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| Peter took this one... |
So we had a huge storm come through. Heavy, beautiful white snow stuck to everything! Then of course, the wind whipped itself up to a frenzy on Saturday. This was the day sis (new hooker) and I had decided to go down to Champlain NY to pick up the Betsy wool waiting for us. Driving on the 15 and then into NY is highway but unfortunately travels through large empty fields of shorn wheat and corn. With wind gusts and snow flurries this equals whiteouts and slow going. But we made it (a few tense moments) and picked up my stash of Betsy Wools. Way worth it! Got lots not shown to overdye and I'll get some bundles on the website. We then treated ourselves to going to Mainely Lobster for a yummy lunch of haddock nuggets, homemade fries (bad girl), stewed tomatoes and a shared piece of coconut cream pie (two bad girls). Nothing fancy but very satisfying for two gals who knuckle drove 50km of white out highways.
Some of my Betsy wool along with some wools I have been auditioning for a project. These are the wools covering all of my dining room table awaiting mass reorganization of the studio upstairs with new shelving units. Right now wool is spread over three rooms.. ahhhhhhhhhh.
So what am I working on right now is this scarf below but using the colours above. I am really enjoying these DROP patterns. There are a couple more I want to do. The wool is a good price and it can be found through Nordic Mart in the USA. They do ship to Canada.
I am still working on my Coastal Girls, a pattern from Deanne Fitzpatrick. I changed up the sky and decided to add some paisleys (you can see my markings). Since the paisleys are all different textures of blues, I decided to keep the background surrounding the paisleys simple using two wools (a plaid and a herringbone) this would calm the sky down a bit. I also ripped out some of the hooking from the paisleys and hooked in some wool slub yarn. I used the same ones I sell on my website.
The final picture is an exercise I did for the Deanne Fitzgerald on-line course I am taking. It was to randomly draw some stars (I chose hearts and stars) on canvas and hook them without much thought. Just hook! I picked these colours and just randomly hooked lines and did not follow the shape of the heart or star. It is a more painterly approach to hooking. I then backed them with glue/ black wool and they will hang in a window or door.
Oh one more thing - I have to show you the cutest sheep I just bought from Colins Creatures on Etsy. I just love his sheep! Another addition to my sheep collection. I am sure it won't be the last!
Now I am off to do some more fun assignments for the class. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon...thanks for stopping by... Joni
Hi
I came across this on one of my facebook postings and thought it was worth sharing. I am taking an on line rug hooking course with Deanne, which you all know from previous posts. So been having lots of creative exercises and thoughts twirling around in my brain.
I thought that this video made with 12,000 pieces of papers for a new song by Josh Ritter was so well done. I could not stop watching it! Talk about creative.. Enjoy!
Josh Ritter - Love Is Making Its Way Back Home from
Josh Ritter on
Vimeo.
Haven't had much time to post lately as I have been busy taking an on line rug hooking class with Deanne Fitzpatrick. She is offering it again in April - it is so worthwhile and fun. Has me going in different directions. I'll post some of the hookings I have done in the next couple of days.
In the meantime, since it is Valentine's Day - not such a big thing for me - but I do love hearts! so just some photos of pics I have across on the net and pinned.
This book was recommended by someone on another blog. I ordered it and it is a fabulous book on American Folk Art. I have been looking through it and it has given me lots of creative thoughts. This week I have been spending time just mulling and cooking in my mind. Looking at things around me with a different eye. I have been madly pinning to my pinterest board, which to me is a great tool for inspiration. It can be a colour, a design element, the line of something in a photograph or a feeling from a photograph. It is a whole lot of everything that gets melded down to one or two thoughts of what I would like to put on paper and then hopefully a rug. It's been a week of dyeing fabric and cutting it into little rectangles. It allows me to let my mind wander....freely....
This was another book recommended on a blog. I have always wanted to add a braided border to a rug and this book has loads of information and is beautifully put together!
... and this is what I have been up to - dyeing yards and yards of wool to cut up in these little rectangles. I also learned something new about photography from one of my pins on pinterest.. white balance - now who knew about that - not me. I am terrible about not reading manuals that come with things. Let alone finding them after the fact. So the wool above was taken with white balance - and how true is that to the colour - pretty true I can say. The next picture.. hmmmm.. not so good..before white balance trick. You'd think it was a different wool. I have a really nice camera - I should use it more instead of my quick and easy iphone LOL...lesson learned. Important if you want to sell your stuff - good pictures will make or break a sale...
Oh - and exciting news for today - February 1st...this is THE DAY when I start my on line course with Deanne Fitzpatrick. Can I say on top of the world - buzzing with creative thoughts.. hook ready to wiggle across my linen. So the last couple of nights I have been reading her book "Inspired" - wow! A wealth of information and talk about a confidence builder. Loved it....and I can see I will be going back to it often. I don't know where this course will take me. I want to revel in the feel of the wool and be free of constraints. So maybe my loops won't be oh so perfect and maybe they will squiggle, wiggle here and there and maybe there will be a tuck of sparkly yarn hidden among the wool loops but if I love it and think it is a thing of beauty then that is ok. I have to hook for myself and maybe that is a whole new path I am taking... we'll see. Have a great day.. Joni
