GONE HOOKIN' !!!!! ~ ~ ~

Wish I had a picture to post but alas ~ I do not!!  Tomorrow, I'm heading to the Woolley Fox for three days of hooking, eating and shopping!!  Woo Hoo!!!  I'll have some pix to post and hopefully, stories to tell!  It's going to be cold and maybe some rain ~ but we'll have our wool to keep us warm!!!!!!  I'm going with Donna, Judy, Mary and Maria ~ it should be lots o' fun!!  I'm going to hook Berks County Floral ~ the new rug that Barb introduced at the ATHA Biennial!  I've been waiting to do it ever since I saw it finished in her studio but had to wait till ATHA was over!!  I still haven't finished The Rooster Pair from my Spring class so I decided to do something more manageable!!  Talk to you at the end of the week ~ unless I can figure out how to blog from my phone!!!!

Hope all is well with you and yours! Ta ta for now!!
Alice

ANOTHER FUN WEEKEND ~ ~ ~

Tipp City rug progress ~ wish I would get it finished!!  I took this photo with the cell phone in  a lot of bright light ~ yikes!!  But it's coming along!

This weekend, Sonny's son Chris and family came up to the lake and we were invited to Karen and John's (next door neighbors) for their annual Halloween lunch!  They go to great extent to make it fun and tasty ~ there was pizza, chicken tettrazini and lots of appetizers and bags of goodies for the kids and even for the ladies!  Very fun!! 

 Then we took the kids and their parents to African Safari ~ one of my favorite places to go up there!  You drive your car thru and feed the animals!!  This buffalo liked Chris a lot ~ but he needed a tic tac or two ~ whew! Some of those guys had really odoriferous mouths!!  We laughed so hard ~ it's just crazy when these animals stick their whole heads in your car and snarf around for food!  We took four bags of carrots and they give you a cup of pellets which don't last long and usually the animals yank it out of your hand!!  Chris is a very meticulous fellow and he about had the big one when they slobbered on his car ~ that was almost as funny as the wildlife!  We went directly to the car wash when we left!  That night, we went to the Japanese restaurant, Nagoya, for dinner ~ always fun with the kids!!

Two weeks ago, we went to Kelleys' Island with our friends ~ this was at one of the pubs along the way ~ we were pretty happy by this time and I'm shocked at how big my arm looked that day!!

 Our partners in crime ~ Carol and John and Karen (our Halloween hosts)!

Diane and Greg and Bill ~ Carol's husband!!  We had a riot that day!  Went to the annual Chili Cookoff at the Brew Pub and met up with our friends, Tom and Janet, who live on the island part time!  Always lots of laughs ~ we love our friends!!!

It's been quite a couple of weeks ~ lots going on!  Yesterday, I bought a new phone system and got that into operation ~ I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to these new fandangled pieces of equipment!!  I also bought a new printer because the current one has a broken hinge (how, we don't know but it wouldn't print unless I laid on the top of it and now it won't even do that!)  Tonight's project is for me to try to get the new one up and running!  Wish me luck!  I had to hand write paychecks today ~ that's not good ~ and then will have to print them to paper so the guys can have a copy!!  And on it goes ~
I did it!!  I have the fax set up and the printer connected to the Ethernet so it's wireless!!  Woo hoo!!  I have to say ~ the tutorial was so good that probably my cat could have done it!!  But, there is no less sense of accomplishment!!! 

Anyone watching Dancing with the Stars?  It's getting a little dicey with tempers flaring a bit!  Okay ~ I'm outta here for now!!  See you soon!
Alice

TIPP CITY RUG PROGRESS ~ ~ ~

A lot of progress today!!  Because I hooked for several hours this morning!  I just threw caution to the wind and didn't look back ~ therapy ~ I needed therapy!!!  It's coming along!!  Lauren asked the size ~ it's 16" x 24" as it is now, but there is a lot of  extra foundation fabric so I could add a nice geometric border.  I wanted to get this done ~ a border will slow me down!!  We shall see!

When the teachers were talking about various aspects of designing our own rugs, Karen Kahle mentioned that it doesn't have to be perfectly symmetrical ~ I only had to hear that once!!  Mine is not and I know now that's okay!  I drew around a small drinking glass that was on my table to get the largest gold circle shape.  The others were drawn freehand ~ shocking, isn't it?  But, I like their funky shapes ~ same goes for the half rounds at the edges of the rug ~ not quite the same but pretty close for just being sketched on the pattern backing. 

The ATHA convention has begun!  FaceBookers and some of the blogs are already posting about it!  The rug exhibits look great and of course, the vendors make me want to be there!!  As if I don't have enough of my own stuff ~ but I love to buy dyed wool if I find something unusual!!  So for now, I will enjoy my armchair visits to the Biennial ~ I see so many of my rug hooking friends and acquaintances ~ I know they're having a blast!! 

I'm off to my bed now ~ big weekend ahead ~ have to dig out my woollies because it's cold and damp outside!!!  Take care and enjoy this drippy weather!!

Alice

P. S. I got word last night that Linda of Simply Country Seasons blog is recovering from a serious surgery ~ she's doing well but will be in the hospital for another week or so.  I know she has connected with quite a few rug hookers ~ some here at the proddy sheep class this summer and thru other blogs. I'm thinking you can leave her a message on her blog and when she gets home, I know she'll appreciate that we all were thinking of her and sending prayers for her healing.  Linda is a great gal ~ lots of fun ~ even though her sense of direction allows her to see lots of new countryside!!!!  I'll keep you posted when I hear something!

TIPP CITY RUG PROGRESS ~ ~ ~

Just a short post ~ wanted you rug hookers to see this background!  I'm loving it ~ learning to love it, actually.  One thing about this Karen Kahle-type striated background is that you can't hook in straight lines ~ and you get better variation if you use some different widths.  Most of this is an 8 or 8.5 cut but there are some 9's and a few narrower.  So on it goes ~ it takes me a while ~ I've put two hours in on this background since the last photo from the class.  But it will be a neat rug when it's done ~ a study in "The Shape of Things"!

I've been up to my ears in office work ~ preparing invoices and putting some order to my office.  I've had grandkids for several days now ~ Luke is staying while his parents are on vacation and then Jakob and Cam took turns staying the night Sunday and Monday.  Getting kids off to school in the morning takes some getting used to ~ fixing breakfast and shuttling them to the bus or school!!  Whew!!  I'm tired!!! 

So, I'm off to put dinner on the table ~ one of the grocery store clerks said "Boy, I've seen you a lot lately"!!  That's sad ~ they don't see much of me because we eat out a lot or do something simple ~ this cooking is getting to the old girl!!!! 

I'm hoping to hook tonite while Dancing with the Stars is on ~ that show is a little ho-hum this season but I do enjoy J. R. Martinez ~ he's doing a fabulous job!!  Have a nice evening ~ I'm going to!
Alice

TIPP CITY RUGS ~ ~ ~

This is a long post of pictures of the rugs on display at our recent Tipp City class.  Love this rug!  Hooked by Marketa  ~ it looks like a painting!

 Also hooked by Marketa at Susan Quicksall's class this summer at Sauder.

 And this is Marketa!!!  I neglected to post her picture with all the other people pix in the first post so here she is!!  I like her a lot ~ she joined us for dinner this year and last ~ she's a take-charge kind of girl ~ I like that in a woman!!!  Love her necklaces, too!

 This is  Susan Quicksall's Crazy Horse tote pattern ~ I just helped my friend, MJ, color plan hers ~ can't wait to see it done!

 Another Quicksall pattern ~ they seem quite busy to me but such a captivating design ~ I may have to try one sometime!  Good way to use your scraps!!

 Great Fall colors!

 This dear lady is a 'fine' hooker ~ her strips look like threads compared to us primitive hookers!  But look at her detail ~ we can't get that! Her geisha was gorgeous!

Debbie hooked this rug ~ if Debbie reads this, know that I have been thinking of you and hope all went well with your surgery!   

 A Halloween collection with a wool applique piece thrown in.  Friend Lanna hooked and stitched the cute WitchiePoo in the back ~ and also the bat pinkeep right in front of her!  We sat across the table from each other and chatted up a storm!

 Such a pretty rug and the one below is just plain cute!

















Another great fall-themed rug!

Love the swirls in the sky!






And the fanciful acorn!

This rug hooker is also a stitcher and quilter ~ her sampler is just perfect and the little book laying below it is a replica of a child's stitched ABC book.  Both are displayed on an applique quilt ~ all of her work is really exquisite ~ me thinks she might be a perfectionist!! 

 I believe these rugs are Ali Strebels ~ some she hooked ~ others are vintage.  I love the colors in the star runner.  This week, we received an email from Ali, Karen and Nola telling us that their next class won't be till 2013!!  We'll all look forward to it, I'm sure.  It's nice to go and see the gals you've met in the past ~ we've definitely had fun and made some nice friends!

One of those friends is Jackie ~ this is her proddy rug from a class she attended here!  Pretty colorful, wouldn't you say?  Kind of like Jackie!!  When you read this, Jackie ~ don't forget to outline the sheep's head ~ the photo tells us that outline is necessary to define his little sheep head from his big sheep body!!  Send me a picture when you're done ~ signed,  your teacher!

This has been such a busy week ~ don't know where the time goes but it does.  Today is a windy one here in Ohio ~ we're home ~ Sonny is working and I am, too.  Lots to do before I leave for Ligonier in two weeks ~ one of those things is to finish the Rooster Pair rug that I started at Barb's in the Spring!!  Off I go!!  Have a good rest of the weekend!

TIPP CITY RUG PROGRESS ~ ~ ~

 This morning, I took some time to go to the hooking room and start on the background of the Tipp City rug.  Karen Kahle does lovely striated backgrounds and I'm trying to recreate that only doing it in an 8.5 cut. Karen uses a much narrower cut and gets a great effect ~ I usually hook in a 9 and a 9.5, which is very chunky compared to hers.  Last year, when I was recreating another of Karen's background styles of hooking small bits of various wools, it worked out well. She suggested to me that I not change my style but try to make it work with what is typical for me.  So I'm doing the same with this striated background.

The second picture is a close-up (blogger wouldn't let me move the picture).  You can see there are lots of colors that equate to black ~ same values of different colors ~ I might be learning something about value after all  ~ it's a hard concept for me!

I do wish I had hooked the outline of the entire rug before I did the designs ~ should have used whatever I had with me and then rehooked black when I returned home ~ lesson learned!   It's making for a wavy outside line ~ since there is a generous border of linen outside that line, I may design a geometric border to make this a bigger rug.  Stay tuned and see just where this goes ~ we're both going to be surprised, me thinks!!!

Look at this beautiful cabinet that our friend, Marge, GAVE to us!  She's 84 and just kind of cleaning out things ~ no children ~ so she's giving things to people who appreciate them.  Evidently, years ago, Sonny and I both admired this cabinet and she remembered that ~ neither one of us did!!   The guys brought it home last week and set it in the garage where I attacked it with a vengeance!!  I scrubbed it twice with Murphy's Oil Soap ~ buckets and buckets of it ~ and waxed it twice with Howard's Feed and Wax (love that stuff ~ bought it in Ligonier).  It had been in their basement for years and it definitely didn't look like this when it arrived!  I got it done in one day and they got it set in that night!  Houseguest Jackie was arriving from Pa. and I wanted it all done before we left town.  The Ethan Allen hutch that resided there moved to my son, Teddy's house ~ they were having a party Friday night and Miki was anxious to get it in place for their gathering!! We were motivated women!!! 

On Monday evening, we had Marge over for dinner so she could see how great her gift fit right in at our house!!  We took the doors off ~ they are hand beveled ~ great doors!  But, I couldn't display my redware and pottery and with the doors open, it just overwhelmed the space.  So, they're in the basement, marked so that when we're old and dead, someone will know where they belong! 

This is it ~ things can go to pot around here in a hurry ~ we have unexpected house guests ~ just went to Subway and ordered a gourmet meal ~ yikes!!!  I think it might be cocktail time!!!  Talk to you soon!

Alice

TIPP CITY CLASS ~ ~ ~

 Last Thursday and Friday, I was in Tipp City, Ohio ~ north of Dayton ~ for a two day class.  The theme was "The Shape of Things" and we were given templates to design our own geometric rug ~ this is mine!  We were all given the same size foundation fabric ~ we worked within the outline of 17" x 22".  We took some of our own wool and purchased some from the teachers.  In this rug, I took the corner template and put it end-to-end to create the design on either side of the rather wild center circle!!  The blue wool was in our packet and I really wanted to use it somewhere in my design ~ hence, what looks like an eyeball with a blue pupil!  Somehow, I think this looks rather artistic ~ hopefully, not as I described above!

These lovelies are our teachers ~ Karen Kahle, Alice Strebel and Nola Heidbreder!  They work really well together and have lots to  offer in terms of color planning and creativity!  I swear ~ I wonder if I'll ever learn what 'value' is ~ they talk about it a lot!! Even their mode of dress is creative ~ and has lots of  ''value''!! 

Pam, Sue and Charisse are friends and customers of mine that live in our area!  I have lots of fun with them and admire the friendship they have with each other. Each one is very special in their own way!!

Two new friends are Valerie and Barb, on either side of Nola!  They're new friends that I met ~ they've been friends with each other for many years ~ very fun ladies!!

 Jennifer came all the way from Nebraska to join us!  Such a sweet gal ~ we all enjoyed her a lot!  She joined us for dinner, too ~ I think our reputation from last year preceded us and they put us in a private room!!!

This is Jackie from Pittsburgh!  We met last year at this class and she has been to my studio for a couple of classes since then ~
 this year she stayed with us on the way to Tipp City and back ~ I call her Princess Jackie ~ she's a little high maintenance but we like her anyway!!!  We had a good time and I think she enjoyed hanging out with Sonny and I here at our house!!!

Our other table-mate, Lanna, got away before I could get her picture!  She's a very creative gal in her own right ~ designing a pattern line and making great wool pincushions!!  We had lots to talk about, too!

So it was a fun two days ~ it went fast!  Saturday morning, Sonny and I drove to the lake and vegetated for the weekend ~ really, just rested ~ not something we do a lot of! It was great!

The next post will be of rugs that the gals brought to show ~ that's always one of the best parts ~ to see what others hook and how creative everyone is!  I'm looking forward to the nice weather that's coming our way ~ need to do my outside fall decorating ~ I'm a little behind!!! 

Have a good week wherever you are!