No rug hooking...lotsa studying!

After finishing a commissioned runner.....HI KAREN!! I had to put away the wool and hook for studying. I am really missing hooking, and have about a thousand ideas for rugs running through my head, but since I have to take a teaching certification test on July 26, studying takes a front seat. I am certified to teach kindergarten through sixth grade, but after passing this test, I will be able to teach history, social studies, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, and economics in grades seven through twelve. Hopefully this will mean a permanent classroom this fall...fingers crossed!

Our garden is growing like crazy! Right now zucchini is really in season, and I've canned twelve pints of zucchini relish, and baked four loaves of zucchini bread, and still have zucchini in the kitchen and ripening on the vine. While I loooove all this fresh veggie coming from the garden, it's a touch vegetable to do alot with. Our cucumbers are flowering, and there's lots of green tomatoes on the vine, so it's just a matter of time and we'll have lots more! Hubby has done a great job keeping the weeds down, and hasn't yet complained about the zucchini crowding the kitchen table at dinner time...snicker!



Here's a few veggie garden pics. We also splurged on a new kayak when a local outdoor shop had a great sale on kayak packages, and have already gone out once. I fell in love with kayaking when we went to the Outer Banks on vacation a couple of summers ago, and kayaked with a guide on the Alligator River. No alligators, but our daughter and I sharing a double person kayak was hilarious! We have such similar personalities that both of us kept trying to steer....in opposite directions! Going in circles doesn't do much for following the guide and group!

Hubby on the new kayak!


Me and my Dagger (kayak!) Lifejackets don't
do much for the figure...lol

Finally finished!

Flowers in an urn

I have finally finished my latest rug, and while it's not huge, there's a ton of beautiful muted spring colors all through out it. Color planning isn't one of my strong points, so it takes me a little while longer to get it just right! It was great fun to hook, and is an adaptation of a square from a Boston Album quilt that I just love! If you click on the link above, it will take you to the rug's Ebay page.

I will have another post today after I finish homework from the history class I'm taking to earn a cross-certification in teaching. I do love rug hooking, but teaching is something I feel I need to do, and this new certification will help me widen my job pool!

A new rug

The Trotter

I had completely forgotten to post the in progress pics of my most recent rug! It's on Ebay now, and the auction will end tomorrow, and so far is one of my favorites. I had really been wanting to hook a rug with a trotting horse, but had such a hard time getting the pattern just right. After visiting with a rug hooking friend, she gave me a great idea, and the rug hooked up pretty quickly. She suggested using a template for the horse, something I had never thought of. Anyway, I found a great horse "ornament" for want of a better name, made out of metal, traced around it, and voila! A horse...lol

My next rug is still on the hooking frame, but I am planning on a marathon session to finish the background and get it up on Ebay. This rug is a huge departure from what I usually do. Flowers, flowers, flowers, and all muted light primitive colors. I will definitely post a pic tomrrow!

The rain has finally stopped here in Connecticut, and we are supposed to have a really great weekend...fingers crossed! Maybe I'll even get out the kayak for a couple of hours on Sunday. First time this year, and I can't wait!!

Rain, rain, go away.....

What a gloomy day, and it's looking like we're in for a rainy weekend. While gloomy days are great for crafting of all types, especially rug hooking, my carpal tunnel is still acting up. I hooked for about an hour yesterday, and about an hour today, and can't seem to handle more. I guess the next step will be stepped up ibuprofen dosages and icing down my arm....*sigh* Oh well, it could be worse, and I'm sure I'll be back to hooking soon.

On another note.....how 'bout them gas prices?!! It's almost to $4.00 a gallon, and I've really pared down my driving. You don't realize how often everybody jumps in the car at the slightest 'need' to go somewhere until you're filling up the gas tank twice a week! If you are a blog reader, you'll see similar entries all over the place. Lori at Stitches in Tyme had a great entry a couple of days ago talking about the energy crisis, gas prices, and going green. Looking way back to our ancestors and how "made do" with what they had, or did without is a great lesson. I mean, if we didn't have all the extras, what would we do instead? I've already started a veggie garden and plan to buy locally as much as possible. I'm also going to learn how to can so that we can have garden veggies as much into the winter as possible. Hubby built a great fire pit in our backyard, and I would really like to spend more time out there in the evenings instead of being a tv/computer zombie! (yep, I'm a tv/computer addict...lol) Also, we really don't live too far from quite a few stores, and walking would be a good thing as long as I'm not shopping for the month! It's a lot to change, but in the long run, I think it will benefit me, our family, and hopefully lessen our footprint on Mother Earth!

A rug hooking break

Carpal tunnel has reared it's ugly head yet again! Years of a job that involved heavy data input started the flare ups, it kind of "went away", then after a Saturday of planting veggie plants, and a Sunday of rug hooking, my right wrist up to my elbow is killing me! I tried hooking yesterday, but it was a no go, so today was a day of rest....well, if you call making three dozen cupcakes rest...lol

I've started a prim horse rug, and I'm pretty excited about it! I'll take a picture tonight, and hopefully by tomorrow, I'll be able to start hooking again. I tried to finish a reproduction sampler, but even cross-stitching is a bit painful. grrrrrr!

Tomorrow, I'm going to post a few flyers around town advertising rug hooking workshops by me. I think it would be great to find some hookers....yeah, hookers...lol!.....around that would like to meet a couple of times a month or more to form a hooking group. I do love to hook, and it would be great to find a few people locally that have the same artistic/crafty interest.

If anybody is reading this blog, please leave a comment! Feedback on my rugs, or especially if you're local (central-ish Connecticut) let me know!

Sheep table runner (my current favorite!)

Pomegranate table runner

The chairpad

Here's my most recent hooked projects. I do love the look of table runners, and hooked my first chair pad! The finish isn't exactly what I wanted it to be, but now I know a bit better what to expect for the next one!

Must. Improve. Blogging. Skills.

Yes, I'm not the best blogger in the world, but I am really trying to improve! I've been very busy hooking away, but haven't posted on Ebay for a while. The fees are really going up, and with the economy doing what it is, people just aren't buying like the used to. My plans in the future are to start an on-line business and try to get some workshops going locally. Tomorrow I am going to put up some flyers at the library, grocery store bulletin boards, and possibly the senior center.

My inventory is building slowly, but I had great influx of wool last week. It's all piled on my kitchen table right now, but will be organized by Sunday....I hope! ;o) I used monks cloth for the first time, and will NEVER go back to burlap again! I hooked a really cute chair pad, which my cat Lily loves, and don't really want to part with it. I'm thinking it's time to post some pictures!

A couple of Saturday ago, I went to my first rug show! Fairfield Grace Methodist Church had their 48th Annual rug show, and it was great! I met Sarah and Barbara from Hallowed Hill Primitives/Paisley Studios, and they were quite gracious. I like being able to meet fellow hookers mainly because there's not that many hookers around here. I bought some oatmeal wool, and a couple of yards of light gray, but really had to limit myself. In the next couple of months, I'm going to have an opportunity to build my inventory, so saving money is priority!