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Time to register for Workshop Week 4!

Workshop Week 4 classes announced; registrations are open!

A little déjà vu…Classes offered for Workshop Week 4

Thanks to Covid, a new type of “art camp” was born last year, one that lets folks from all over come together without worrying about the high costs (in money and germs!) of travel and hotels. Those of us involved in In the Studio – brought together by Karen Miller – had such success and fun, that we did it all over again in Februaryand then again last month. So as not to get too complacent or predictable, we now regularly invite other artists to join us.

Workshop Weeks are a little different than the usual rug hooking camps. While we have plenty of classes involving hooking in some way, we also look to offer new skills to our students. New skills can involve different textile arts traditions. They also might be about ancillary arts and processes that can enhance your hooking or your other artistic endeavors. “Why limit ourselves?” is a big part of our philosophy at In the Studio.

Artists participating this go-around include the usual suspects: Elizabeth (Beth) Miller; Meryl Cook; Susan Feller, and myself. You’re probably familiar with at least a few of our guest teachers: Charlie Dalton (you might know him by his Instagram handle @thehookingcolonel); Yvonne Iten-Scott; Hayley Perry; Jane M. Mason, and Deirdre Pinnock.

Again, all Workshop Week 4 classes will be conducted on Zoom. I know, I know, it’s not the same as being there in person, but how else could you be part of these incredible line-ups? And we’ll have the two bonus sessions again during the week – an evening gathering (February 6) and a panel discussion (January 30).

Just like Workshop Weeks 1-3, there is a wide array of workshops available. Scroll through the document below to find your favorite(s). Feel free to take more than one. Email individual instructors directly for registration and more info. Don’t tarry, as classes filled up pretty quickly last time.

BTW: If you see a workshop that you’d love to take with your guild or other social group, most of us are happy to run our classes again.

 


WORKSHOP WEEK 4 – Scroll away to see the classes being offered. Enlarge image by clicking on bottom right symbol.

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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.

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A very Merry and Tiny Christmas to all!

We here at High on Hooking wish a very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Enjoy your holidays with those in your social bubbles. The kid will be down from Colorado tomorrow, so we’ll be celebrating a couple of days early here. Sadly, she has to work on the 24th and 26th, but roast beast and bubbly, here we come!

Before I let you go, though, a few dates in early 2021 to remember. Click on them for more info, and email me if interested or with questions.

  • Wednesday, January 13, 1:00 p.m. Eastern – IN THE STUDIO WITH TRACY JAMAR. If you haven’t heard Tracy speak, register. She’s terrific. And she does not-so-traditional hooking too!

 

  • Saturday, January 16, 1:00 p.m. Eastern – BUILD A BABY BOUCHEROUITE. Spaces are still available. Give yourself the gift of creativity in the New Year.

 

Dogs under Christmas tree
Bowyn and Tynan, the High on Hooking Dogs, bring you the final “what’s on the frame” for 2021. We all wish you a happy, happy Christmas and New Year!
  • Sunday, January 31, 1:00 p.m. Eastern – INTRO TO PUNCH NEEDLE RUG HOOKING WORKSHOP. This In the Studio WORKSHOP WEEK 2 class is full, but I’ve decided to open another session on Saturday, February 20, also at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Give a yell if you’d like to get in on it. You will receive all benefits of WW2, including the bonus sections and coupons.

 

  • January 31 – February 5 – IN THE STUDIO WORKSHOP WEEK 2 – There are six workshops running this time around. Karen Miller, Beth Miller, and Meryl Cook still have openings. Susan Feller is taking names for a possible second session. Nadine Flagel, Donna Mulhollland, and I are offering second sessions. Contact individual teachers for more info. Emails in above WW2 link.

And that takes us into the time of putting work away and lighting candles and enjoying the season. Here’s to a MUCH IMPROVED NEW YEAR and some real peace and good will towards men all people (and dogs).

 

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In the Studio’s Workshop Week 2 revealed!

Workshop Week 2 poster

 

In the Studio’s inaugural Workshop Week last October was such a hit that we’re doing it again: Workshop Week 2, January 31 – February 2, 2021. You are cordially invited to join the original five of us AND two additional teachers: Nadine Flagel and Donna Mulholland.

Again, all classes will be conducted on Zoom. I know, I know, it’s not the same as being there in person. But think of how this not only keeps costs down, but allows for people to join us from ALL OVER! And we will have the two bonus sessions again during the week – an evening gathering and a panel discussion.

NEW this time around are two official vendors:  Parris House Wool Works in Maine for our US students, and Martina Lesar Hooked Rug Studio in Ontario for our Canadian students.  Both shops are offering our students a discount coupon that can be used in their stores to stock up on supplies.

Teachers include: Karen Miller (who started this whole In the Studio thing!); Susan Feller; Meryl Cook; Beth Miller; myself; and Nadine and Donna. Class info is below and, if you prefer it a little larger, here.

There’s a wide array of workshops available, and you may take more than one. Email individual instructors for registration and more info. Don’t tarry, as classes filled up pretty quickly last time.

Hope to see you there. It’s a great way to start the New Year, which is something we all need!

 

 

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Spinning out of control!

Spinning top
My life is spinning… (Photo by Fons Reijsbergen.)

 

Given Covid, I’m amazed at how busy my world’s been these past months – some days are spinning out of control! Besides hosting events, I’ve been attending plenty of others. And then there’s the literal spinning, as in vertigo. For over a month, I’ve had days feeling as if I’m walking on the deck of a boat. Sometimes the waves are just little ripples, like in a pond. Other times, there’s a big, old storm coming! While I suffer a completely unmerited hangover! The ENT says it’s not an ear or sinus infection, and the chiropractor says I’m well aligned. That leaves those pesky calcium crystals that reside in our inner ears sensing gravity. They need to be re-positioned which is why I’m off for a physical therapy evaluation tomorrow. Here’s hoping they can find a way to end the spinning.

Bowyn the Welsh Springer spaniel is sick.
Bowyn on our surprise snow day last month.

Meanwhile, poor, little Bowyn is ailing with a wicked double ear infection and mouth sores that make eating difficult. Dude’s really looking hangdog. Yesterday we saw Dr. Forsyth (of the Taylor Ranch Veterinary Clinic here in ABQ). Now we have new meds and more ear-washing; I am not Bowyn’s favorite person at the moment. Praying he feels better in a few days.

 

 

“PLACES” WE’VE BEEN

Okay, less actual places, more Zoom gatherings. Since we last checked in I’ve been to:

  • The Alt Fiber Hook-In with some lovely ladies from Canda and the US. Perhaps we should plan another for one evening or Saturday? Thoughts?
  • The Adobe Wool Arts Guild‘s first actual meeting, albeit it virtual, since March. If you’re located in New Mexico and interested in joining, email me. We’re looking to set up a class or two for next year. (Still virtual, I’m afraid.) Maybe you’d like to join us.
  • In the Studio’s inaugural Workshop Week. This was fun – Karen Miller, Susan Feller, Beth Miller, Meryl Cook, and I each held a workshop; included with “tuition” was a ticket to an evening hook-in and a closing panel discussion. Such was our success, that we’re planning another week this winter. Keep watch for that. There will be all new classes!
  • In the Studio with Nadine Falgel. Nadine spoke about how she she makes “slow art” to combat “fast fashion.” This being one of my own pet issues, I was really interested. But while I like to recycle old or would-be scrapped textiles into my own pieces, thus keeping them out of landfills, Nadine actually uses these “rags” as her subject matter. See more about her work on her Instagram page. And, BTW, she’s got a solo show coming up in the new year.
  • A Vision of Hope & Healing art show at the Santa María de la Vid Abbey in ABQ. My piece “Holes”
    Story cloth from Multicolores
    A story cloth from the artists at Multicolores.

    hung in the show. It ran until just last Friday. Unfortunately, with the Coronacootie spiking, we couldn’t have the usual opening and closing soirées, but you can see the show HERE, just scroll your way down the page when you get there.

  • Guatemala! It’s the farthest I’ve gone courtesy of the Stitching Stories Embroidery Workshop from Multicolores last week. I took that class because 1) I’ve become more interested in embroidery over the last year or so and 2) I’ve been thinking about doing a story rug. The class was kind of a 2-fer for me. I’ve been holding onto some poems that I think will work well. We didn’t start any projects in the three hours, but we practiced some of the stitches the ladies use and spoke about what we might want to do. Consider, taking one of the online Multicolores classes when they offer them again. (It’s easier than going all the way to Central America!) Micaela and Sara were excellent at demonstrating their work and answering questions on their processes. The fact that everything had to be translated both ways didn’t hurt the continuity of the workshop at all. I passed on the hooking class as I already work plenty with t-shirts, but I hear from friends that it was a good experience as well. And the tuition monies go to a great cause!

WHERE ARE WE OFF TO NEXT?

  • Tomorrow evening at 8:30 I’m heading to the Anchorage Museum in Alaska, for Amy Meissner‘s Intersectional Selves Mending Workshop. More info HERE. Like Nadine and myself, Amy’s also interested in how we can counteror at least mitigate the actions of our throw-away culture. And I’ve got some knit items that I’ve not yet tried to mend.
  • On Tuesday the 24th, the calendar on the wall (sue me; I’m a troglodyte) shows an entry for Abstract Art in America from the Whitney Museum.
  • I’m behind in the Textile Talks that happen every Wednesday. They’re mostly presentations and panel discussions about quilts, but you never know what you might pick up. They’re sponsored by the International Quilt Museum, the Modern Quilt Guild, Quilt Alliance, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, Studio Art Quilt Associates and Surface Design Association. More info HERE. They are recorded, so, if you’re like me, you can catch up on them at a later date.
  • In the Studio with Larry Weyand airs Wednesday, December 2, at 1:00 Eastern. More info on that HERE. A teaser: Through the process of autoethnography, I explore how my work lies in the space where narrative, psychological resilience, mat making and food intersect. Food and rugs! I’ll have more info later.
  • On December 8, I’ll be joining the “CSU Libraries and the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising for expert advice on how to preserve your family archives, photos, and textile heirlooms.” It seemed like a good idea. More info HERE. It’s called Caring for Your Family Treasures.

Who knows what else I’ll find to occupy myself in December? As if I wasn’t busy enough hooking and hemming my last rugs of 2020. And don’t even mention the Ribbon Rug Journal! Only a month and a half to go on that…

Small hooked rug
You too can “Build a Baby Boucherouite” or, as I like to call it, Barbies Magic Carpet.

Plans for early 2021 include the second In the Studio Workshop Week as I mentioned. I’ll also be running Building a Baby Boucherouite on my own for those who missed it in October. Keep an eye out for scheduling if you’re interested.

And although this class is scheduled and up online, I don’t believe that our proliferating Covid problem will allow it to run. Or that I’ll be comfortable leaving home for it so soon after the holidays when it’s clear that so many germs will be shared. (In which case, I can cancel…if there are even any students!) It is, however, just an honor being able to offer a class with Ghost Ranch here in New Mexico.

Just one of the views from Ghost Ranch. Sunsets in New Mexico. Its about the light.

For those not familiar with it, artist Georgia O’Keeffe‘s home in Abiquiú, New Mexico, sits at the edge of the 21,000-Ghost Ranch property, named as such because cattle rustlers trying to keep their stolen cows a secret said the ranch was haunted by evil spirits. Hopefully, the vaccines we keep talking about will work, and we’ll be able to get to this or a similar class sometime sooner than later.

Dizzy? Head spinning? Have I given you vertigo to go with mine? I hope not, especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner. We’ll have a quiet one here, much like the first holidays when we moved to Albuquerque in 2015, before we knew anyone well enough to share our bad habits and proclivities. (We had to go all Siren-like and lure people in before that could happen.) The kid is scheduled to come down for the first time since this whole mess began in March. We can’t put her off any more. Unfortunately, masks, social distancing, and a 2-week quarantine after she leaves are all on the docket. Thank goodness I have so many things to do!

 

Gobble, gobble!

If I don’t make it back here next week, I wish you all a wonderful and TINY Thanksgiving. Remember, you can stay small yet still have all the trimmings. And there will be less dishes to wash!

 

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