Haunted House Rug Progress

Hooking for 5 minutes a day is really paying off!! I've finished the whole bottom of the rug - except for the cat whiskers because I haven't decided what I want to do with them yet. And I need to under-score the wheels somehow but I haven't decided on that either yet LOL.

I'm really happy with the higgledy piggldy hooking in the grass to make it look unkempt. And I am absolutely still in love with that green!!

I started on the upper part of the rug now with the door but that's about all I've done on the top LOL! Now to get started on the houses! I think I have some wools I am happy with so we'll see how it goes!

Rug Hooking Display

I put a small rug hooking display at our local library on Monday to advertise our little hook-in that we are attempting to get going. Our Group meets in the Arnprior, ON public library the first Wednesday of the month between 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm. Our first meeting is on Wednesday.

While I was setting up quite a few people stopped to comment on how nice they thought that it looked. It seemed like a good place to put up a display since we meet there and it was free! LOL! The only requirement is that you have books in the display (it is a library lol) and that it stays for two weeks. Sorry for the glare on the photo it was the best I could do with the door right behind my back and the sun coming through.

It was the perfect timing for me since we have the Fiberfest display and demos on September 12th and 13th so I'll need my stool back again. I was working on the stool at Fiberfest last year so it will be good to show the finished stool. It should be fun to do it again this year. You can see the display from last year here. It was lots of fun and I hope that I will be able to have a bigger display and "hook" even more people!! ;)

10 Minute Hooking Challenge

Hi all!
I have decided to participate int eh 10 minute Hooking Challenge over at Red Jack Rugs! It is a great challenge where we "Work on your rug at least 10-minutes a day, six days out of the week, except holidays, for at least six months." I think this will be a great thing to really keep me hooking! I mean who can sit down for only 10 minutes LOL??? I've been making such great progress on my rug by sitting down every evening so I figured that this will just keep me going even more. Sometimes we only have 10 minutes and by challenging ourselves to stick to 10 minutes a day you give yourself permission to prioritize your art - even if it's just for those few minutes a day. I had great success doing my UFO's in quilting a couple of years back by making the time to finish them so I am really hoping that this challenge will have the same effect on me - making the time by allowing myself to prioritize rug hooking a bit.

The other thing that has worked wonders for me is to leave myself a bit more set up in rug hooking. I've arranged my chair and wool basket with my frame and a little side table so that I can actually sit down and hook for those small pockets of time. When I did this for myself in quilting I was amazed at how much more I was able to accomplish!!! It's the set-up and take-down that drains the time away. I'd rather spend that time quilting or hooking!!!

Rug Progress and Clothespin Bags

Here's a picture of the two clothespin bags that I made in the last week :D They are from the Darlene Zimmerman pattern Wash Day Clothespin Bag. her patterns are wonderful and very vintage in feel. I can't seem to get enough of the 1930's reproduction prints lately so this really fit what I felt like making! I made the red and green one first then found that great print at my LQS with "Earth" and "Go Green" etc printed on it and thought that it would make a great background for a clothespin bag! I put a bit of ribbon on the waste band to make it a bit funkier. I love it!

I think that I might make a few of these for Christmas presents for some friends and family. They are sooo cute and the pattern is really nicely written! I must say they look wonderful hanging on the line :D

Here is the progress on the Haunted House rug that I've been working on. I am so happy with the progress that I have been able to make the past couple of weeks! I have been hooking for about an hour most nights, while watching movies, and I have been amazed at what i have been able to accomplish.

The path and road look like they are almost the colour of the burlap but they are actually and off-white wool that I onion skin dyed.

I think that I might hook a bit of a dark purple line on the bottom of the car wheels to give some more contrast between the wheels and the road. I'll probably use the same sort of technique that I used on the drivers face and hook with a really really thin piece of wool. So far I am very pleased though!

I'm trying to formulate in my head a plan for some stair risers to go up our staircase. I have so many different ideas for what I would like to do but they all seem to clash in my head. I need to come up with a unified theme in my head like these ones here. I don't want to do a farm theme but you get the idea. I am torn between realistic (probably backyard birds since my husband is a birder) or geometric (like circles again) or funky (like these ones here). I just can't decide!! We live in a 100 year old house so traditional might be more appropriate but I would take them with me if we move that's for sure!!! LOL. Decisions decisions :D

Progress on the Haunted House Rug!

Since we haven't been having a nice and/or hot summer I've actually got quite a bit of hooking done! I ordered more of that amazing green wool from Wanda Kerr of WandaWorks. I will now have enough to finish the grass *whew!*

I also hooked the care and driver (minus the wheels!). The smile and eyes are actually really really thinly cut black wool that I cut by hand and hooked! I think that must be about a #1 cut b/c it was the thickness of embroidery floss LOL. It was a new thing and a bit of a challenge but I like the effect.

The gate is a #4 cut and the rest of it is a #6 cut. I really like working in a #6 cut so far. Not too big and not to small :)

Now to get the wheels done!!

Have you all seen this video that Deanne Fitzpatrick "Teaching Grandma to Hook" put up on YouTube? It's a spoof video about teaching someone to hook. It is tooo funny!!!