Happy Happy Mail

 A retirement gift from me to me

Lazy Cats

31 x 84

not any time soon though

will spend the time thinking about the colors

from blacksheepwooldesigns.com

not on her website yet

just ask about different sizes

Rhonda has a large selection

of antique reproduction style rugs I'd love to hook

her patterns are beautifully drawn

The roofers started here today

but with rain on the way 

they will only get part of it done

when they come back Monday it will be cooler

Happy Weekend friends!

 

Cats and Flag

March Hooking

 Sometimes I get a little obsessed with

a certain piece of wool or design element

This year it's the blue wool in the flag

cats continue to be my favorite hooking motif

I have some log cabins in mind

more flags

more flowers

Today another crow is on the frame

I must quit to work in the yard...

sometime

Hope you're enjoying your day

Doing what you love!

Little Crow

 Yesterday I pulled out a smallish piece of linen

stitched some cotton to the length and put it on the frame...

what to hook?

I cut for the background

everything else from the worm baskets

The previous rug did cut down the size of my worm stash

but in between I have hooked many rugs

adding plenty more strips

have also set aside some I think I'll never use

mostly purple

Today I started another similar to this on the same piece of linen

after that, there is a cat in the works

Thank you all for returning to my blog

after the long gap

Utility Rug

43 x 27

started this rug to use up strips from the worm baskets

colors I kept passing over

I did cut for the background

completed the hooking a few months ago

not sure when it will be finished

I don't particularly care for it

so if the cats damage it

my heart will not be breaking

and yes,

I know the x, y and z are missing

Have a wonderful day my wooly friends

  

My Twist on Things

I purchased this paper pattern 

Feeding the Hens

from Winter Cottage Designs on etsy

intended to change the chickens to cats

When I decided to hook it

there was a larger backing piece ready for hooking

so I changed to fit

guess I got a bit carried away

Antique adaptation

another fun one to hook

Jack's Crow paper pattern from

Winter Cottage Designs on etsy

no real changes to design

my faceless pumpkin is on purpose

a story for another day

very washed out image

much better in person

 Most of my Miller pencil hook collection

since the photo was taken I've found two others

around the house

there are likely more

I've been collecting these since my first one

not for sale

especially the two on the right

the other items in the drawer are random

A Long Story

 there is a long story behind this rug

I'm not up to telling it today

but the most important thing is it got me hooking again!

Thank you Jacque

One of a Jan Patek Kind

 Jan's Baskets

adapted from an older Jan Patek book

this basket rug is definitely one of a kind

I cannot offer the pattern

as it was hooked using her designs for inspiration

That being said

I have been studying some

antique quilts and samplers

 something using those motifs is in the works

It's dark and dreary in my part of Ohio today

time to join the cats in a nap

Giant Pink Flowers

 

My latest design

I'm stuck in a loop of black cats

flags and lollipop flowers

19 x 11.5

available on linen or paper

These two were great fun to hook!

Another of my new designs 

Cat in the Flowers

adapted from two antique rugs

With more free time 

I see a lot of hooking in my future

Peace Cats

 Hello Friends

This freebie is from back in February

So much has happened in the world since we last met here

In my little life I retired in March

Enjoying my time with the cats and my wool

Finally working on many more designs

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Cleaning the Sewing Room Distraction

 

sooner or later I'll get around to creating that etsy shop

in the meantime

I'll be happy to draw you up a pattern on linen

these are just a few of my older cat designs

new ones in the works....

Christmas Stockings and Auction Rug

 

The auction starts tomorrow!

Why is my pattern on Freezer Paper?

in an effort to use what was on hand

I started using freezer paper for my paper patterns

it was the right size and easy to use

The other day something clicked

I use freezer paper for wool applique

Why not use it for rug hooking?

I drew the pattern on the shiny side

then pressed it to the backing

Now it was easy to place on my light box

(or would have been if I knew where it was)

or tape to a window

Turn so the backing faces you and trace

Super simple!

So get your backing ready

draw up your border lines...

I drew my design on the shiny side of freezer paper

a scant 1/4" smaller than the design

Place shiny side down on backing

press with dry iron

Ta Da!

you are now ready to draw your pattern on the backing

just flip it over onto your light source

the paper lifts off easy when you're done...

I hope this makes sense

I mostly draw my designs directly on the linen

because I design as I go

When purchasing paper patterns from others this 

is my go to now