Next Up

it took me ages it seems

to hook that little pumpkin

using up nearly all my pre cut orange strips

the background was hard

due to a shortage of dark pre cut strips

not wanting to use dark green

I make up little rules or challenges

for myself when hooking some rugs...

these two pieces were drawn up 

on a smallish piece of linen

fabric stitched along the length to use it on the frame

not sure about the cat design

using the pre cut strips 

means not a dark cat

 gray maybe...

*****

I was going to dye some wool the other day

ended up being too hot and humid

so the wool is hanging on the line

to be soaked again when it cools off!

which looks to be later this week

during my 4 days off

 (regular weekend off and 2 vacation days)

 running low on some dyes too

not going to replace for now

we'll see how make do dyeing goes

The One With the Cat

not sure about the color for the center of the sunflower

I know some are dark, some are gold...

 time will tell

 words 

whether on paper or digital

I have a great love of words and stories

true or imagined

growing up in a home where everyone loved to read

was a real blessing

 

New Old Design Progress

still mostly pulling from the pre cut baskets

only the oragne strips are newly cut

I used nearly all the orange them last year...

cleaning up my old doodles

for the booklet has helped me get some of my 

hooking mojo back

tomorrow will be 3 months since Mom has been gone

there is such a big empty spot inside me

trying to stay busy and positive

knowing that's what she wanted

I am pulling old memories from my mind

from when my parents we younger and healthier

the past 10-12 had pushed those memories deep 

for the most part

 

 here's a recent good memory

Mom and Melrose were best buddies

they had their own little mutual admiration society

off to work soon

ah...the stories I could tell from the ER

 

Another Patriotic Piece

posted this yesterday

using up more red,white and blue strips

I had so many short pieces from the last 2 rugs

 

a little progress

it's about 12 x 26

so that center space isn't very big

right now I'm planning on a flag

drawn on the same piece of linen

as Little Bird, Little Star

the rug I'd planned to hook

decided my precut strips would not do it justice

after the little one is hooked

I'll separate them and set the floral aside

until I'm ready to cut more strips

*****

I have a ton of strips still ready to use

 not the colors I want to work with

challenging myself to hook 

at least one more rug

before cutting more strips...

 

 

Little Bird

maggiesfarm1846

I've had this pattern for ages

(maybe years?)

been thinking about it for a while

looking for it for weeks...

finally today I can across it while

lackadaisically cleaning in the sewing room

it's going on the frame next  

after the companion piece to Old Glory

 

then a cat rug

it's not that I really feel like hooking

it's just better than doing nothing 

or cleaning!

Old Glory

26.5 x 20

the hooking has been completed for a while

getting around to binding...

well, I'm more in the mood for hooking right how

it's hot

and even in AC a rug on your lap is extra hot

truer colors

washed out colors on a dreary day

 

finished this hooking last night

both of these rugs were hooked from the 

worm baskets

looks to be a few more rugs in the baskets

you have my permission to copy

either or both of these rugs

one time 

for personal use

 

please give me credit for design when sharing photos

measurements for Old Glory:

 30.25 x 23

borders are 3"

except top border which is three strips

(8 or 8.5 is what I used)

blue section - 11 x 8

stripes - 16.5 x 25.75

the flag is outline with one strip

I hope this makes sense...

my planning and measuring are very loose at best

mostly I eyeball

 

 

 

Red, White, Blue and Green

started a new rug yesterday

after organizing those wool strips 

it was obvious I need to use a lot of those greens

as usual not sure where this is heading

maybe all over stars

(from the cookie cutter shown yesterday)

maybe a flag in the center..

maybe you'd like to hook this too

my star is about 6" across

 

On the Frame

a little more progress...

you see the evidence on the right side

this is being hooked over a Woolen Memories pattern

one I started half a dozen times

this is my year to use things up

move on from past projects

that just don't work for me

fabric from a sweet friend in Texas

Mom is in awe of all the beautiful colors

she loved putting them in the basket

we are not going to use them 

until everyone sees them organized

I stayed until she fell asleep last night

she was telling her NC daughter all about the fabric

laughing and laughing about

all the fabric crazy quilters we know and are

it has been a while since we heard that laugh

my sister had tears in her eyes as she thanked me for calling

we sure love hearing Moms laugh

Mom would like you to know

her arm is not that big in person

and those are scars from when she was in a fire as a child

not wrinkles

we are still work on adjust her meds

fine line between each dose change

my favorite pic from St Patrick's Day 

if you are in my tribe sorry for your luck

but I'm going to need all the crazy this month

Making Do

on the frame

using up a pattern/backing from 2004

drawn on soft linen

 I'm not at all fond of this sort of linen

so kept passing the pattern by

using it for a geometric worm busting rug is perfect!

yesterday I was dithering over dark or light background

I'd prefer light 

the worm baskets said dark

this is one of the antique designs on the pattern

it might be tough hooking over them 

*****

I'm being as frugal as can be this year

saving for when I'll need time off for mom

there is so much in my stash to "make do" with

next step will be to sell off a few things

that I haven't gotten around to

Mom has had some better days as her meds 

are being decreased...

yesterday was awesome

hated going to work she was so much herself

 

Wool Therapy

nothing like a large dose of wool

to get Mom and me

smiling!

I've started cutting strips of wool again

Mom organizes them into bundles for me

she takes her work very seriously

 she suggested I hang the bundles on the peg board

in the sewing room so I can see what I have cut

when talking about things fabric related

she remembers most everything!

After tonight I'm off for 8 days...

only plans are to relax and potter around the house

Have a great Saturday!

it's gorgeous here in Ohio

Mighty Little Progress

hooking is slow going

as I sort through my worms and stash of blues

not too much light to medium blue left anywhere

 same for the greens

until now I dyed mostly dark and drab

I purchased as-is wool the same

thankfully I do have a stash of lights for over dyeing

after this mat

it's back to the chair pads...

where the darks can be put to good use

the reason I have such a huge stash of worms is Mom

in case you're new to my blog

last year 

I cut what felt like acres of wool into strips

then took them to the nursing facilty

so she and a friend could bundle them up by color

leading to a full size bed stacked with strips

referred to as Wool Mountain

I found it quite difficult to hook from that mountain

needing to see the wool uncut

to know where it belonged in a rug

live and learn

all is well because Mom and Ann 

had a good time for many weeks

 

different shades of reds to divide

a favorite photo from 10/15

Ann is always concerned about getting it just right

mom is more like "close enough"

I haven't been sleeping much lately 

worried about mom and her meds

they are being changed to try and quash some of her anxiety

I know if she keeps acting out

(like going outside on her own and kicking doors)

they will want to transfer her to their Alzhiemer facility

 she thinks it's bad now...

Worm Control

worms might look nice in baskets

but they are too hard to use...

having to dig around

looking for just the right color...

seeing the way Karen Kahle

has her wool divided by color

in zip top plastic bags

I knew that was what I needed to do...

Melrose has objections to my entering

the Wool Room

usually he has it to himself

after I clean the sewing room table off

then transfer that pattern to linen

I will divide up my wool...

Tomorrow I should be able to share

some after photos with you...

Seriously

I was pawing through a basket full of yarn

looking for the pumpkin shade I need to whip

a rug...

Turns out it wasn't a basket of just yarn...

it was half full of woolly worms

they are everywhere!
No matter how much I hook

they keep turning up

filling the baskets...

May be time for another giveaway

possibly a surprise

to one of my hooking friends

(insert evil laugh)

might it be you???

Making Do

by just pulling

from my worm baskets

this rug was hooked in no time...

used a linen backing

from a project that wasn't working

I know it's not hard to

make-do

when you have too much...

as the worm stash gets smaller

it'll be a greater challenge

there are many strips

of assorted greens in my stash...

any ideas???

The blocks stitched by Mom are from

Linda Brannock

we love her Miss Jump designs

and use them often...

and Jan Patek

We've been collecting their patterns

and booklets from the

Red Wagon days...

Empty Baskets

My wool worm baskets

are finally empty!

only because

I dumped everything on a table

been hooking rugs again...

there are eight

in progress right now

three others needing binding

been using mostly strips

that are already cut

only cutting for backgrounds

if needed...

Now it's time to organize the

mess the strips became

time once again organize by color...

and post photos of "after"

~might take a few days~

Chester never gets his way

at least that's what he thinks...

Mom stitched me a few blocks...

Am waiting for one more

and I'll make a little quilt

She isn't in the mood to

make a whole quilt...

but blocks are another story!

As always, lucky me

Early Sunday

Olivia resting in "catland"

Chester had been on the orange hassock

but decided to try his luck

for a snack...

Emptying my huge wool scrap basket

and placing bundles

on an old wood clothes rack

just a bit of decluttering...

Chester denied a treat again

~He think EVERY time

I stand up is time for a snack~

~ Wool Strips Galore ~

Just one of the new wool mountains in my house

they are springing up everywhere...

as-is, overdyed solids and textures

I'll be making up bundles of wool mixes

for sale if you're interested

a fat 1/4 yard worth of strips

( 8.5 cut with a Townsend cutter)

$9.oo each

plus

$ 3.oo shipping

will always combine shipping

I determine the fat quarter yard by

weighing an intact piece of wool

and making the bundles equal that weight

Here are the mixes I'm doing right now:

~DARK~

assorted blacks, browns, greens, greys, blues

~PUMPKIN~

medium to dark

oranges, golds and bronze

~OLIVES~

light, medium and dark

(my light is not very light)

~REDS~

medium to dark

~SUNFLOWER~

gold

bronze

butter

mustard

a great mix

~SKY~

light to medium blues

very mottled woolens

~STASH BUILDER~

some of everything

more to come...

like DIRTY SNOWMAN and THE DRABS...

email me at kankerdoodle@aol.com

if you'd like more info or to order

She's not making eye contact

afraid I'll make her come in

from the breezeway...

Olivia

Pleading her case for staying out there...

and that's where she is right now

who could resist that sweet little face?