Wool Strips And Cording...

I've been cutting wool into long strips

for rug hooking...

~ Purple shades for pansies ~

But, I'm also wanting to experiment...

I recently came across a great little gizmo

that makes cords...

(Kreinik isn't the only company that makes these.

If you go to Amazon and search 'cord maker',

it will give you several options available.)

Lovely cord made from three long wool strips

I love the idea of using all kinds of threads, 

yarns and fibers, to make cords for finishing projects.

Depending on what fiber you use,

these cords can be used to hang projects

or trim the edges of a project, as well as...

hmmm, my mind is churning. 

~  ~  ~

We escaped the Nor'easter today !

Just a little snow this time.

Snow day = Sew day

Daylight Saving Time

is this Sunday !

Spring is so close.
Springing ahead one hour !

Rose

'Sweet Summer' Punch Needle and a Rug Hooking finish...

Valdani variegated Perle Cotton

Choosing colors of Perle Cotton ...

Lavender blooms...

you can't see the individual lavender buds,

until the background is punched.

Punch Needle Embroidery

Stems and lots of delicate lavender leaves.

This is the back of my Punch Needle project.

When I have a lot of little details, 

I will leave my Perle Cotton 'tails',

just a little bit longer.  The details are

actually easier to punch around, when the 'tail' is longer,

because you can easily hold it back with a finger,

while you punch.

'Sweet Summer' Punch Needle design

There is nothing that says "warm weather"

quite like a lilac in bloom.

This lilac is about 60 years old 

and smells so heavenly.

Not to mention that gorgeous color !

Traditional Wool Rug Hooking

My Lamb Rug Hooking is bound 

and waiting for the Porchwalk at the end of September.

Have a beautiful start to your week my Friends...

Rose

Binding A Hooked Rug...

There are as many ways to bind a rug

as there are wool choices...

but my personal favorite is 

whipping the edge with wool yarn.

The Humble Wool Hutch and Rug Hooking...

My humble wool hutch...

My 'go to' for wool,
 for applique

I like to have everything 'in sight' so I can choose

colors and textures that might work with my project.

As the 'storehouse' of wool increases,

I have been known to 'take over' furniture,

to house my stash of wool !

At the moment...

I am in love with these shades !

(I cannot get enough of the Candy Apple Stripe !)

Rug Hooking

Working on the border around my lamb.

I decided on placing a few honeycomb red circles

around the edge...I marked their placement 

with a red 'x', so I don't forget.

Anytime I need to make a correction to my drawn

pattern, I use a red sharpie...if I need to make 

further corrections, I will use another color sharpie,

which usually is purple.  This helps me to know

which correction / line I should follow to hook.
(Sometimes, my rug can look like a rainbow,
til I'm finished with all of the changes !)

To give my rug hooking background some movement,

I will hook swirly lines first and then follow them 

to fill in the background.  In this design, I hooked

the swirly lines using a different wool,

 in a subtle shade difference,

to make it stand out.

~  ~  ~  ~
And those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane by those
who could not hear the music.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
~  ~  ~  ~ 

We are heading into gorgous warm weather...
Oh Happy Day...
Rose

My Favorite Rug Hook And Beautiful Weeds...

Curly-q shapes of wool are beginning 

to fill in my lamb. 

My favorite hook.  

Fourteen years ago, when I first started Hooking, 

there were very few resources for wool rug hooking.

I sent away to Nova Scotia for my hook.  

Didn't know what to ask for and was simply 

over the moon excited to just get a hook - ANY hook !

It wasn't until much later, that I realized my hook was

geared more for a fine hooker.  By that time, I was so used to 

this hook and how it felt in my hand...oh well, I just

couldn't change over, even when I tried. 

It just didn't feel as comfortable as this hook does.

Finishing up the body...

Background wool

Nubby Gold wool...a rich, dark caramel...

As I was hooking this background,

I had a moment that every hooker can relate to...

a moment of sheer terror, when you are looking

at your bag of wool strips and realizing,

Hey, wait a minute, I might not have enough of this wool 
to finish the background of this project.

Up late at night, digging through your stash,

wondering, "Where in the world did I get this wool ?"

Loosing sleep over WOOL ? really ?

Yes, really !!

Up at 5:00 a.m. STILL trying to locate where 

this wool came from.  Ah, yes... The Wool Studio.

Sent an email and am waiting to hear back about

the possibility of this wool in stock !

~  ~  ~  ~

My 12 year old son and I ride bike every chance we get.

We have oodles of "Rails To Trails" all around us.

(Miles of railroad beds that have been 

turned into walking / biking trails.)

Many of the fields are awash in a pinky / purple hue,

for as far as the eye can see. 

It's just beautiful and is a constant reminder 

that Spring is now here. 

Beautiful flowering weeds !

Enjoy the sunshine today...

Rose

Scraps, Snippets And Wool Strips...

Taking a break from my Punch Needle 

to work on some Rug Hooking, 

before the weather

gets too warm. 

Preparing my backing

Once my design is drawn on the straight of grain...

I zig-zag around my outer border, twice.

Choosing the wool is the fun part !

Soft, neutral colors will work well with this design. 

I used to cut all of my wool strips by hand,

and sometimes will still do that...

but I love how my Townsend Cutter cuts the 

strips like butter....

And when you have a lot of strips to cut,

it does the work in a fraction of the time.

It was so warm and sunny yesterday...

I sat outside and hooked away the afternoon.

All my scraps, snippets and straggly

wool strips go into a suet holder for the birds.

They will work at this until 

there isn't even one wool strip remaining !

Then I will find some of them woven into nests.

Have a wonderful day my friends...

Rose

Tearing Gorgeous Wool...

Tiny Daffodils in an Antique wood Sugar Mold

Happy Friday to you !  It is a rainy, stormy

day here in Pennsylvania.  Perfect for staying

inside and creating...

This gorgeous, no GORGEOUS, wool arrived 

this week !  See that black wool ??  It is called

"Black Tie" - one side is black with small white design

and the flip side is white with small black design !

'Double the use' and perfect for rug hooking ;)

Available at The Wool Studio.

The Wool Studio sends out a wool swatch mailer

about every 3 months.  If you would like to receive it,

send them $5.00 and you will receive a 'wool mailer'

about 4x's a year.  You will then continue to stay on 

their wool mailer list as long as you place an order

from every other mailer.

(more info is on The Wool Studio website)

Preparing for my next project...  I just love seeing 

all the colorful wool laid out on the cutting table...

or should I say 'tearing' table...  I always make a snip

at the proper measurement and then simply tear

the wool, (vertical with the selvage). 
 It keeps the grain nice and straight.  ;)

Have a lovely creative weekend...

Rose

A Box Of Wooly Goodness...

Just arrived...

I can't think of anything I like getting in the mail,

more than a box of wooly goodness !

(I mean, really, this might even be 
better than chocolate !)

My heart sings to see these glorious colors

of wool fabric to work with.

(I'm already drumming up ideas for each

of these, soft as butter, wool pieces.)

This gorgeous wool is from The Wool Studio.

New England Plaid

Red Velvet

Nubby Gold (Amazing !)

Mulberry

Woodland Magic

Violet Persuasion

Seeded Pumpkin

Art Deco

I would love to be the person that gets

the first glimpse of the new wools 

and gets to name them !
(Wonder what the job description is
for such a position ??)

~  ~  ~  ~

Enjoy your day !

Rose

Sweet Old Willow Tree...

Sweet old Willow Tree Rug Hooking.

Can you guess what the 'frame' is ??

This frame used to hold a mirror

on top of a 1950's dresser, or bureau.

The mirror was cracked.  I decided to not replace 

the mirror, but rather hooked a rug

 to fit into the opening.

The hooked rug measures 28in. x 24in.

The frame measures 38in. x 33in.

This piece is very HEAVY and needed to be hung

using anchors in the wall.

The dresser is now just a chest of drawers

without it's swinging mirror.

~~~~
"Some people believe holding on 
and hanging in there are signs of great strength.
However, there are times when it takes
much more strength to know when to let go
and then do it."
                                                                                         Ann Landers
~~~~

Hoping you have a beautiful and creative weekend !
Rose