Critters Get a New Look

In my years of hooking, although the majority of my patterns are original, I have only ever sold TWO. This is the second one. It is the wide cut pattern that I designed to get my certification in the TTEC program (Teacher Training Education and Certification) in the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild.

I called it Critters and I hooked it originally as a square pattern. It has been beside my bed ever since.

It was one of my rugs that I brought to Trent and on visitors' day, someone asked if they could buy the pattern. Just one little change - they wanted a rectangle, not a square. I figured it was no problem - I would just shorten it a tad and add something to either side. And you can never have too many trees, right?

Here is where I netted out after sketching it onto some psuedo red dot.

And here it is on primitive linen, ready to be mailed.

Since I don't design with sales in mind - strictly for my own purposes - it is very flattering when someone asks if they can purchase something from me. And it is wonderful to see what someone else does with it. I guess that is the joy in designing patterns for sale too.

Hopefully, I will get to share the finished mat as well.

Lost a day - gained a background.

Well, somehow it isn't July 6, it's the 7th.  And that has been happening a lot lately. The long weekends in there make it worse, but I generally know the day - just not the date.

Since this morning's post, however, I did get the background done in my little portrait. And I am happy with it.

I wonder why I am so much more forgiving with things done in wool than with things done with paint - or even worse (shudder) a camera.  I guess this is why I like rug hooking as much as I do. And why I LOVE rendering photos into little "snippets". Capturing a moment without too much self criticism is so much better than the alternative.

Anyway, I am happy with this likeness.

July 6 already?

Where did the month go?

Well, a good part of it went to "granding" and "teaching". We had Jackson and his mom here for a full week before my teaching gig at Trent.

I do a bit of a morning shift with Jackson so his mom can head back to bed. I am up already, so it is a natural fit. We hang out and watch a little Treehouse and then the day begins. You do forget how much time and space these little creatures fill.

Then, my wonderful week at Trent. I had a mixed wide cut class called "Primitive or Wide Cut - its up to you". My students would tell you that I have a bit of a fixation about the confusion between the two and my new motto (which they all learned to chant in chorus) is: PRIMITIVE IS A STYLE!! WIDE IS A CUT!! and my class was the perfect example of the difference.

I had about half the class doing PRIMITIVE STYLE rugs, while others in the room were doing geometrics, photo to mat projects or just wide cut rugs - in any style they chose. We had a fabulous week of sharing, learning, watching great videos and they did great work. By the end of a week, it is amazing to see how much everyone has accomplished. They have all promised to share their finished projects, so I should have lots of bragging rights very soon (or at least once the summer is done).

Then, we had our first solo stint with Jackson. His parents went to NYC for a late honeymoon, so we had three days and nights to ourselves. Happy to report no dents, scratches or bruises. Very little sleep as well, since you are constantly listening - afraid he might wake and you won't hear him. No chance of that, I discovered. But here is a "future rug" pic that Rick took of us. Pretty sweet.

And this past weekend, he came with his folks for another visit. Check out the sun suit. Future surfer dude, for sure!!

In between all the "granding", I did manage to do a tiny bit of hooking. I am heading to Edmonton this fall for their Fiber Arts Festival and am teaching a couple of classes. They requested a bio picture and since I don't have one I like much, I decided to hook one. This is where I am at the moment. This is very small - only 5 x 6, so the person who said she would never hook in a 4 cut again, actually did.

Lots of tweaking to do still, but just to prove I have not given up hooking altogether. lol.

Some Bragging

In the little break between the OHCG Annual that just passed and my upcoming class at Trent School of Rug Hooking  I have time to do a quick "braggy" post about my students' work.

They may not be a big group, but they are determined and I enjoy having them here in my studio on Wednesday afternoons. And it is my pleasure to share a little bit of their recent work with you.

First up, a smaller version of my washer/dryer pattern, hooked lovingly and "perfectly" by Shania.
Her handy hubby created a great hanging mechanism and this piece is now displayed proudly at the landing in their beautiful home. at 20" wide by 40" long, it was not a quick hook, but I think that Shania is even impressed by her creation.

Next is a trio of Barb's work. She fell hook, line and sinker for the photo-to-mat techniques. In fact, I may have created a bit of a monster here. Just kidding - these are fantastic! She just has to figure out where to put them. I have suggested a grouping (just like photos) on a wall. They are all about 8 x 10 or smaller.

The only thing I have to share of my own is the sign that I did for the Annual "theme" display. The theme was texture, so this is what I made for the display. I remember doing this when I was a kid. Not this big, but the yarn and nails thing - it was really fun.

Mother and Baby Photo to Mat

Maybe it was influenced by Mothers' Day. This week I hooked this little sketch of my daughter Laura with Jackson. The picture was taken here at our place while they had a little nap on the sofa. I knew when I snapped it, it would become a sketch mat.

And here is the little hooked sketch - only 6 1/2 x 9 - using mostly 6 cut for the face and baby and 8 everywhere else. 

As usual, I played with the photo in befunky.com to simplify the image. This was the "pointillism" treatment, which was interesting. I even considered trying to do a proddy effect. But since I wanted to give this as a gift to Laura, I figured she would prefer this. I really liked the effects it created in the background. 

I also discovered a new online site called snapstouch, which is an even simpler program than befunky.

Here is the painting result from there.

Both of these tools create a simpler "painterly" image to hook from. I prefer the options in befunky for some images, but enjoy being able to try both.  So much simpler than photoshop for getting rid of some of the little details and creating a value sketch. 

Once I got the pattern on the backing, this was a pretty quick little project. And something I am sure she will love to have in the nursery. These are the moments that fly by too quickly and it's nice to save them this way. 

Dear Edith, I'm two timing you!!

When I managed to find a little hooking time this week, it wasn't spent with Edith. We are on a bit of a break lol. Not really, I just had something I needed to get back to before my class at Trent in June.

When I taught my Primitive Class at Loyalist last summer, I quickly sketched a fun little pattern which has a motif from each of the students' rugs. I hadn't touched it since last summer, so I dug it out to work on before my Primitive vs Wide Cut Class at Trent.

 The only part I had worked on was the lettering in the centre, which wasn't really working for me. So I changed it. All of it!! The lettering. The design. The wool.

Here is a picture of the before:

Here is what I replaced it with:

Quite a departure!! In this version, I AM loving the lettering. And the colours will all be in the motifs around the outside, so it will all feel anchored. It is much more fun, which for me is half the battle.  Did I mention that working in an 8 cut might be the other half!!

But don't you fret Dear Edith. You and I will have some meaningful time again very soon. 

Small Space. Big Reminders.

Today was the first day this week that I had time to spend with Dear Edith - the name for my inherited kilim. And although I tackled only a tiny motif, I was reminded of many truths about all purchased patterns, all kilims and burlap.

Here is the little area (please excuse the bad photo):

I guess this is the first place in the pattern where precision kicked in - or in my case - didn't.
For all the hooking I got done today, there was as much if not more ripping out and here's the first lesson I had forgotten (I can hear Barb D'Arcy wagging her finger at me as I write this...)

Check your pattern!!
Printed patterns are exactly that - printed. And as much as reputable companies do their best to ensure that they are "on the straight of grain", things shift and sometimes the straight lines running across a motif are anything but. And the print falls on a line of the burlap and you hook slightly above or below it on one repeat but not the next, your precision will be very "unprecise".

So Barb, when I get to this part on the other side of the centre, I will take a ruler and line up all the tops and bottoms of these little flying arrows.

It's not always best to hook the outline first.
Since I had to keep pulling it out anyway, I would have been smarter starting with a centre line in the rust colour and taking it right across the motif. Then I could have hooked everything above and below it to the outline - and then done the outline.

Don't jump up or down a thread.
When you are hooking with a #4 cut, and hooking on burlap, it's very easy to accidentally shift up or down one thread. In a non-geometric wide cut, a single thread shift is not the end of the world. Here it is! Or at least in this precise little motif it is. Lucky for me, it only appears above and below the large centre motif, so I don't have to deal with it too often.

Burlap isn't Rug Warp!!!
I can't remember the last time I hooked on burlap, but there is a reason why I don't. It's called irregular thread size. Invariably you run into that the biggest thread in the worst possible place. That is why I switched to rug warp a long time ago and haven't looked back since. Rug warp has the most regular thread count ever, which is why I love it so much. It makes it much easier to hook in a straight line every row.

I did persevere and got all my rows even - all my outlines are where they should be, and I will be much smarter on this motif when it comes around.

These were all good reminders of things I already know. So is hooking in a 4 cut in a straight line. But when (notice I did not say "if") this project is completed, it will truly be one of a kind. It will be the only project that I undertake in this cut size - or a 4' x 6' size.

But fear not, Dear Edith. I am not deterred. Simply more determined to give you your fair share of attention and one day walk all over you and the many reminders you hold for me.

Feeling More Settled

It was a quiet week without little Jackson around. But he wasn't out of mind. This week he turned 3 months old. And I know that with my own kids, that was a turning point. Sleeping through the night.
Almost laughing. Here are a couple of pretty sweet pics of him.

I finished a little cardigan for him and a "Monster" to go with it. Knitting for babies is such instant gratification. Cardigan is a Debbie Bliss pattern and Monster is from Rebecca Danger's "Knit a Monster Nursery".

I also got back to my hooking. I finished the last proddy border on my "Hook What You Love and You Will Love What You Hook" mat. One of those things that I put off and put off and it really was only a couple of hours to do the border and finish it.

But the project that got a bit of real momentum this week was the Tribal Kilim which I will forever call Dear Edith. This is the rug that I inherited from a rug hooker in Toronto who knew she would never finish. I vowed to do it for her, but have managed to not do too much in the 5 years since I bought it from her.

Since I didn't have a new project on my plate, I decided to spend some time with it. It's quite a different hooking experience when it is more about the mechanics than the creativity. Quite mindless and relaxing - I would lose a couple of hours listening to the sound of the loops. And it is good practice to hook in a smaller cut and pay attention to tension.  And you really do get coverage if you spend the time.

Day 1: A large motif finished

Day 2: Outlining and some saw tooth shapes above the medallion

Day 3: Filling in between the side and the large motif - aiming to do one section right across the width

Definitely seeing headway, but a very very long way to go still. And I am tracking my time, which should be very scary as I go along.

In the meantime, the sun is out. The snow is melting. Did our first snow shoe on the lake yesterday and it actually felt warm when we got moving. I know that spring is still a long way away but the warm sunny days make you hopeful.

Beach and Baby Bliss

Nearly 2 months since my last post and my time has been well spent. My 8 weeks in Barbados flew by faster than I could ever imagine. How could I have believed that it would be too long!! And watching the weather from paradise turned it into an excellent spectator sport.

People came from all around the world and everyone shared one common topic: the craziness that has been this winter!! The Brits had all the flooding. Portugal was unusually cold. Germany was in a deep freeze. And well, you all know what happened in our neck of the woods. Not happened - happening!!

Even Barbados had unusually wet weather this year. In fact, the umbrellas that had sat in our suitcases since our first trip there 4 years ago became an extension of our hands - we took them everywhere, including the beach.  If the showers looked like they "wouldn't amount to much", we just hid under our brellies till the sun came out again. This became a popular position.

There were lots of adventures during our stay, many repeats of what we have done in the past, but we did make it to our first polo match and a few new eating spots, the best of which turned out to be the "cheap and cheerful" options.  One of our new favourites is Bombas, a beach bar/restaurant with great food and an amazing view.  We had early dinner one evening to try to catch the "green flash" (a flash that happens at the exact second the sun goes down into the sea). We didn't see one because of the cloud cover. But if you click on this picture, you will see what else was blocking the view.

That's right - one of those climbing ice bergs got parked in the exact spot where the sun went down. Too funny really!

We flew back on March 12 and made excellent time till we got to Toronto. Then we sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for a place to park. So many flights were grounded that day that there were no empty spots. We drove to Oakville and saw our car sitting under nearly 18 inches of snow. Yuck!!

The silver lining to our return was that our daughter Laura and grandson Jackson came for a 10-day stay. Yes, we were able to get new pics and videos and the occasional skype session plus imessage daily while we were in Holetown, (technology is wonderful!!) but it's amazing how incredible it is to catch up with this little bundle who was only 15 days old when we left.  Now he wiggles and giggles and kept us entertained throughout his visit.

The house will seem quiet without him this coming week. But reality will seep back in as will that "to do" list of things waiting for me to tackle, including income tax stuff. grrr.

Rug hooking is back on the radar screen this week, especially since my students are returning to my weekly classes - barring any blizzard conditions that get in the way. And before you know it, the OHCG Annual in Oshawa will be here at the end of May, followed closely by my class at Trent Rug Hooking School. The Annual is always a fun weekend of catching up and a great rug show. And the Trent Rug Hooking School is a total blast - summer camp for rug hookers. I understand there are still some spaces available there if you haven't already booked.

As to the next "beach time", according to the forecast here, it will be a very late spring, so no water activities for a long, long time. But baby bliss is just 2+ hours away and there will still be daily imessaging and occasional pictures and skype to fill the gaps.

Hooking in Holetown

For the first time in our four trips here, this year I actually packed hooking supplies. I brought my small gripper frame, a small piece of backing and a bag of alternative fibers such as ribbon, panty hose, sari silk and a few other things hanging around the studio. I figured the small size and the lighter fabrics wouldn't be too hot to work with here.

Four days shy of our two week mark, we have run into a patch of rainy weather. Seems like the minute we head to the beach, down it comes: the minute we go back inside, out comes the sun.  So yesterday, after a few "ins and outs", I decided to pull out the hooking and sit at the table in our little covered area and pull some loops.

I packed mostly blues and greens to bring - either subconsciously knowing those were the colours of the sea - or just because I love the colours. And, inspired by the sea and the images around us here, I drew a spiral design on my backing. Is it the waves of the sea? Is it a chambered nautilus? I don't know.

Whatever it is, I  think it will be a purse front, since it is too small to make into much else. But I have been comforted by the loop pulling. And relieved that it is not too hot to do so. Hooking in Holetown is like Hooking in Heaven.

Here is what - and where - I am hooking.

The colours of the sea and the sun, in the shape of a nautilus.

Here are all my fibres and a peek at my Holetown hooking table. 

The chambered nautilus in its natural habitat - well, I guess palms are not its habitat.

When I was finished yesterday, I realized that this design looks suspiciously like Karen Kahle's spiral chair pads - in fact, I went to her blog to see. If she subconsciously inspired me, I thank her for it. But I do think it was more the shells and the sea and the brightly coloured fish that really got me going. And a couple of rainy days to make it happen.

But lest I despair about the rain, I think of the crazy weather back home - the -32 this week and the never-ending snow - and count my blessings. The people staying at our place are more than welcome to all that snow removal for a while. And I will gladly tolerate the rain. 

In hindsight, I wish that I had brought a bigger piece of backing and more material with me to make a bigger piece that would take a bit longer. But I am sure if I feel like doing more, I will be able to track down what I need. After all, I am NOT hooking with wool.

What a Happy Holiday it Was.

Jackson finally arrived and is the best holiday present you could ask for. He came right between Christmas and New Year's on the 28th. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 20" long.

And for his entire life, I am sure he will hear the story of "The Ice Storm" that I am convinced he decided to wait and miss. We had just settled into our "home away from home" at our friends Elaine and Harvey's house. On our second night, the power went out somewhere around 2 a.m. due to ice encrusted trees snapping in half and pulling down power lines. When we walked outside that morning, it was a mixture of sheer beauty (the ice on the trees) and devastation (thousands upon thousands of mature trees gone!).  Nearly the entire province of Ontario was affected and it is now clean up time, which is a huge job.

We were without power for 3 very cold days. for my darling daughter - already overdue and over anxious at this point - went into full melt down mode when they lost theirs for 4 days. But little Jackson waited out the storm, and once power was back on and their apartment toasty once more, he decided to arrive. We were luckier than many who were 10 days or longer without power, including Christmas Day.

Here is Jackson with his beautiful mom who can't believe he is hers.

Here he is with his proud Uncle Matt.

And his ecstatic Grandmoose and Grandpa.

He sure is a sweet little thing. Here he is all dressed up for his first doctor's appointment. Not sure we have any pictures of him where he isn't sleeping. But we all know that will change.

He has already wormed his way into everyone's hearts and I can see that 2014 will be a happier new year for all of us with him in it. We are so happy to have joined the Grandparents Club.

By the way, the Christmas tree hat in the last post didn't get used this year. But I think I will be able to add onto the bottom of it for next year, which will technically be "baby's first Christmas".

Health and happiness to all of you for 2014.