What I've Been Working On

 I've made a lot of progress this week. A lot. 

As I said, a lot. It's so much easier to work on when there's a plan. I still don't know what I'm going to hook across the bottom, but the rest is pretty well planned out. 

Bird #1 got some background filled in. 

So did bird #2.

And then I hooked this basket in-between those two birds. I'm going to put some flowers in the basket, I just haven't decided what color the flowers will be. 

Plus a few blades of grass. 

Here's the other side. I've mostly worked on the right side, so the only thing with this bird is a bit of background. And I added the beeskep. I had to reverse hook a bit on this as I had too much gold in it. 

Bird #4 got some stems placed. 

For the center I hooked a log cabin. Now this I hooked three times. The first was a golden color, the second the logs were too dark, then the chinking was too light. I reverse hooked the roof, but I got the chimney right the first time. 

Thanksgiving was very good. Just my son and his kids. But the company and the food was very good. I kept Mac overnight and took him swimming at the Y on Friday.

Several of the blogs I read have already decked their home out for Christmas. Today I got a few totes out but I'm really not in the spirit of Christmas yet. Time flies, Christmas is just three weeks away. My shopping is almost done, mostly through Amazon and Wal-Mart. I signed up for the Wal-Mart + deal and got a couple gifts and groceries delivered right to the front door. Am I supposed to tip the delivery lady? I did, but my daughter in law says she does not. I did like the delivery aspect. And I get paramount+ for a year. 

Have a good week, Sue

Three down, one to go

 I've been hooking a bit this week on the Birds in the Garden rug. I've got three of the birds hooked. Yay!! And I have a plan for the center and the sides. Between Maria and I it's been drawn on it so many times I can hardly make out the final design. I'll just muddle on through. 

I've also realized I don't have enough background to do it all in what you see. I contacted my local ( an hour away) shop and she does not have that specific wool or another I'd considered. So I went through my worm box and will just mix in a bunch of dark colored wools. I think the center will have to be even a different color. I sure hope this works out like I've got planned. 

I've also rearranged my sewing room to accommodate hooking in there. Maybe I'll get more hooking done when I can just leave my mess and start up again another day. When I hook in my living room I really dislike seeing the mess. We shall see, especially as it gets colder. I supplement my heat by burning wood. The living room is usually much warmer. 

This week is Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for. I think being thankful is a choice. You can look for the good in life, or dwell on the not so good. Thanksgiving will be at my house, just a few of us. But life is good. 

Enjoy the holiday. Enjoy those who you are celebrating with. 

Sue

Birds in the Garden

 Y'all might remember this rug.

I started this in a class with Maria Barton. That was in July. I showed her a picture I got off the Internet of an antique rug. I asked Saundra to draw it up for me. And off to camp I went. Maria helped pick the colors. They were what I asked for. I knew I didn't want the horseshoes in the center, but I wasn't sure what I wanted. It seems too big of a space to not put something there. Maria suggested a house or log cabin. I think I like this idea. But the house as drawn seems too big.

At the end of camp my rug looked like this.

After I got home I stopped working on it. I really disliked it. So I ripped out the flowers, then the birds except for one. Earlier this week I ripped out the leaves. And decided I wanted more warm colors and I would work on the parts I could settle on, the leaves. It's a small start, but it's a start. 

I've also decided to redraw the birds and  make them less upright. I've thought about putting a couple bunnies or a squirrel in more oak leaves running across the bottom. I guess I'll just work on it one motif at a time. Leaves, birds, house, spaces between birds, bottom, top. Hmmm.  The plan sounds like it has cracks. 

It sure has turned chilly. I keep saying it's wintertime, to which Mac tells me it's actually still fall. 

He also tells me that actually the days are not getting shorter, they are still 24 hours long. 

Have the best of weekends,

Sue

I Fixed It

 Little Miss Sassy Pants, I fixed Pumpkin Boy. It only took about 5 minutes. And boy is it harder to hook when the piece isn't  held taut and in place by the frame. 

I obviously didn't check to make sure the picture turned out okay. It's very fuzzy. Sorry.

And after.

Thank you for your motivating comments. Truly, I mean it. 

Sue

Talking Turkey

 I finished my turkey rug that I started this summer. It turned out all right, nothing great, but also nothing I want to change. Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever go to a rug hooking event and see a better version of your rug?? I do. 

I love the primitive rugs. Dark, muted, wide strips. But then when I go to hook it, I pick a  lighter color pallette. Time after time. After time. 

This turkey pattern was in a needle n love book. I've seen numerous versions of it. 

This was a pattern from Robin Leuschen. Years ago she offered it.

I like both of them. And they will be hanging up for such a short time. I usually start pulling down Thanksgiving and fall decor the day after the holiday. The same goes for Christmas. My tree is down the day after. 

I finished the purple bird pillow. For now it's resting on my Captain's chair in the living room. 

Every year since hooking this I say to myself, "the mouth is too light in color, I need to rehook it". Then every year I put it away and tell myself, "I'll do it next year". Hmm. I think that's called procrastination. 

Sweet Daisy and Henry Little say,

Have a great day 

Sue

Bloom Time

 I worked hard getting my gardens ready for winter. I trimmed them down, added mulch in some places. And then this happened. The irises are blooming.

And so is the primrose 

And the red rose. 

And lastly, the geranium. 

They just don't know they're soon to get frosted and frozen. 

Enjoy the sunshine, Sue

I'll Show You Mine

 And hopefully you'll show me yours. 

I mean your first hooked rug. 

Here's mine. 

It's a Difranza pattern called Cat in the Garden. It's hooked in a 6 and that was considered a wide cut. Most everyone else in the class was working with 3's and 4's. It's  very simple and basic. The background is actually a very light buttery yellow. It was early 2000's and I took classes from Shirley Bloom in Shelby, Ohio. Shirley liked to teach fine cuts. She tolerated those of us who wanted primitive rugs. 

The cat is hooked with a piece of plaid separating out the lighter from the darker strips. And I remember her changing the border to be simpler than the original. The loops are very low. Boy do I hook very differently these days. 

It's not my favorite piece, but I treasure it as it's my first. Shirley was my first teacher and she was good to me. She asked me to help organize her patterns and wool. In exchange she gave me a Fraser cutter, patterns (on burlap), and wool. I so appreciated this as I was a single parent raising 4 kids. And I found out much later she "helped" several women get started. She was a kind soul. 

A couple of years later I was able to go to Barb Carroll 's for a three day retreat. And I fell even more in love with rug hooking. After hooking at Barb's I find I rarely use anything but a textured wool. 

Lately I haven't been hooking much. Or sewing. Summer was busy with gardening and yardwork. That's pretty much come to an end. Almost. There's still some clean up and leaves to deal with. 

I had a class with Kris Miller in September. She's fun. The class was on letters and eyes. Of which my rug had neither. But I listened and learned. 

I started this antique adaption of a purple bird. There was a pattern for sale on Etsy, but it was big. So I did my best and drew it up to be 14" square. I'm going to use it as a pillow. I've completed the hooking, and am in the process of sewing the back on. One side down, three to go. 

 

The back is a lovely gray and purple plaid. 

Last night was trick or treat. I walked with my two young grandchildren. It was Kip's first time, many costumes frightened him.  But he sure did like getting that candy. Kip just turned 2 and doesn't talk much. He knows simple sign language. I found it amazing that numerous people knew he was signing and signed back to him. 

After those few days back in the 70's, it is a chilly and cloudy day. Typical Ohio.