Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Good~Bye 2015, Hello 2016

Hello Hookers,
It's getting to the end of another year, I've been gone from my blog since May. I didn't post as much as I wanted... I guess I lost my hooking mojo.  And in that time things changed behind the scene on this site. Google made changes of their own...
Now, I can't figure out how to post pictures. (Just figured it out...) My fault there, I should have kept up.
Plus, my blog needs a face lift. That's what I will be working on this month and next.
See you next year!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Weeding The Flowers...

Okay, as you can see I'm learning as I hook. Calling your 'style' painterly or Impressionism is the way to go if like me, you don't know what the heck you are doing, laugh... I'm weeding flowers I wasn't happy about, we all have those pesky areas on our rugs, right? So I pulled out that red flower that looked like the devil's pitch fork then planted lavender, pink, and gold flowers in its place. Much better. Now I'm filling in the gap between the flowers with different textures &shades of green wool... I keep starring at my flowers, trying to figure out what is wrong with it and comparing it to the other end of that row of flowers. I'm asking myself, what are you trying to achieve? Ahhh, I just figured it out, it's the blend of the background that make the flowers pop, to stand out, not so much the flowers themselves. Painterly style IS about blending colors, right!? So how do I think I can get this to work for me? I realized that by using smaller cuts of wool in the background and keeping the flowers the same size cut #8 as the rest of the rug, it does look like the painterly style I was trying to achieve. Here's the tricky part. In the eight years I have been hooking, I still only use one blade, laugh... Size cut #8. Okay, don't laugh, here is how I get my smaller size stripes, using my finger as a guide post I take the cut #8 and run it perfectly center thru the wool cutter again. Does that mean, I now have cut #4? There you have it, that's how I'm hooking those flowers.  Also, the I hooked dirt above the flowers, I love how it turned out. I'm using fat yarn into the ground too. It's the deep gold in the dirt. Too bad I packed that yarn away when I came to California. I have to try to find it again at JoAnn's.
So here is my updated wild flower bed..... I promise NOT TO show it again until that flower bed is done and my guy's face is hooked. I keep starring at him, he's gonna get a make-over next.




Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Fields of Wildflowers...

This is another rug that's taking forever, I brought it out of hiding to work on this summer.  For now, I'm closing the gap at the bottom of rug. I think I can fit a few more flowers in that space. 


Sunday, May 24, 2015

Mr. Rabbity is Hooked...

Okay, the hooking is done so I'm going to post a picture. Next, to the cleaners to get serged and steamed flat, then I can whip the edge. This tiny rug took me forever to hook. 


Friday, May 15, 2015

Dang Rabbit Rug...

I'm still hooking on that dang rabbit. I know, don't take it out on my rug, especially since I'm the lazy one not Mr. Rabbity. Well, there's so little left to hook. Just two corners... Then I will post pictures. I'm mulling over how to complete this rug, pillow or wall hanging?

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Self~Portrait Photograph...

This step, changing picture into a sketch... 
Next step, getting it out of my iPad!! 

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Working on the Hair...

I've been gathering HAIR wool for my self-portrait kit. In the picture I choose my hair looks black. It's not.  It's 50 shades of bottled brown... I've decided to highlight with other colors here and there to give it a bit of life. Colors you wouldn't normally find in hair. Of course today, anything goes, so I'm going to add my favorite color purple. So far this is what I've found on eBay. I just love this wool...

Isn't it a beauty...

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Flesh Tones for Self Portrait...



This is my first batch of wool gathered for my portrait kit.... Rug hooker, Tish Murphy dyed these. You can buy your own at TishKits.com .... I'm very happy with these shades/tones.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Portrait Kit...

Okay, I'm off to a good start with my self portrait kit... 
I've bought:
Flesh tone wool for face 
Stiff sticky material that traces good
Rug Warp (good for cuts #3 thru #6) 
Tonight I will go thru my small stash of wool for colors to use on my dark brown hair and blouse. What I can't find I will go shopping at all my favorite online stores that carry wool!
The hunt is on...

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Hooking Portraits...

I'm putting together a "portrait kit" for a summer project. It's going to be a self portrait. In fact, it's the ID picture I use on this very blog... If you look closely at my picture you'll notice I only have ONE eyebrow penciled in, haha!! I will bet my rent on the fact that I started the day with two penciled in eyebrows. I must have wiped one off. And with all my five sisters in the background I'm surprised I got away with wearing only one even for a short time! Anyway....
This will be my first portrait period. I've already purchased two packs of flesh tones from Tish Murphy. I received them in the mail yesterday. I'm very happy with this purchase. I will dig thru my stash of wool to find something for the blouse I'm wearing, but I still must decide what to do about the background. And then there's my hair, not sure what to do about that...
What I really wish is to take an online course on hooking realistic portraits. I did find someone from Canada who is giving a course at the end of this year or early in 2016!! Bummer, to have to wait that long. Indeed this hooker knows her craft so yes I will wait! Meanwhile, I will figure it out on my own. The best part is, I get to hook in my missing eyebrow... Wish me luck!!

Friday, April 3, 2015

Posting Dino again...


My grandson drew this on rug backing with a felt pen in about three minutes. He picked the wool for everything but the background. It was a fun piece to hook!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Hooking Frames with Stand

I've been checking out stands to add to my wood lap frame. Hmm, lots of creative husbands out there whipping up stand bases in all sorts of beautiful woods and some made of metals. Of course my dream hooking frame is the Beeline frame whose $800 price tag doesn't fit in my pocket so it's out of the question for now! Anyway, I think I found my stand... And at my price range. 

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Hooked Flowers

I hooked this rug for my sister Vickie... She bought my first frame, so only fair that she recieved the first rug I hooked for someone else...


Tuesday, February 24, 2015

It's All about TEXTILE



I just love this antique embroidered piece. It would make nice rug wall hanging too!




This is listed as a quilt... Isn't it a beauty?

Monday, February 23, 2015

Treasure Trove of Antique Rugs...














Awesome rugs.... I love the "Crossed Arrows"  and blue "Prancing Horse" rugs best!!




Sunday, February 22, 2015

Antique Rug rescued from Pinterest...


Isn't it a beauty? Maker: Elenore Blackstone, date: 1880-90 
Medium: cotton, dim: 123 1/4x108 3/4 inches.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

RIP Mommy

Yesterday my 92 year old Mom died. This is not exactly hooking related news but it's all I can think about right now, so I'm sharing!!

Mom and Daddy, taken in 1943 as newly weds. 

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Another year old today...

Today I'm 60 years old. I never thought about reaching this milestone when I was 25. It was all about living in the moment!! All that drinking, partying without a care in the world, haha, sometimes, I wonder how I survived it all. How time flies... What's next? If we can map our futures, by the lives of our parents then I got another good 30 something years in me, as Mom is still all bright and perky at 92... Life has been good to me.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Antique Persian Rug

I was online eBay checking out Persian hall runners for ideas on how wide to make my own runner, for sure they come in all sizes and all beautiful!! This rug caught my eye, it's a beauty... 
it's a antique Persian rug with a Qumran hunting scene. I see a little bit of everything in this rug. 

Here is a close-up!

Isn't that awesome. 

So much detail in this rug. Priceless with a price tag of $2,500, ouch!!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Black Whiskers

I just tore apart my small hooking nest looking for that special black yarn I'm positive I bought in December for my Mr Rabbity's whiskers! It's not any old yarn, but sorta soft and lumpy that would make good hair, or whiskers... For the life of me, I can't find it!! Now I'm questioning myself, did I even buy it at all? Dang!!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

California...

I've been in California since November of last year. I had plans to keep myself busy with hooking and sewing projects, but I sit most mornings at one end of the sofa talking and laughing with my sister who sits across from me on the loveseat. For sure I need to get ahold of Gene Shepherd and crash his monthly Hook-in and maybe find a hooking buddy in Torrance... I'll let you know if I do!!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Joining A Rug Hooking Club

Last year I was in Gene Shepherd's Wool-of-the-Month Club... It really added bright lively colors to my small stash of wool. This year I'd love to join the gals that create beautiful rugs from Deanne Fitzpatrick's Mystery Pattern/wool Bundle of the month club!! She finally gave us a sneak peek at some of the rugs the gals have already hooked, aww bummer, I missed out on these!! 

For sure I will join in February... Hope it's okay to post your rugs on my blog!!      ~Anita


Friday, January 16, 2015

Mr. Rabbity

My challenge rug is coming along just fine, I'm thinking of taking it to the dry cleaners to have it steam pressed flat. It's small enough that it won't fit awkwardly into the press. Is that cheating? We'll see...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Thursday, January 1, 2015

A New Year, New Goals...

Nope, I didn't finish hooking the Mr. Rabbity pillow or my cowboy rug, but for sure they are on my list of rug projects to complete this new year. At the same time I'm going to build a rug kit around the Arizona Domestic Zoo runner that Carol Miller from Mesa AZ designed and hooked. Next step, buy that pattern. Carol, hope you mind if I show off your rug!!