Pillows and Teapots

This is my latest....I'm working on a hydrangea pillow design.  I'm trying to keep my colors faded and old looking, and I'm really loving working with a different color palette than my usual brights.  I have yet to finish the motif and hook the border.  I'm then planning on prodding the edges with deep purple/rose petals.  You know, I've lost count of how many pieces I've hooked over the past 5 or 6 years, but have never done a pillow.  I'm hoping it will be the first of 3 floral pillow designs I have dreamt up.


Moving on to teapots and tea cozies............

Notice my poor naked teapot to the left.  Well, I made a cup of tea yesterday morning.  After I poured it I decided to put my newly hooked tea cozy by Primitive Spirit (Karen Kahle) over my teapot for a sort of warming test drive.

It looks just too cute, but really wanting it to be functional.  About half hour later we had a visitor.  I asked him if he'd like a cup of tea, and he said, "I would love one".  Well, I was a bit worried that my water would have cooled too much by then, and I would need to make another pot.  But, YIPPEE, the water was still quite hot after being kept all tidy and warm in it's tea cozy.  I lined the cozy (as per directions from Karen) with a quilted muslin, so that's what did the trick.  I'm sure all that hooked wool didn't hurt.

Moving on.....once again I spent too much $$ at Teal's nursery this afternoon.  After planting my pots all morning, I went and bought more for hanging baskets....also found a gallon pot of Spanish Lavender with the most beautiful blooms.  I already have a few lavender plants, but not Spanish.  So.....I'm out the door with gloves and spade!  Have a fab weekend. xo

Lavender Tea Cozy and Indigo Bunting....I Love Spring!

Finished hooking my tea cozy from Primitive Spirit (Karen Kahle) and will get to the assembly part soon.  I simply LOVE this little piece.  Started it at the Boat House Hook In, and haven't put it down.  I tried to follow her color scheme, because it just grabbed me, and I didn't want it any different.  This, with my Pretty Chicken Kitchen rug, will be my kitchen updates for the year.  Lots cheaper than new appliances, counters, and tile!   I am really anxious to begin a new pillow design, so not sure if I can wait to begin hooking again.  I'm one of those hookers who needs to finish one project before I move on to the next.  But.......enough about hooking......I jumped on getting this post done, because below you'll see an indigo bunting that was at my feeder a bit ago, and I just had to share it with you.  The photo is a bit blurred because I had to take it through the kitchen window, and the little darling kept moving about.  These tiny beauties are a sure sign of spring at our place.  Sometimes I've seen them all over the drive, and it literally looked like bright blue paper had been tossed about.

Well....off to do some yoga, and then head out to a wonderful nursey in Ash Grove to load up on annuals for the pots.  Enjoy this lovely springy Friday!

xo

2nd Annual Boathouse Hookin

The Boathouse Hookin was Saturday, and I'm sharing a few shots with you.  Above you'll see Tammy, Katie, and Renee.....a few of my Springfield hooking buddies.  As you scroll down you'll see a few pictures of rugs done by our talented crew from the Ozarks!

Felting by Vicki Hardcastle....it gets my "WOW" vote!

Pretty Chicken Kitchen Rug

Pretty Chicken Kitchen Rug.....say that three times fast!  

She's hooked, and now onto the bind off....strips or covered cord?  She will be on the kitchen floor in front of the sink, so will take a lot of wear.

What's Cookin' At Tammy's?

Tammy (middle) invited Sandy (left) and myself over for a day of wool dyeing.  We got an early start at 9:00 A.M.!

Sandy was having fun with spot dyeing......

Yum..............................

I was working with some Karen Kahle recipes for my tea cozy.

Quite a bit of creativity and experimentation began to happen............

We don't know what to use it for.........but we LOVE it!

The fruits of our labors

Thought all the wool might look interesting wadded up like Easter eggs (you'll have to use your imagination a bit).

Lonnie was bushed after a busy day of supervising us wool mavens......
We left at 5:30.....

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

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.

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.

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........

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.

Houses for Haiti and Recuperation

These cute little "Houses for Haiti" are magnets and were made by students of my dear friend Ann, art teacher extraordinaire.  She is selling these at several shops in our town, and so far has raised over $400!  Ann came over to keep me company yesterday with mocha latte and pumpkin bread.  I'm doing really well so far, and all the credit goes to my talented surgeon, sweet husband Jim, and many years of thousands of downward dogs (yoga pose).  I'm just so excited, have a shoe on today, but will need to get it off after this post to ice and elevate.

What have I been doing?

Well.......I've been reading, drawing, and crocheting mostly.  I've had to re-teach myself how to crochet.  Kind of winging it by making this granny square coverlet.  It's hard to follow the tutorial on-line with my foot propped up, so gave that up and just dove in.  Keeps these antsy hands busy!  My need to hook has really taken over though.  I've been spending time pouring over books of wonderful rugs and mats by some of my favorite rug artists.  I have also been doing some sketching.  I think I'm going to start hooking a small mat of something simple, perhaps a cute little old wing-backed chair I bought from Leolas a few years ago.  It's right in my line of vision during foot elevation.  I think it may be time to set up a still life at the dining room table and move me, my sketchbook, and my foot in there......


Thanks to you blog pals who have posted your kind words of support, and also to friends who have called and dropped by with food and good conversation (Cyndi and Claire, who will probably never read this...but got in person hugs, what pals and wonderful cooks!).  I still have about three more weeks that I will be mostly home-bound.  Oh dear, this may be one giant granny square coverlet!