Funky Patriotic

just finished the hooking on this one..

stayed up late and woke up early

it's been a very long time

since I've hooked like this!

need blocked and prssed and all that jazz

for now I'm going to just hook on the next rug

sooner or later my precut strips will be used up 

later rather than sooner 

Happy Sunday

 

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

 

 

 

Too Much Wool?

my very messy hooking area

this is only part of the wool from a basket

makes it easier to pick strips

for my scrappy rug

the other side with the lights

most of the light strips are in a different large basket

all this hooking

is not making a dent it seems

final corner

rug is sitting crooked on the frame

it's mostly straight across the bottom

rug is set aside while I keep contemplating the words to be hooked

I've narrowed it down to two phrases

Sweet-Spicy Chicken

we're doing an indoor picnic tonight at work

just the four of us...

I was going to cook this chicken...

instead I'm picking up something from a local restaurant

that's me

no cooking when ever possible!

oh how Mom would love this

sharing was as natural to her as breathing

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Love These Wool Balls

How To

after purchasing some dryer balls last month

I don't know why I ever did laundry without them!

there are tons of instructions on Pinterest

the link above looks good

I have lots of colorful wool yarn

I've been meaning to overdye for years... 

this looks like a better use

great for gifts!

my NC sister is mooning over these...

scraps of yarn...or wool worms

my favorite

*****

I found my weavers (not monks) cloth this morning

after about an hour in the wool room

I left work last night to find a very flat tire

HUGE nail in it

so glad it was in the parking lot

and not on the way home

this very klutzy person does not change tires...

or use power tools

or climb ladders

I like all my fingers and toes just the way they are

*****

Wishing you a good weekend

I'll be working

thinking of all the men and women who served

to provide us with our freedom

we are very blessed

 

Seriously Melrose

less than a second after I set it down to photograph

he is much better looking

than the hooked version

I told him so 

not bad for all worms

that have been rejected repeatedly

 

Off the Frame

off the frame this morning

next to block, steam and bind

made a small dent in the worms

great to use up the ones that have been passed by

for so long

it was a bad day

made a little better 

by a new afghan from a coworker 

her mom loves to crochet 

she has a dozens and dozens made

we've been gifted with 7 of them this year

2 mom kept

the rest for other residents and a patient at work

*****

here we have my next door neightbors garage

only 6" along the side is hers

the rest is my property...

this year I'm putting in a bird/butterfly garden 

to stop the spread of her clutter

given time

I'd like to turn my entire backyard

into a flower garden amongst the trees

 

Fun Antique Rugs

I always enjoy the rug shows

Saundra 

 shares on her blog 

hoping you'll enjoy mine

with a few fun rugs...

I think these squirrels are having a discussion

about the nuts

in the neighborhood

 

 off course

I would change this to a cat

with birds...

 the possibilities...

have always wanted to reproduce this one

hearts and all

empty the worm baskets!

this looks like 

something you'd see under a microscope

I can only dream

of hooking something so wonderful...

***** 

Mom and I had a pretty good night last night

slept more than we have in days...

about 5 am she started with the 

"get me out of here"

in her mad Gladys voice...

she went half an hour

the overnight staff has been wonderful!

if all her test results come back good

she's going home 

to the facility today

she is looking and feeling so much better

we had a wonderful Dr from the hospital in charge of her care

she took her time talking to us

(in the hall)

and was very patient and kind with Mom

we spoke to her about the future

what would she do if this was her Mom

we liked her answers...

wishing you a wonderful day 

Getting There

wish my cats would go out and find some pizza...or tacos

after running errands and visiting mom 

I've spent the rest of my day off 

on the couch

re-watching Mercy Street 

while putting in some finishing stitches on a hooked runner

no you haven't seen it yet...

it was my geometric that took a turn

still about 20% from feeling good

sinus infection run wild

week 4 edition...

hoping tomorrow I can share a freebie pattern

for the season

plus request for you to send Christmas cards to Mom

I have two bags of wool worms to ship to 2 randomly

chosen hookers who send cards...

if you're not a hooker 

there's a secret gift for you too

more info tomorrow

in the past my friends and blog readers have outdone yourselves

sending cards to Mom 

it really makes her day to receive them!

 

More Simple Hooking

am working up to drawing up this sort of rug

need something mindless

to use up more scraps...

it's day three of a chest cold

thank goodness it's my day off

had to skip seeing Mom

cats don't mind if all I do is sleep

hope you're all having a better day than me!

 

Another 2 Cats Mat

another simple one

to empty out the worm baskets

can anyone recommend a simple

dog themed antique rug

to inspire my hooking?

I'm going to hook a little mat for a fund raiser

it's just that I can't draw a dog!

thanks in advance for your help...

Srappy Tips

Saundra

asked me about my hit-n-miss hooking

I should really just refer to it as scrappy

I choose my colors palette...

this project included all the colors except the light neutrals

mostly medium to light shades

no high contrast strips

I have a ton of worms after cutting so many last year 

for Mom and Ann to sort for me

 normally there would never be a mountain of worms

they have been sorted by color

then into light, medium and dark bundles
placed in a large basket by color

I pull a bunch of worms 
 put them on the rug in progress

my huge Talon frame has given me lots of room

to the left in this photo is a small basket overflowing with worms

I work from these worms

pulling from the large baskets as needed

I NEVER pull a random strip and hook

the traditional way to hit-n-miss

I have to like the feel of the rug I'm hooking
I've tried the traditional way and it doesn't work for me

I hate to waste linen

normally I draw my pattern leaving a 2-3 inch background

stitch on some scrap fabric so I can move it on the frame

usually I hook beyond the marked outside edge too

adding scrap fabric to your background 
lets you hook on small pieces of linen

if you purchase a pattern 

with a generous background

stitch some fabric to the edge before hooking

then use the excess linen for coasters or ornaments
before you take it off the frame

*while this one is off the frame

I'm going to do a few more small pumpkin mats

some of my rugs from years ago

the American Alphabet Crow was such fun to hook

if I remember correctly I did the border first

without any idea of what would go in the middle
obviously my design

bottom left is a Lori Brechlin pattern 

Old Glory my own drawing

it feels good to be back hooking

thanks to all who have welcomed me back

More Scrappy Hooking

progress...not sure about that yellow...

it's much brighter in person

 very far out of my comfort zone 

the dark dividing line looks black

it's actually a reddish brown that never worked anywhere

love it here

a few gals asked about the pattern

the drawing is what I started with

can you tell I'm not a perfectionist?

1. draw any size rectangle on your backing

2. draw an X from corner to corner

3. mark the middle of each outside border line

4. connect the dots to form a square

hope this makes sense...

very simple 

if you make one I'd love to see it!

found this one of ebay

for all those dark worms still haunting me

Kitchen Sink Rug

this scrappy rug is going in front of the kitchen sink

hoping this one will really shrink the worm stash

fun using colors I normally avoid 

mats prepped and ready to finish

whip the edges

then cover the back with a heavier wool

will practice on these before doing Debbie's

biscuit making

he looks a mess but I swear he's always being brushed

working on decluttering this week

about 20 large bags of fabric donated to a few 

churches and gals that make small quilts

for hospitals, homeless and nursing homes

still plenty left for quilt making

next I'm tackling Mom's clothes

starting with her coat collection

she loves coats like some women love shoes!

Wishing you a good day...

 

Just the Eyes

after the eyes are added

I must 

work on finishing the chair pads

at the very least get them ready to tote around with me

remind of that if I start another rug first, okay?

 

sorry about the blur

enjoying her perch on the ironing board

until Melrose spots her...

 

Background and Border

loving the scrappy border...

 

Two Little Cats

such a fun little rug

about 11 x 21

there might be a little tweaking before the binding

very little

I'm pretty happy with it

now to decide

do I keep or sell?

see those worms on the right...

that's all that is left of the background

yes, I do have more that I could have stripped

part of the fun is using up my worms

 *****

another chair pad is next on the frame

they are drawn up and ready to go...

 

Next on the Frame

This morning I finished hooking

the third chair pad

it's time to move to a different project

with a change of colors...

I won't be dyeing anything special

like Saundra did (and I love)

just need to use up some worms

leaning towards a round chair pad

back in the morning to share some progress

This,That and My Mother

image from Pinterest

this is totally calling my name

under the photo it said Thanks Yankee Peddler Rug Hooking

I can see myself hooking a few of these for myself

with cats in the middle

what else

there are so many worms in my stash

I'm on to the second chair pad for Debbie

should I share or keep them a secret?

this one has blue, red and gold

with a black background

very scrappy 

 

Pinterest image

I love everything thing about this sampler

makes me almost believe my eyes

can handle the stitching on linen  

as for my Mother...

why yes, I do need a big hug

 she does too

her meds are still not right

she's been agitated, angry and depressed since

coming back from the hospital

she would love to go back in a minutes

(guessing because one of us was with her all the time)

it seems that finally, this afternoon her meds are back on track

something with the govt

sticking their nose in about Xanax use

honestly, regulate it for me

for most everyone

but when you're 92 years old

it shouldn't matter if you take 0.25 or 0.5 4 times a day

if it keeps you from shaking

trying to break a window with a vase

kicking the door

and so it goes...

I just hate to see her suffering

she has never been overmedicated

she has always had anxiety, just like me

mostly it was controlled through lots of physical activity

since she has been wheelchair bound

it's been slowly increasing

a cyber hug and a prayer would be most welcome...

 

Sweet Pattern for Stash Busting

I've seen it before...

 today I couldn't resist this sweet pattern from

Karen Kahle's etsy shop

it's available as an instant download

there are a few things coming in the mail too

as I work on Debbie's chair pad

it seems my stash of worms has no end

this pattern will make perfect use of a few hands full

planning on sharing a pic of the first chair pad tomorrow

now that I've figured out a little more on the phone

Happy 4th of July!

 

Hooker's Helper

while Olivia surveys the garage

for any sign of  a mouse, chipmunk or grasshopper

Melrose takes advantage 

the chance to sit on a rug in progress

he never sits on them while they are on the frame

(unlike Olivia)

I'm still deciding to what to hook

in the middle of this little mat...

maybe he's suggesting a black cat

this is the last scrap of linen

from a large rug design I'd tried to hook

many times and always rejected

feels good to have it gone!

small pumpkin mat

not so bright in person...

using up some scraps makes for a great background

next up will be a little quilt started last year

adding some applique and the binding

looks like this month is all about

finishing what I start...

tough work for a chronic procrastinator

 ~ ~ ~ ~  ~