Tag: rug hooking

June 1, 2016

Rail Yards Market this week!

Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market runs Sundays, May-October, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Rail Yards Market – Albuquerque is finally here! For me, that is. Once juried in, I opted to skip May and sell in the summer and early fall every other week. With so many excellent artisans around here, management gave me August off to make room. I won’t complain.

I enjoy sales and such. I try to bring work with me; it generates all kinds of conversation and memories. “I remember helping my grandmother do this…” (Of course, all hookers know that “I did this in the 70s” really means they did a latch hook kit their mom bought them.) Certainly, kids love to try their hand at hooking. And in a town where weaving and quilting are the fiber arts queens, I think it’s time for a new princess to show her hand. I’m happy to be hooking’s ambassadress.

HIgh on Hooking getting ready to go out on the road. Or at least to the Rail Yards Market for a few hours. — High on Hooking getting ready to go out on the road. Or at least to the Rail Yards Market for a few hours.

If you’re in the Albuquerque area between 10:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. this coming Sunday, please stop by. There’s art, food, farmers and their produce, music, and a general good time to be had by all.

Before I can get there, though, I have a lot to do:

Remake tags for every rug. The ones still on some of the mats contain High on Hooking’s info pre-New Mexico.
Check to make sure that my Square is working properly.
Photograph newer rugs.
Finish a couple of mug rugs up. I steamed them two days ago.
Pay June’s rent to the Railyards or all this will be moot.
Sew some hangers onto some of the rugs.
Purchase a basket or two for the small mats.

Many of you know the work that goes into getting ready for a show or sale. I’m not new to this rodeo, but I haven’t done it for well over a year given that we were in the midst of packing, selling a house, and moving in 2015. Time to sweep out the cobwebs and…climb back in that saddle again…

Many hookers are averse to selling away their artwork. Not me; I have too many at this point. Even too many to give away. And I’m making more all the time! Here’s hoping they sell. Are your rugs and mats adorning your own home, given as gifts, hidden away in a closet, or sold to make room for more and/or to purchase materials to make more?

Lest we forget the work on the frame. It's a new bed sheet rug but on monks' cloth this time rather than a latch hook backing. Narrower strips, more holes to fill means it's taking a lot more time! — Lest we forget the work on the frame. It’s a new bed sheet rug but on monks’ cloth this time rather than on a latch hook backing. Narrower strips, more holes to fill means it’s taking a lot more time!

May 17, 2016

What’s on the frame today?

My current project. Hope to get a good chunk done tonight another at my guild meeting tomorrow afternoon. — My current project on the frame. Hope to get a good chunk done tonight and another at my guild meeting tomorrow afternoon.

There’s plenty on the frame today. And on the dining room table too! Am up to my eyeballs in work: 1) finishing a bedsheet rug and 2) going through inventory and re-tagging in order to get ready for Albuquerque’s Rail Yards Market starting (for me) June 5. Then there are the two or three small mats that I have to finish off. If you have a couple of hours and feel like sewing some, give a yell!

Rugs, rugs, and more rugs have taken over the table. The bench is full too!

Wha’s on your frame today?

May 11, 2016

Open workshop with Cheryl Bollenbach gone but not forgotten

Cheryl (r) and Dagmar hold up Dag's rug for show and tell Friday. Dag's son was the original artist, but she's the one putting the life into it. She's a fearless fiber artist who incorporated al kinds of new techniques into this rug. — Cheryl Bollenbach (r) and Dagmar hold up Dag’s rug for show and tell Friday. Dag’s son was the original artist, but she’s the one putting the life into it. She’s a fearless fiber artist who incorporated all kinds of new techniques into this rug.

Hard to believe, but it’s a full week later and the open workshop with Cheryl Bollenbach has come and gone.

Fortunately, the lessons learned and the camaraderie enjoyed go on. Case in point: many of us from the Adobe Wool Arts guild are gathering Friday for another round of dyeing. Okay, personally, I’m not doing any dyeing; I don’t even have any wool to dye. I’m just going to hang out and provide the comedy.

Even though I was working with t-shirt strips last week, it didn't stop me from purchasing some of Cheryl's wools. I loved the sparkly stuff; every rug needs a little bling in it. — Even though I was working with t-shirt strips last week, it didn’t stop me from purchasing some of Cheryl’s wools. I love the sparkly stuff; every rug needs a little bling in it.

Check out the stem action on Dagmar's rug. By incorporating cording and stitching and her own hand-dyed yarn, she punched up the texture factor. — Check out the stem action on Dagmar’s rug. By incorporating cording and stitching and her own hand-dyed yarn, she punched up the texture factor.

Linda's Celtic color-planning. Oh, my! — Linda’s Celtic color-planning. Oh, my!

I’ve included a bunch of pics I took last week. Some are of rugs, some are of rugs and their people, and some are just of folks concentrating on their hooking or having fun.

Mary and her dog sat next to me. SHe was so life-like (the dog, not Mary), that I had to reach over and pet her now and again. — Mary and her dog sat next to me. She was so life-like (the dog, not Mary; Mary is full of life), that I had to reach over and pet her now and again. Again, the dog, not Mary.

How my own psychedelic Tynan (the Welsh springer spaniel) is coming. BTW, he’s made out of old t-shirts.

Cheryl helped each of us develop some new skills, learn a few tricks, and look further into what it is we’re aiming to get out of this art/craft of rug hooking. She did some “long and lovely” dying in the Fry Daddy.

The other Linda's rug included her Mom. I salute Linda for learning hoe to do a realistic face. — The other Linda’s rug included her Mom. I salute Linda for learning hoe to do a realistic face.

Mary's mountainscape is full of color. It made her absolutely giddy for the three days. — Mary’s mountainscape is full of color. It made her absolutely giddy for the three days.

Cathy spent three days hooking and then sculpting these rocks. Very cool.

Friday, Cheryl finally put the “fire” into her presentation as she’d been promising: she demonstrated how we might enjoy aiming a heat gun onto decorated Tyvek to shrivel it. “Cut it into strips and you can really hook this up,” she told us. For those not familiar with Albuquerque springs, they tend to be rather windy. Indeed, Friday, Mother Nature let it gust. The doors of our police substation venue were desperate to open and close on their own; Linda was almost blown down as she stepped outside. Maybe fire wasn’t the best idea for the day especially given our EMS facility. Nonetheless, Cheryl was up for it. Alas, the heat gun on hand wasn’t. Too hot, it blew holes into the Tyvek. They were, we noted, quite interesting-looking holes. (Sorry, the wind precluded photos being taken.) Yet I’m sure something could’ve been done with that Tyvek and some wool and a little imagination. And even the foot-long, blue twist tie Cheryl deposited on my table Wednesday afternoon. That’s how she made us feel about hooking. Anything is possible.

Some of the colors I'm using on Tynan. — Some of the colors I’m using on Tynan.

The values of those same greens. I think that one of the most valuable things I learned was how to use my phone's camera to help me be a better hooker. — The values of those same greens. I think that one of the most valuable things I learned was how my phone’s camera can make me use color better and thus improve as a hooker.

A "long and lovely" cooking. — A “long and lovely” cooking.

...and voila! Here's the piece all dyed and washed and ready to use. And it's all mine because I won it! — …and voila ! Here’s the piece all dyed and washed and ready to use. And it’s all mine because I won it!

Darlene hooking her rose with those skinny, little #3 cuts.

Denise, still new to hooking, even did some proddy work. (I've never done that...) — Denise, still new to hooking, even did some proddy work. (I’ve never done that…)

Thank you, Cheryl Bollenbach, for an an informative and plain old fun three days. Kudos to Catherine Kelly for all your organizational work and to all the other members of the Adobe Wool Arts guild for the hospitality and friendship you’ve shown me these last several months since I moved to town.

Denise working hard. So is Pat behind her, Pat who's been hooking longer than most anyone! — Denise working hard. So is Pat behind her, Pat who’s been hooking longer than most anyone!

Much as Rug Hooking Magazine has the first rug last, Liz presented her first rug and her new second rug. Bravo, Liz! — Much as **Rug Hooking Magazine** has the first rug last, Liz presented her first rug and her new second rug. Bravo, Liz!

April 27, 2016

What’s old is new again

Our new "raised gardening beds." Water goes down the PVC pipe from the hose and collects below the soil in each tub. From there it's to "wick up" and reduce the need for daily manual watering. — Our new “raised gardening beds.” Water goes down the PVC pipe from the hose and collects below the soil in each tub. From there it “wicks up” and reduces the need for daily manual watering. In theory, that’s how it works. We shall see.

Gardening, rug hooking in Albuquerque – what’s old is new again for us here in Albuquerque. At least for Tom and me.

First the gardening. In Massachusetts, planting didn’t happen till mid-May, even early June some years. Not here. Pansies started in late February, and this week we were at Lowes buying herbs and flowers. Today we started planting. Forget the garden bed in the middle of the yard or digging into the soil, though. Instead of dirt, our yard is basically hard-packed sand. So Tom did some – pardon the pun – digging online and came up with these contraptions on the left.

Given how dry it is here in the high desert, they’re supposed to help with watering too. Next week, we’ll pick up a large horse trough and tomato plants. Back east we used to do yard work on automatic pilot. Here it’s gardening 101 all over again.

New mat made out of bed sheets. — New mat made out of old bed sheets.

Then there’s my newest rug, one I previewed a few weeks ago in the Experimenting post. I’m just finishing it up now – whip stitching, of course. (From last week’s post, you know how much I love doing that.) The fun thing about this mat is that it’s hooked completely out of bed sheets on a latch hook background. It came out nice and fluffy. Perfect, perhaps, for a bathroom. Already, I’ve been out collecting more sheets at my local Savers so I can start a new one.

I’m so excited to be giving new lives to old linens and clothes. Recycling, upcycling, whatever you choose to call it, keeps stuff out of landfills and looks pretty fine as well.

Whip stitching along the bottom of the bed sheet rug. — Whip stitching along the backside of the bed sheet rug.

Many hookers have branched out to alternative fibers these days, if only to add texture and other layers of interest to their rugs. Please post pics of your experiments on High on Hooking’s Facebook page.

April 20, 2016

Whipstitching – it’s torture

Whipstitching away... — Whipstitching away…

Now I remember why I stopped whipstitching and went back to finishing rugs with binding tape. And why so many asked about my method of sewing the tape to the edge of the rug before I pull a single loop. ‘Cause whipstitching is a BIG pain in the heiny!

I can say that because I’ve spent part of the past couple of says whipstitching two small rugs. In order to save some of my dwindling supply of monk’s cloth (my old supplier closed over a year ago, and I bought a LOT then), I drew the two mats pretty close together and didn’t bother to sew the twill tape on. I’ll finish them differently, I told myself. Idiot.

The reality is that I find sewing on binding tape BY HAND ALWAYS pretty “zenning.” I listen to music or Prairie Home Companion while I do it. Not so much whipstitching. But it had to be done. And so it was.

In other news, last Thursday evening, Tom and I headed down to the University of New Mexico – Valencia’s Fine Arts Gallery in Los Lunas to hear Adobe Wool Arts guildmate Mary Schnitzler lecture on rug hooking in general and Grenfell mats in particular. Great job, Mary! Then a group of us walked over to the artists’ reception to look at all the mats that are hanging for the month-long show. If you’re in the area, stop by. In the meantime, enjoy a few photos.

*“Great Aunt Margaret on Slovenian Family Farm”* by Mary Schnitzler.

"Ketchikan Mask" by Cathy Kelly. — “*Ketchikan Mask”* by Cathy Kelly.

Rugs by guild members: Cathy Kelly, Mary Schnitzler, Pat Wagner, and me, Laura Salamy ("Fireworks"). The large rug in the center is the "guild rug" worked on my members a few years back (before my time). — Rugs by guild members: Cathy Kelly, Mary Schnitzler, Pat Wagner, and me, Laura Salamy (*“Fireworks”*). The large rug in the center is the “guild rug” worked on my members a few years back (before my time).