MY 15 MINUTES ~ ~ ~

This is Jane Halliwell Green's new book on pictorial rugs and it is really a beautiful book! There is a lot of information on the details of hooking a pictorial rug ~ and lots of dye recipes as well. Jane is a watercolor artist who has used all that expertise to create beautiful hooked rugs ~ and she is a teacher of both of these arts! Actually, Jane will be teaching at Sauder Village next August!



I am thrilled ~ to say the least ~ to have my England Memory Rug included in her book ~ it's there on page 6!!! I am a regular reader of Jane's blog and last year, she asked for pictures of pictorial rugs to be sent to her for possible inclusion in her upcoming book ~ and I happily did just that! I didn't know if it would qualify but Jane said yes! When I look at all the beautiful rugs in this book, I am quite honored to have my rug in such good company! Most all pictorials are hooked in a finer cut that I use ~ this rug was hooked mainly in 8, 8.5 and 9 cuts ~ really large compared to most! Actually, looking at these rugs makes me think more about hooking a pictorial with more detail ~ if I do, you'll be the first to know! Thanks to Jane for the inspiration and for my 15 minutes of fame! I've actually received emails from gals who saw the book before mine arrived and it's fun to be recognized for my work!! I have two books to sell ~ if interested, email me or comment here!!

This weekend, son Ted and family came to the lake for Thanksgiving. When they left on Friday, Tad went home with them and grandson, Luke, stayed with us (our car is small and we couldn't get Tad, Luke and the cat all in the backseat)! And one of the things we did was go to Pemberville, about 20 miles west of us, to their annual Christmas festivities! We took a carriage ride with this nice horse, Eli ~ while Sonny was taking this picture, Eli kept head-butting Luke!! We went to the local Historical Society house and watched a lady make socks on an antique sock knitting machine and yes, I bought a pair! I have a rug hooking friend in Montana that has made a couple of pairs for me ~ I love them! It was really interesting to watch and Luke thought so, too. In the back yard was a smoke house where they were smoking sausages that they sold on a stick ~ yummy! And an old one room school house kept toasty warm with a an old potbelly stove! On Friday night, we went to Sandusky's tree lighting ceremony ~ had free hot chocolate and cookies ~ and went on a tour of the Follet House Museum. It was in a huge old Sandusky home complete with a fourth floor widow's walk ~ we went up this skinny little stairway to look out over the city at night ~ we didn't stay long ~ it was cold and windy up there! So Luke had his fill of history and free cookies and punch (they were serving everywhere we went this weekend) and he was a great weekend guest! We also played a card game called Nertz ~ google it for instructions! We used to play it years ago and it's a fun thing to pass some time! We even played before breakfast yesterday!!

I hope you all had a good holiday weekend, too ~ and now it's time to get ready for Christmas! On our drive home last night, there were lots of houses already lit for the season ~ I love Christmas lights!! Have a good week ~
Alice

Have a great day, wherever you are ~ whatever you're doing! It has been a challenging year to say the least ~ and yet, we have so much to be thankful for and unending gratitude for all that we have! Enjoy your day!
Alice

SATURDAY'S RUG RAVE ~ ~ ~

Here is our little band of Rug Ravers ~ Pam & Heidi holding Heather's Birthday cake ~ Charisse, myself, Lauren and Carol! Our friend, Danese, popped in after the picture ~ we were so glad to see her! We really did have a nice day ~ we hooked (a little), looked around the house at my rugs and all the stuff that makes our house a home, looked at what each other was doing, ate a really nice pot luck lunch (potato leek soup, Carol's wonderful cranberry and sauerkraut meatballs, Watergate Salad, and old fashioned banana salad, pumpkin spread on vanilla wafers, and cake, cupcakes, & pumpkin roll). We looked at an antique rug that Carol brought along to show us how she is going to repair it ~ we helped Pam plan a little rug of a 'silky' chicken for her granddaughter (I should say a 'memorial' rug for the silky chicken ~ sad story there!) and just had a relaxing afternoon!

Heidi brought Heather a special cake for her 65th birthday! Heather, we didn't really sing to you but we talked about it ~ singing got voted down! We also never got around to trying blind hooking but we talked about it! We just really had a nice day in your honor and feel privileged to be able to help out. Yesterday, in a magazine, it said 'be generous in hard times' ~ our little band of ruggers was very generous and I am so happy to report, we collected $230.00 for Rug Aid. I will make the group's donation thru PayPal and any of you reading this that would like donate, can do so thru PayPal as well. If you go to the Rug Aid website, it will direct you on how to do that! It will be so interesting to see how much was generated on this one day all over the world.

Pam is modeling her purse that she made here in our class a while back! She did a great job on it, made it her own and looks so stylish, doesn't she? Pam didn't really want to be in the photo but she's so nice, she couldn't say no!

So, a good time was had by all! It's good to share and it's good to spend time with like minded people ~ Saturday filled the bill on both accounts!

Take care and have a good week! Thanksgiving is right around the bend!
Alice

CAROL'S CRANBERRY & SAUERKRAUT MEATBALLS

1 bag of frozen meatballs - thawed

1 sm. can jellied cranberry sauce
1 sm. can sauerkraut
3/4 c. chili sauce
3/4 c. brown sugar.

Mix last four ingredients and cover the meatballs. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. You will love these!!!

RUG RAVE TOMORROW ~ ~ ~

Yes, it is almost here!! Rug Rave for Heather! Our numbers are small ~ seven ~ but no less sincere in the support we want to show for our English friend and her Rug Aid program! If you're close by, give me a call and come on down, up or over ~ we have lots of room!

My "Whatnots" rug is almost finished ~ I thought it would be done by tomorrow but once again, my sense of how much I can do in an allotted amount of time is not so good. But I'm liking the look although I might change the border. On the upper left corner I have hooked a very subtle border ~ on another corner I'm going to hook the background wool as the border and I think this will work better. I think a borderless rug tends to look older and this pattern lends itself to an antique rug feel. Tomorrow will tell the tale!

This is the result of one morning's dying ~ a nice dark green ~ very mottled!! I let it sit in the pot all day ~ so easily, do I get sidetracked and later in the evening, I remembered it sitting out on the deck!! Yikes!! I would like to get a pot of red going today, but we shall see! I'm organizing the hooking room, making soup, and washing wool that just arrived yesterday ~ and blogging, of all things!! Tonite, we're going to the Holiday Fair opening at our local Art Center - lots of gift items made by artists ~ and rides in a carriage with a horse named Nick!! Sounds like fun!! Nick belongs to a friend of ours and last night, he told us that Nick kind of ran away with a cart this summer!! I don't think I'll be able to go in the carriage tonite!

Here we are! Some of my favorite people!! I have other favorite people who weren't there but these are our lake friends at Paper Moon Winery last Saturday afternoon ~ mid November in Ohio and we were outside on the lawn sipping wine and dipping rosemary bread in oil!! A great day with friends! Our friend, Mike, lassoed some lady to take our picture ~ she had just arrived and wanted to go drink her wine ~ we had to hurry!! I tried to get in the back row so all you could see was my head ~ but there wasn't time!

Last evening was our annual Homebuilders auction with the proceeds going to adopt local needy families! It was a rousing evening of bidding on huge gift baskets, a huge lantern and wreath, a HUGE bear, and lots of Ohio State stuff! I bid on this nice "Girls Night In" basket put together by my daughter-in-law, Cheryl. Very cute ~ in an ice tub ~ martini glasses, liquid to put in them, a chic flick, two pairs of cozy holiday socks, muffin mix, popcorn, candy, cocktail napkins and a game of Pajama Party Charades!! We bought a lighthouse quilt throw and a primitive tin angel ~ lots of auction bounty for us! Rather than donate all those dinners like last year, we contributed in a different way this year! The auction earned $4200 ~ in this economy, and all our members are in building related industries ~ we feel quite blessed to be able to earn this much cash to help out so many! A good time was had by all for a great cause!

Before I go, I have to get on my soapbox ~ for just a minute! This week, some task force somewhere has come out with new guidelines regarding mammograms and pap tests! And I think they're ridiculous!! In a time, when there seems to be more cancer than ever, to encourage women not to do self exams, and stretch out the time between testing is just horrendous. Women ~ we need to be in charge of ourselves ~ and regardless of what these task forces say ~ we need to continue our yearly check-ups and testing and self exams ~ we need to do all we can to protect and insure our own health ~ not give women an excuse to let these things slide!! Okay, I'm done now!! Thank you for listening!

Have a good weekend and come to the Rug Rave, if you can!
Alice

AKRON HOOK-IN ~ ~ ~

It's been a week since I posted ~ time goes by so fast ~ it's like the world is spinning and I'm trying to catch up!!

Last Thursday, I went to the monthly hook-in in Akron so I'll do a quick run through for you! This rug is being worked on by various members of my friend, Donna's guild ~ it will be raffled off next year at their hook-in ~ very nice start, don't you think? I love the colors!





This is Linda and her horse head!! She took a class recently and the pattern was custom designed for her by the teacher ~ I think the rug will be a gift for someone near and dear to her! She's doing a wonderful job of shading with a wide cut ~ so many colors and she's doing the color planning herself!!

Judy started her elephant rug at Sauder Village this summer in a class with Diane Phillips!! She's almost done! If you focus only on the yellow, it seems very bright ~ but the overall effect is really a soft, muted look. A little factoid about Judy ~ she and her husband are cyclists ~ she rides her bike all over the state ~ and last year on a Bike Ohio trip, she rode past our house ~ and that's FAR from her house!!

I love sheep rugs! Karen's patriotic sheep is well on it's way! She had another rug there waiting to be bound ~ Karen hooks a lot, me thinks!!

GIVE THANKS! That's what Arlene's little turkey says. Again, her colors, each on their own, seem bright, but the overall effect is really muted and kind of antiquey looking. Arlene is so productive ~ she has a new rug going every time I see her. She and her husband are cyclists, too ~ this summer she emailed me photos of them cycling in Croatia, of all places!!! I think there's something to this biking ~ both Arlene and Judy are like little twigs ~ maybe I oughta (is that a word?) get my bike out!!!!!

Thursday was the first time that Shirley and I met and we discovered that we have a mutual friend, Lana! Shirley is hooking this Bev Conway pattern of this cute lady with a beehive ~ literally!! This is going to be such a cute rug!

Candy is the happiest lady ~ always smiling and laughing! She finished stitching this stocking together at the hook-in ~ it's for Gavin ~ his name is at the top but my photo is a little dark! She joined the wool backing to the hooked front with a blanket stitch done in yarn ~ it really makes a nice finish!

This nice tote bag is Candy's, too. It was a pattern by the Buckeye Guild and has Ohio's state bird, the cardinal, some proddy flowers and I'm just guessing the flag is Ohio's state flag ~ I'm just guessing! It's a good looking piece and very functional ~ Candy is a good hooker!!!


This black bear is being hooking in a fine cut! It is sizable and it is beautifully done by Tommy ~ another gal that I met for the first time on Thursday. Akron is an hour and 15 minutes from here, so I don't get there every month ~ I would love to ~ these gals are all so talented and very sharing. It's inspiring to see what they're doing!

Laurel's peacock rug is really gorgeous! It's her original design and she's doing a fabulous job on it! I had a photo with she and Donna and Judy holding the rug but this one showed it off best! Laurel was in the Sauder class with me this summer ~ she hooks beautifully and her color planning is top notch!! Donna was hooking that day but her rug is a 'secret' rug, so it couldn't be shown ~ more to follow!

I'm getting ready for the Rug Rave on Saturday ~ we have nine coming as of yesterday! I've been washing windows inside ~ I want the gals to be able to see out!! Right now, I'm heading for Kohl's ~ I have a 20% coupon and gotta get those Kohl's bucks ~ I have a few presents in mind! Have a good day and thanks for stopping by!
Alice

LAST WEEK'S RUG RETREAT ~ ~ ~

I don't know if retreat is an appropriate name ~ that's what I called it ~ Barbara Carroll calls it a 3-day mini as in mini workshop! We had a great time ~ this is "WhatKnots", a new Woolley Fox pattern and Barb's first time to color plan this one. It's turning out great ~ I'm hooking it for our bathroom where there are pieces of old and new yelloware ~ hence the yellow pitcher. I think the rug is looking kind of old so it will be a nice decorating addition to that room. I have hooked up a storm since we returned last Wednesday and hope to have it finished by the Rug Rave on the 21st! There are a lot of elements to this rug and there are some that might need a re-do but those will wait till the rug is finished and we'll see what the overall effect is!

Here's Donna ~ our ringleader ~ I mean the organizer of this trip!!! Her red Henney Penney is going to be fabulous!! The wool she used in the tail has a glow that is just going to make this rug! I bought some to use in mine that is on the backlog of patterns waiting to be hooked! I just realized Donna's eyes were closed ~ she does hook with her eyes open!!

You won't believe it but Judy is behind this huge rug ~ it was either get Judy in the picture and miss part of the rug or have her hold the rug way high so we could see it all. Judy hooked the animals before we got to class and then used Barb's expertise to color plan the background ~ this is a good size rug and it's hard to believe how much background area there is and how many different wools they used. It's really going to be a great neutral rug.

Miss Maria ~ what can I say? This woman is a hooking machine ~ she hooked this rug in two days and with a little help from yours truly, braided her border! Maria has a very distinctive color palette that she uses on her own rugs and let Barb guide her in choosing wool that makes this rug look very old. And not one to let any time be wasted, Maria had some small things drawn up and hooked a colorful little horse on the last day!

Last, but not least, is Mary and her Aunt Tillie's Garden rug ~ this rug, too, is huge!! And she, too, is a hooking machine! She and Maria hook very wide and Mary's style is kind of loose, so they cover a lot of ground in a short time. Good thing we don't live close by each other ~ we could get in a lot of trouble!! One night, we ended up in a Chinese place that didn't serve adult beverages ~ so we ordered our meal ~ bid our tablemates adieu ~ and went to the adult beverage store in the next block to purchase a little fruit of the vine! When we returned ~ our appetizers were waiting ~ and happily, so were our friends!!! (I just realized that I neglected to mention that they encourage their customers to brown bag it)! Mary and I first met on the England trip but didn't spend much time in the same spot ~ we were in different classes and stayed in different places ~ so only met in passing! Thanks to Donna inviting us both on her Woolley Fox week, we get to see each other once a year!

Ligonier has some great little shops and we try to get to most of them. Maria and I bought some great yarns to incorporate into rugs ~ I've been trying to add various fibers and sweaters, etc. ~ you can really give a rug a unique look by expanding your horizons a bit. I also bought some Smartwool socks ~ very comfy ~ you can get them at sporting goods stores or online ~ my new favorite thing!!

Another new favorite thing is the fluorescent light the old guy put in my closet!! There was a two-light fixture in there and I kept telling him I could hardly see ~ I guess I said it enough that while I was gone, the new light magically appeared!! It's like daylight in there!! I LOVE IT!! I wear a lot of black so everything kind of looks alike ~ it hasn't helped me find my favorite black sweater though ~ I wonder what in the world I've done with that!!!!

The weather has been spectacular here in Ohio! On Sunday we had the kids over for what has to be our last weiner roast of the season. And Sonny washed the second floor windows ~ I swear you could hardly see out! Yesterday, I did the ground floor windows with that Windex Outdoor All-in-One system ~ you put a soapy pad on the long handle, spray the windows, scrub the windows, spray again and they dry themselves!! I love it ~ they should pay me for advertising for them ~ it's a great product! So, we're almost buttoned up for winter here in the gravel pit ~ the holidays are right around the corner ~ and there will be a whole new season to prepare for!

Hope you're having a good day wherever you are!

RHM ~ ~ ~ and RUG RAVE ~ ~ ~

Rug Hooking Magazine just arrived and Gene Shepherd's article about his 'blog hook-in' is in there. Great article with great rugs! Just wanted to share my version of that rug ~ Connie Litfin's Coxcomb Basket ~ she is the original designer of the Noel pattern that was in RHM last holiday season and this was one of her 'tweaked' versions. I really love the combination of paisleys and sparkly wool set in the antique black background. I eliminated the squiggly line around the basket as it looked kind of Victorian to me ~ I have some of Connie's patterns to sell, if anyone would like to hook them ~ one of the Star Basket and two of the CoxComb Basket ~ let me know!

Two weeks from today is Heather Ritchie's Rug Rave that I'll be having here in my home studio ~ so far we have eight hookers attending!!! It will 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., I will furnish soup and beverages, everyone bring a dish to share ~ bring your hooking or you can order Heather's Rug Aid rug that I show in my October 1st post (ordering info is written there), and we'll be making a group donation to Rug Aid. Your donation will be confidential ~ bring cash ~ we'll put it in an envelope and it will be in the name of our group "Alice's Friends". Hope to see you November 21st!

Shortly, I'm leaving for a little road trip with my friends, Heidi and Danese, up to Marblehead to this wonderful yarn shop's Open House ~ they have the most unusual fibers to add to rug hooking and of coure, knitting (I hope I can stave off getting hooked on that ~ I would love to learn to knit socks!) ~ I've got a little collection of odd this and thats and I'm sure I'll find more today!

I've been hooking up a storm since I returned home Wednesday evening from our trip to the Woolley Fox ~ I'll be posting about that and show you my rug later today ~ I hope later today! It's a beautiful day in Ohio ~ yippee!!! Have a fun day!
Alice

BAA BAA ~ ~ ~

What I mean to say is Bye Bye ~ for a few days ~ not forever!! I'm going hooking!! Rug hooking!! My friend, Donna, takes a group of friends every year to the Woolley Fox in Pennsylvania and this is the third year for me with this group! Fun gals ~ lots of late night hooking ~ lots of good food ~ and just maybe, a little wine! We'll have fun for sure and Sonny will be Mr. Mom and hold down the fort for me here at home! This little rug is a Woolley Fox pattern that I recently finished ~ it was one of those that I would pick up here and there when I needed something to work on without a lot of thinking! The border is all out of the scrap basket ~ kind of a little challenge to do it all out of there and not cut into new wool!

Friday night, we had friends in for dinner and yesterday, Miss Jordyn (of the green hair Halloween costume) called to see if she could come 'hang out' with me for a while!! Sure ~ who could resist that! Her brother Logan was already here 'hanging out' with Grandpa! And last night we went out for Mexican with daughter-in-law, Miki and Luke and Luci ~ dad, Teddy, is 'hanging out' in a tree in a woods somewhere looking for deer!!! We had a fun weekend and now I'm off for more fun!! I hope your weekend was a good one, too!

See you Thursday!
Alice