Tag: punch needle rug hooking

February 17, 2020

Hemming, Hooking, and Punching, oh my!

Here in Albuquerque, we’re hemming, hooking, and punching, oh my!

The hemming part of hemming, and hooking, and sewing, oh my!

HEMMING
The secret project is almost done. The hooking’s complete, but there’s a LOT of hemming to be done, rug binding to be sewn down. It’s been taking a LOT of my time. But if I can finish that and figure how to hang it, I think that I’ll enter it into a fiber show up in Santa Fe to run during the New Mexico Fiber Arts Center (formerly Española Valley Fiber Arts Center) Fiber Crawl in May. Check out the info whether you’d like to be a participant or would prefer to check out the festivities this year.

HOOKING
Cathy and I have one more evening in Santa Fe as artists in residence at the Inn on the Alameda. There’s not been all that much action, but we usually get in a few good chats with a guest or two. Two weeks ago we met a group of ladies who came from all over the US to take a workshop that would teach them how to make clothes from the cloth that they’d woven back at home. They were really into the tactile nature of our hooked rugs. One woman had inherited hooking paraphernalia from a relative and got all hyped visiting us. Another loved the idea of using used clothing, especially t-shirts, and wants to give hooking a try. Alas, she isn’t from here, so she’ll have to find a teacher on her own.

Meanwhile, Friday, a friend of a LeeAnne, an AWAG guild mate of mine, came here for an intro lesson Friday. (Bowyn was a BEAR, wanting desperately to become her new best friend. Ideas of what to do with a dog when you teach in your home? Till he’s trained, that is.) Barbara came last week so that she could attend AWAG’s first hooking retreat of the new year. If you’re in the area of Hope Church on Juan Tabo in Albuquerque Wednesday or Friday, 10-3, we cordially invite you to stop by. If hooking’s your thing, bring that. Knitting, embroidery, whatever, we’re happy to have you. (FYI, Thursday, we’ll be holding an in-guild miniature punch needle class, so our hospitality will be “compromised.”)

Dog on hooked rug — Tynan brings you this post’s “what’s on the frame”!

Lastly, as you can see in the photo, Tynan brings you this week’s “what’s on the frame.” It’s a cheery and color-full rug that I’m hooking with old woven bed sheets. Unlike other on-going projects, it’s highly portable. Each evening, too, I hook my daily entry on the ribbon rug journal. More on that next time.

Punch needle rug hooking example — Come punch with me in Santa Fe on February 29.

PUNCHING
And lest anyone forget, Saturday, February 29, I host my first Intro to Punch Needle Rug Hooking class up in Santa Fe, in the New Mexico Fiber Center’s new shop. It opened back in November. Most exciting, doing a class in Santa Fe instead of Española cuts my commute by a full 30 minutes! If you haven’t been there, make sure you make a trip. It’s cute and carries more finished goods than the Española headquarters. And if you’d like to try punching à la Amy Oxford, sign up ASAP. If you can’t make that class, contact me about a class in my home or even yours.

Toma nd Bowyn, man and dog — My other two boys, Tom and Bowyn. Like most days in New Mexico, Saturday was sunny, so the four of us piled in the car went off on a jaunt. Have you done any good walks and hikes lately?

Okay, things could be a lot worse. Hemming, hooking, and punching are all better than working in an office or shoveling snow or even having a mammogram or dental work. Frankly, they’re better than teaching Bowyn over and over how to be a good canine citizen. He’s stubborn and more than a little crazy, that one. But you have to love him. Or at least Tom and I have to. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THIS WINTER DAY?

January 30, 2020

A new year and a new look!

It finally happened: We have a new look! What a way to start off 2020. Hopefully, you like it. It’s a bit cleaner, and, hey, change is good.

“Diamonds of New Mexico” was punched. Take my Santa Fe workshop February 29, and learn how to punch one yourself.

A little catch-up…

The year’s started quietly enough. I’m currently prepping for an introductory punch needle rug hooking class at the New Mexico Fiber Arts Center in Santa Fe. (Note that this is Española Valley Fiber Arts Center’s new name, and the class is in the shop they launched in November down near the Rail Yards. Guess I’m not the only one with a new look.) It’ll run on Saturday, February 29, 10:00-2:00. Bring a small pair of scissors and a lunch/snack. And be ready to have some fun! More info here.

The secret project is still secret. Had to get some other work done besides the website, so we’ll be working to finish that in February. Yikes, that’s only a day away!!!

Cathy Kelly and I are still “working” as artists in residence up in Santa Fe at the Inn on the Alameda. It’s a swell hotel, big old fireplace and all, but truthfully, it’s been a bit of a bust thus far. There’s not much traffic coming through. Big surprise; it’s winter. Next year, I hope to “graduate” to one of the busier hotels on the town’s historical plaza. If you’re around, though, we’ll be at the Inn again February 7 and 21, both Fridays.

Hooked rug on burlap ribbon — The image on the left, the fireplace with it’s cozy fire, is the same one that’s in the lobby of the Inn on the Alameda. Why did I hook it and maybe a…butterfly? That’s a story for maybe next week. Or **Instagram**. It’s a new project. Because I don’t have enough time (?). BTW, it’s not a butterfly; it’s an open book.

We’ve had bad news regarding a couple of events where I usually vend each year. Albuquerque’s apparently still up in the air regarding the Recycled Art Festival. After having nowhere to put us last year, a new home was promised for this year. Sure. And I’ve got swampland in Florida for sale. Also, the end may be near for the High Desert Studio Tour in November. I’m always at my friend Dagmar’s home/studio where she creates BEAUTIFUL hand-dyed yarns under the name ZiaWoolz. 🙁 We’re hoping to bring new life to this event, so hang on for more info.

Lovely news! Many of you have probably seen Karen Miller‘s book that came out last fall: Eyes Open to the World – Memories of Travel in Wool. One of my rugs is featured in it! I’m very grateful to Karen for that. It’s a delightful book to read and take in. And it gives me more rug hooking street cred, if you know what I mean. And that’s despite the fact that my rug was hooked in recycled t-shirts, not wool. 🙂

I guess that’s it for hooking news for now. Regarding the boys, Tynan is fit as ever. A bit furry this time of year, of course. Bowyn, ah, Bowyn. He’s a character that one and not nearly as easy as his big brother. We’ve had a dog trainer in as there’s NO WAY that he could handle the excitement of a puppy class. By that I mean he would generate much of the excitement. Some might even call it…CHAOS. But after being so sick with puppy strangles last summer when he was just a wee one, he’s definitely bounced back. And I do mean bounce. If you get our Instagram feed, you know that we call him Sharknado. Always in the air, always the mouth open. Some day he’ll be a great dog like Tynan. Some day…

Dog Bowyn sleeping — Bowyn at rest. It doesn’t happen much and never when we have visitors.

I think that’s enough for today and three other marathon days at my computer revamping this site, giving it the new look. It’s not even live yet. Pray that that went well and that you’re happily reading away on your own electronic device. And if you have any questions for us here at High on Hooking, know that we’re only an email away. Happy 2020!

Dog Tynan on hooked rug pattern; no new look — Tynan’s back, though no new look for him. And he’s got the newest rug on the frame here at High on Hooking. Its a floral sort of thing being hooked with old bed sheets. Have a great weekend!

August 12, 2019

New items in our Etsy shop

Tynan (dog) with hooked rugs. — Tynan brings you our newest items. All will be loaded into our **Etsy shop** starting today. Address of the shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HighonHooking.

July 15, 2019

Join the punch needle rug hooking revolution Saturday at EVFAC

Example of punch needle rug hooking. — My second punched rug. Began at an Amy Oxford workshop at **Fletcher Farm School of Arts and Crafts** in Vermont years ago. Clearly finished in 2011.

If you’re a rug hooker on Instagram, you’ve seen the crazy increase in punch needle rug hooking posts. Like me, you probably marveled that, hey, some are calling the back the front and the front the back! Which is just fine as long as they’re having fun – the real point of this whole art/craft.

If you get Rug Hooking Magazine, you’ve seen that there are now regular articles on the punch needle universe and its concomitant projects. You’re no longer a second class hooker if you punch!

And if you’re at all familiar with punch needle goddess Amy Oxford, you know that her business sky-rocketed a couple of years ago:

Her business chugged along quite nicely, growing slowly and steadily. Then textile artist Arounna Khounnoraj, co-founder of Bookhou studio in Toronto, became a fan. “I like that her tool is ergonomic and that it’s quick and easy to thread,” says Khounnoraj. “Also, you can use both yarn and cut wool strips in the needles.”

Amy Oxford de-fuzzing a punched rug with…sheep shears! (2008)

When Khounnoraj posted an Instagram video demonstrating a project using an Oxford

Punch Needle, things exploded. The video went viral and Oxford began getting orders from all over the world.

“Sales were up 644%. This was thrilling and incredibly exciting. We sold out instantly. We made thousands more and sold out in 48 hours. Did the same and sold out a third time in 24 hours. I was in shock. I knew I was supposed to be happy but honestly, it was terrifying. Overwhelming is an understatement… We didn’t see this coming. When our punch went viral I promised myself that no matter how many orders we got, I wouldn’t skimp on quality to create more quantity.”

– Amy Oxford in Craft Industry Alliance article

(For the record: You can punch with more than yarn and wool strips. I’ve even punched with recycled t-shirt strips.)

Punched rug (hooked rug) — A punched rug in progress last spring.

To celebrate punch needle rug hooking and to further spread the rug hooking gospel, High on Hooking will be teaching an INTRODUCTION TO PUNCH NEEDLE RUG HOOKING workshop THIS SATURDAY at Española Valley Fiber Arts Center. Contact EVFAC to get in on the fun. (Just don’t call today, Monday, as they’re closed till tomorrow morning.)

During the class, students will:

transfer a pattern onto a monk’s cloth backing;
prepare materials; and
begin punching a mug rug, table “mat,” or wall-hanging.

We’ll use Oxford punch needles as several years ago, after teaching myself to punch using her tool (before she even owned her current rug hooking school), I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Amy. Lastly, we’ll discuss various ways you might want to finish your rug after all the hooking is done. No experience is necessary; just come prepared to play!

For those unable to join us in Española Saturday, I offer rug hooking and punch needle rug hooking classes in my home in Albuquerque. If you live beyond our beautiful Sandia Mountains, please check out Amy’s excellent tutorial videos on her website. Most of all, have fun!