the Chakra colour system and how Meryl applies it to her intuitive design process.

In the Studio with Meryl Cook - a Zoom talk — **IN THE STUDIO WITH MERYL COOK – SEPTEMBER 9, 2020; 1-2 PM EASTERN (11-NOON MOUNTAIN)**

Colour, texture, joy and self-compassion are the key features of Meryl Cook’s beautifully crafted hooked mats, her books about her journey from homeopath to artist and journal writer, and her journal writing practice. Meryl is the author of One Loop at a Time, a story of rughooking, healing and creativity (2016) and One Loop at a Time, The Creativity Workbook (2017).

What makes Meryl’s process unique is the ties between her writing and design. This introspective process includes writing on the linen around the design highlighting the inspiration for each mat, selecting colours based on Chakra colour theory, and using techniques that follow the healing energy to produce an intuitive, abstract design. Each mat represents the next step in her life journey.

Since 2016, Meryl has spoken and taught creativity workshops across Canada and in the U.S. A juried member of Craft Nova Scotia, her work has appeared in the Craft Nova Scotia Member’s Exhibition (2019 & 2020 (upcoming)), and as a special exhibit at Sauder Village Rug Hooking Week (2018). What began as a way of holding space for herself following breast cancer treatment has become a career as an artist and as a corporate team facilitator focusing on well-being and engagement.

Join Meryl Cook as she shares the basics of the Chakra colour system and how she applies it to her intuitive design process. Come prepared to play with colour and to take a tour of Meryl’s “Wild Women” mats.

Please Note:

Event is Wednesday, September 9, at 1-2 PM Eastern.

This is an ONLINE event, and the Zoom link that you will need to attend will be on the Print at Home version of the e-ticket that you receive after purchase AND it will be emailed to you the day before the event.

Tickets are $6 Canadian and are purchased through Ticketscene.

Purchase tickets here.

FAQ’s: PLEASE READ

* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.

* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?

It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until 12:30pm Eastern on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.

* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?

During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.

August 16, 2020

Rug hooking workshop this week!

Poster for rug hooking workshop — WORKSHOP COMING WEDNESDAY!

Maybe you forgot to sign up? Or you’re stuck at home, bored, having to quarantine? Actually, I hope you’re just looking to try something new with your hooking. The workshop runs this Wednesday, August 19, at 1 PM Eastern (that’s 11:00 AM Mountain, my time!) on Zoom. We’ve got a couple of openings still, so if you know how to pull a loop, you might want to join us. More info here.

KEEP STAYING HEALTHY AND WEAR THOSE MASKS!

August 5, 2020

Sunflowers – hopefully they’re a neutral subject

SUNFLOWERS

Hooked Sunflower Rug used as a bench cover — “Melinda’s Rug” shown as a bench cover. It was hooked using recycled t-shirts.

I decided to talk sunflowers , mostly because I’m pretty sick of all the negativity surrounding us today. And yet…I bet there are folks out there that can find something disapproving about one of my favorite flowers. Too bad! Because, as I will remind you all, I AM THE BOSS OF MY RUGS. AND MY BLOG.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can go on. Sunflowers are starting to bloom here in New Mexico. The garden varieties and the ones that I find on my walks in the Bosque, the woods running along the currently almost non-existent Rio Grande River here in Albuquerque. Sorry! I’ll try to get back to being positive.

New Mexican Sunflower — This is the first sunflower that greeted the kid and me as we crossed over the Texas border into New Mexico five years ago last week.

I recently finished “Melinda’s Rug,” and many of you have seen it on my social media accounts. It’s pretty in pastels. Just the colors that Melinda loves, particularly the turquoises. (An aside: It’s a housewarming present for the house she and Gary build over two years ago. I’m a tad tardy.)

But it’s not the first “sunflower” rug that I’ve hooked. In fact, I like to make at least one per year. And I always do one, a mug rug, for the silent auction at Mountainair’s Sunflowers Festival. Which will not be taking place this August. Thank you, Coronacootie. 🙁

I decided to take a look back and see the progression of this series of mine.

BTW: I’m not a botanist. So don’t hold me to a strict definition of sunflowers.

Round sunflower hooked rug — I’m pretty sure this is the first sunflower rug I hooked. It says 2013, but I think it’s older, that that’s when I took a photo to get ready to sell it. Some lady told me that I should’ve put elastic around the edge so it could be used as a toilet top cover. That was after she told me how she used to hook. In the 70s. I really wanted to tell her a few things…

Sunflower hooked rug — After blue I decided to try red for a background. Sure, they were simplistic. but they sold! Again, recycled t-shirts.

Sunflower hooked ruggggg — It’s another mostly wool sunflower rug. With a little silk sari yarn hooked in too. Silk sari yarn is perhaps my most favorite thing to hook. I seem to recall that there was a little velvet involved in this one too.

Dog on sunflower hooked rug — I went back to recycled t-shirts for this table runner/bench cover. Tynan liked it. I really loved the green background! So did customers. 🙂

Sunflower hooked rugs — I liked the green t-shirts so much that I went for it again the next year.

So, I hoped you enjoyed the “Sunflower Tour” as much as me. But maybe you’re a tulip person. Or you prefer zinnias. I’ve done those flowers too, but not like the sunflowers. They’re special. To me, at least. But if you’ve got examples of other flowers, please share them on our Facebook page. We love seeing beautiful things, no matter what they may be.

Till next week, please stay healthy. And positive. I know it’s hard these days. It can be depressing. But the country and world have gone through worse. Most of all, remember to be kind to the other folks out there. We’re all in it together.

BTW: If you have any interest in High on Hooking’s inaugural Zoom workshop Hooking With and beyond the Wool on August 19, it’s almost full. See details here.