Something to be thankful for: When you meet an Instagram friend for the first time! Josephine of lonnieandjosephine Instagram fame showed up out of the blue, surprising me at my booth this weekend. And she bought a rug! Nothing’s better than that. Except that… she’s coming to next week’s Adobe Wool Arts Guild retreat here in Albuquerque. Woohoo!
Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta 2018 is in the books, so now it’s time to lay low for a bit. Well, not exactly. It’s Thanksgiving week, and the kid is coming home tomorrow. Thursday’s dinner for our little family and a few friends is here, and you know what that means: cleaning and cooking! Not so much the hooking for a couple of days. I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your own kin and whoever else circles your table – in body and/or soul. Enjoy one another! Lay low and tell your stories. Eat! Hook rugs! But do it together.
Happy Thanksgiving, 2018! What are you most thankful for this year?
Couldn’t resist. I think this is actually last year’s pic, nonetheless, Tynan and High on Hooking bid you all a very Happy Turkey Day.
So if I haven’t mentioned it, though I can’t imagine that I didn’t, the kid’s moved out of the house again. But this time it seems as if it might be a bit more permanent than last year’s six months. She managed to get herself a job up in Durango– that’s in southwestern Colorado not far over the New Mexican border. About 3½ hours from Albuquerque. Fabulous little town, not even too much snow. I’m rather jealous. Anway, she found an apartment (with deer in the back yard!) and needed minimal parental assistance in securing it. Hurray for her! We’re proud of her.
Tynan just had to get in the pic of the soon-to-be studio/guest suite. Pray that the kid loves Durango.
But this means that once again her room is available for new use. Like…as a rug hooking studio. Okay, not completely dedicated to that, but almost. A twin bed purchased just this week will allow for guest quarters when necessary. I can deal with that.
Again, if you remember last year I’d just ordered the shelving from IKEA when she moved back in. Damn, she arrived before they did. Been in the garage unopened since early last October. Well, they’re opened now! (Thank goodness they were the right color…) They’re even installed, and Tom attached them to the wall just yesterday. (A wall of rug hooking materials falling on someone would be a crappy way to die.) Unfortunately, she says slightly red-faced, everything won’t fit into the room. There aren’t THAT many shelves. Luckily, my kick-ass closet and laundry room are both still available.
Consequently, I’ve been distracted by sed studio and implementing my plan for its best use. Oh, and did I mention that we’re expecting company next week. Just in time for Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque. (If you haven’t been here for that, put it on your bucket list this very minute!)
Tynan presents “what’s on the frame” this week. Does anyone know who designed this rug??? I inherited the pattern. More on that later.
I have managed to hook more on my primitive rug. Tynan models it for you to the right. I’m actually liking it; it being my first primitive rug. Oh, did I mention that I’m hooking it in t-shirt? The plan is to finish it this weekend and start something new right away. Hooking, hooking, hooking. I received confirmation that I’ll be vending again at the Fall Fiber Fiesta November 16-18 at Santa Fe’sScottish Rite Temple. It’s a great event. Will I see you there?
Tynan presents one of the “rugs on the frame” this week. As you can see, I managed to get around the whole perimeter of the “Big Boucherouite.” Woohoo! Unfortunately, it has to take a back seat to the rug below. But I’m getting more excited the farther I get with it. Soon color!
Sure, “what’s on the frames this week,” but more like “what’s nothappening this week?” Too much stuff is breaking as I get ready to take my first vacation with Tom for the first time in, like, 10 or 11 years! And it’s a good vacation, made more special because it’s the year of our 25th wedding anniversary (long gone by back in January). But more on that another time.
Just take in all these things I have to get done this week :
an acupuncture visit;
a “see you in September” luncheon and group hooking for Mary, a guild member who’s moving back to Wisconsin, but, fortunately, will be back in September for our Sharon Smith workshop (and this winter too, we hope);
find some GOOD earplugs so that I can sleep when “Snoring Tom” when we go away;
pay my New Mexico gross receipts tax for the first six months of 2018 (the rest the country just calls it a sales tax);
update my inventory after Sunday’s Rail Yards Market – hey, I did really well; some lady bought out almost half of my mug rugs to send here and there for gifts;
all the other things you usually have to do just to live – clean, bake, shop, etc., etc.
Look familiar? Yep, it’ll be an almost-clone of “Woof.” A lady saw the original in my Etsy shop but didn’t want the OD green background that I hooked in. She prefers a blue-based background. Perfect for last week’s Fourth of July holiday judging by the great pic of her pups that she sent. All SIX! were decked out in red, white, and blue and had American flags. Gotta love the dogs!
I won’t bother you any with any more specifics, but I’ll show you the other rug that’s on the frame this week. How’s your summer going? Busy???
“The First Boucherouite” hooked from old bed sheets and a little t-shirt added in. It’s going to be a TV star!
My rug’s going to be a TV star! I just know it. Of course, it’s leaving me…in the New Mexican dust.
I can explain.
If you remember, I told you that I did well selling at the Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta last month. In fact, someone really liked one of my personal favorites, the “First Boucherouite,” so she purchased it. While I knew I’d miss it, I’d named it “First” for a reason; I’m going to make another Boucherouite, bigger even, and maybe actually keep it for myself. I’ve already started buying the bedsheets at Savers.
Anyway, after the buyer had settled up with the cashier and left, show organizers paid my booth a visit. Turns out that the woman works for Better Call Saul – you know, the TV show created as a prequel to Breaking Bad. Both shows not only take place here in Albuquerque, they’re filmed locally as well. It appears the chick’s a set designer and always on the lookout for new materials to dress the set. All I knew is that she not only bought my rug, but a couple of lovely Navajo rugs and some other items too. (That I know because she and a friend – who bought one of my signature rugs! – were keeping their treasures behind my table as they perused the fair.) I was informed that if the television show intended to actually use any of the artists’ pieces, we’d receive a release to sign.
So life goes on. The episode makes a good story to tell, and that’s about it. Until yesterday afternoon when I opened my email. Loe and behold, there’s a message with the subject line: BETTER CALL SAUL TV REQUEST. I’m in the car. Tom’s driving. The kid’s with us. I tell her the story; she’s properly incredulous. Then she says, “You better be prepared when they cut the scene. They do that a lot.” Duh, but thanks so much, Debbie Downer. And I carried her in my own body for nine whole months…
Regardless of Miss Pessimism, we’ll see what happens. And I better start watching Better Call Saul. That’s not a hardship; I just have to find the time. Having been a big fan of Breaking Bad, I was planning on firing up Netflix at some point to catch the new show. New – ha! The email said that they’re currently filming the fourth season. Guess I better get a move on.
And on that note, I bid you all wonderful and light-filled Hanukkahs, Christmases, and New Years. I’ve decided to take the rest of the year off from regular blog posts. No fears, you can always find me on Facebook and Instagram. (I’m pretty new to Instagram, but I love it. It’s so much quicker than other social media, yet you still get to see lots of cool pictures of peoples’ work.) ‘Tis the time for parties and such (and concomitant cleaning of one’s house to make ready for those parties). Make the most of the holiday season. Find some time to relax. Gift yourselves with TIME to read and rest and to enjoy your family and friends. Oh, and to hook. Make sure you hook. See you in 2018!
Tynan and I wish you the brightest of holiday seasons! We have no “rug on the frame” this week; I’ve been crocheting lately, and the one rug I am currently working on is a surprise for Brigitte Webb to view when it’s finished. See you in the New Year!
It’s December, Christmas-time here at my house, and the waiting’s begun…
— For Christmas, but that’s a given.It is Advent. In the meantime, I’m trying to get decorations up and cards written. Then there are the cookies to bake and a party to prepare for. But again, this is usual stuff at this time of year. And I’m behind just as I am most years…
— A phone call to go through. I just got back from Albuquerque’s Biopark where I was doing rug hooking demos with the guild and walked into the husband and the kid both manning phones that were on hold. If I have to listen to the disembodied voice repeating “all our agents are busy” for much longer… The kid needs new healthcare, and it’s not been an easy process. How many of you can relate?
No waiting in traffic during the day! Bossy is one of the new exhibits at the BioPark’s River of Lights. See it through the New Year. Sure, it’ll look better at night, but you get the general drift. It’s a beautiful show and a great fundraiser for the park.
— A brandy, new rheumatoid arthritis med to work. I started it about a month ago. I hear I’ll know within six to eight weeks if this one will do the trick. At least my own insurance finally agreed to cover it. 🙂
— A rug design idea. The Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council is sponsoring a show in April. The theme is “Earth, Wind, and Fiber.” The call for entries opens January 1 and closes February 25. Despite mulling on it for longer than I’d like after I get into bed, I’ve not yet come up with a design idea for a rug to enter. Think, think, think…
The lovely lady behind those Foster Grants purchased “The First Boucherouite” last month at the Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta. It’s still one of my favorite rugs, and I called it the “First” for a reason. Hm, do I really need a brand new idea this week to start working on a rug?
— A secondary rug design idea so I have a rug to work on while I wait for the above idea to come through.
— High on Hooking’s Christmas party. Okay, that’s just what Tom and I call it, but every year we plan an evening nice out at a good restaurant. No ordering at a counter!
— What Tom and I will do for our 25th anniversary next month. We’re thinking a BIG trip, but not in January. We haven’t decided where or when yet, but more on that to come…
— The Old Pueblo Rug Hookers Hook-In on January 27. I’m even more excited for the trip this year because last January I won a great door prize: free admission in 2018! Woohoo! And it’s always warmer in Tucson than it is here in ABQ.
We’re just waiting for the Patriots to continue their magic.
— Tynan to finally get a little brother! It probably won’t happen till the spring or so, but Tom finally agreed that we’ll get a puppy this coming year. Woohoo! I love having two dogs, and Tynan benefitted from the “wisdom” of his predecessor Murphy. Albuquerque is a great city for rescues, so we’ll probably go that way. There’s gonna be a baby in the house again! (Beth Miller of Parris Hill Wool Works knows just what I’m talking about. Check out Wyeththese days!)
What are you waiting for this holiday season? Whatever it is, remember these wise words from Grumpy Cat:
Patience:
What you have when there are
too many witnesses.
Tynan’s back with “What’s on the frame this week.” He’s not showing you a lot of the rug as it’s one of nine “friendship rugs” that some of us in the guild are working on. More about them on 2018. And, yes, that is my completely undecorated Christmas tree in the background.
