Sunday, March 28, 2010

Thoughts on Rugs and Tranquility















I've so enjoyed working on this little kitchen rug (actually about 24"x16").  I don't know why, but I just don't feel any pressure with my hooking right now.  Why would I have felt pressure in the past?  Good question.....I'm either wanting to get it done for a particular reason, such as the rug show we did in February, or I am wanting to move on to another piece.  Rug hooking is so labor intensive, that it requires quite a bit of patience (as all you hookers are well aware of).  I have been thinking a lot about slowing down and just pulling loops to see where that leads me.  Does that make any sense?  I want my work to be precise, which for me, means really paying attention to the finishing off process.  This is where I get in a hurry, want to be done, and move on to the next project.  I wonder why that is, and as I ponder that question, I realize it's from all the years of teaching and the pressure of deadlines.  I'm so happy to be at a point in life to make time my own, and my rug hooking is becoming sort of a metaphor for slowing down and just being in the moment.  This little rug is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now.  Next on my list (oops........there I go looking ahead to the next project) I ordered Karen Kahle's tea cozy pattern on linen (I'm having a love affair with my teapot that my mom ordered me from The Vermont Country Store a couple of years ago).  I thought I would design one of my own, but if you've seen hers....well, why invent the wheel!  It's absolutely one of the cutest hooked pieces ever!  So, onward, upward, and somewhere in the middle you can find me peacefully hooking away watching for foxes (one post down), practicing my yoga,  putting out flowers, and enjoying a beautiful Ozark springtime........xo

Saturday, March 27, 2010

New Neighbor














I heard lots of screeching last night, and this little guy seems to have take up residence around our yard and brush pile.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Chicken Hookin'
















This is the beginning of my new kitchen rug.  It will be a "stand upon" kind of rug, so I'll have to be very relaxed about that.  I believe the background will be in dusky sorts of reds, and there are a couple of flowers and a border that I haven't started working on yet.  I got a little carried away hooking miss chicken, but had fun mixing up the colors.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Have A Heart For Haiti
















I have finished hooking my little mat (about 12" x 10") for "Have A Heart For Haiti."  It still needs binding, and haven't decided on that yet.  The icon for this auction, which will be in June, is over to the right.  If you are interested in participating with this project, just click on that for details.  Now, finally, I'm going to begin making a rug for my kitchen.  This has only been on my mind since I very first started to rug hook.  I keep getting side-tracked with other projects.  I'm sure you know how that goes........

Monday, March 8, 2010

Deanne Fitzpatrick Blog Giveway!












I received my package from Deanne Fitzpatrick's blog giveaway.  If you read a previous post, you may remember that this particular giveaway required you to respond to one or more of Deanne's diary entries.  I have so enjoyed following her diary and the thoughtful entries and responses by other bloggers.  Well....when I first opened the package, I thought "Wow, Deanne sent me a karaoke machine!".  Well, of course I knew that wasn't really the goods, so I started to dig.








To my delight.....I found a basket packed full of treasures!  I'll just show you a few of the items....








Blank cards with talented hookers designs as playing cards.






Books to read during my convalescences.




A hoodie with a Deanne Fitzpatrick design on the back.






Wool......oh goody!!!!!






I received many more items from Deanne's stash, and have displayed them here before you.  What a great blog giveaway, not to mention a thoughtful and creative way to encourage bloggers to write their thoughts and connect with others.



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