Thursday, June 28, 2012

OK...Just one more sale wool!

I promise I won't tempt you any more...I just found one more plaid...
This one has already been washed and divided into fat quarters.  There are 10 fat quarters available at $4.00 each (that's half off my regular price).
 SOLD OUT!  Thank you!
 
 Orange Halloween plaid.  I have seen this hooked up as a witch's dress.  It could be another great border for a Halloween rug.  Just $4.00 per fat quarter...and it's all ready washed and ready to hook!

The last of the Sale Wools...

I thought I'd better post the rest of the Tent Sale woolens right now.
Lucky you!  The rest of these wools are priced lower than the previous posts.
Again, I will fill orders based on the time received by e-mail or phone.  There are limited quantities available.
 Large black/beige/red plaid.  This is a great candidate for over dyeing.  I have done reds, oranges, and antique black over this plaid.  $8.00 per yard!
 Plum and gray plaid. Soft and old looking. Use as-is or over dye (red or purple would be nice).  $8.00 per yard! Hurry!  Only 1-1/8 yards left!
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Wow!  All the wools below are an incredible $5.00 per yard.
Quantities are extremely limited so don't wait!! 

 Gold/Black/Red plaid.  I have hooked baskets with this one.  Nice border color too. Sold out!  Thank you
 Brick texture.  This is a little thin but washes up nice.  I have hooked stars and flowers with it. Sold out!  Thank you!
 Blue plaid.  Nice colors.  It is a little coarse so I would recommend a wide cut for this.  Another great border.
 Copper windowpane plaid.  I love this, you ought to feel how soft it is!  It might have some cashmere in it.  This wool is a little on the thin side too, but I have hooked stripes in a cat with this one.  Hurry!  Only 7/8 yard left!
 Purple/red/green plaid.  This is an oldie but goodie.  I've hooked flowers with it.  Another thin one, I would probably wash this wool in hot water.
Primitive pumpkin plaid.  Really more like a rust color.  Just a wonderful wool if you are looking for primitive and old-looking. SOLD OUT!  Thank you.

Three More Sale Wools

Here are three more wools from my tent sale.  All are good for stash building.
Limited quantities.  I will fill orders according to the date/time of your e-mail or phone call.
 Brown/Black/Blue plaid.  A great wool for borders or to mix with your other antique darks for a phenomenal dark background.  Also good for horses, cats, etc.  $10.00/yard  SOLD OUT!  Thank you!
 Brown/black stripe.  Here's another fantastic wool for an antique look.  It is discreetly reversible.  Terrific for that dark look in Halloween rugs...not too harsh, just old looking.  $10.00/yard SOLD OUT -Thank you!
 Turquoise/beige/cream plaid.  I see this hooked up as waves in an ocean.  There are so many other uses for it too.  How about a sheep?  Or a lovely background?  This wool appears thin but will shrink up quite a bit so a cold wash on gentle cycle is a MUST!  I have over dyed this as well.  $10.00/yard

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

More Sale Wool

Wow!  Your response has been phenomenal!  You haven't missed out on all the bargains....here are three more sale wools for you to choose from.  Quantities are limited!  I will fill orders by the date/time of your e-mail or phone call.
 Turquoise and red stripe   $10.00 per yard SOLD!  Thank you.
 Gold diamonds - this has a slight green cast to it.  $10.00 per yard SOLD!  Thank you.
 Nice prim blue with subtle colored stripes running through....great for an old-looking patriotic rug.  $10.00/yard  SOLD!  Thank you!

Sale Wool

Some of you have asked if I would post left-overs from my tent sale last week-end.  Here are two sale woolens that are available in limited quantities.
They are $10.00 per yard, shipping is extra.
 Orange/red windowpane plaid with yellow and green lines - SOLD! Thank you!
Mustard yellow and tan herringbone - SOLD OUT!  Thank you!
Give me a call or e-mail if you are interested.  
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I will post two new sale woolens tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Rug Show From Star Of Texas-Tyler

Here are just a few of the many rugs that were on display at the rug show at Star of Texas-Tyler.  Sit back, relax and enjoy!
 This is Hilda's Noah's Ark rug.  It is a Susan Quicksall design. 
 The water and the waves are just fabulous!
 Emma's Garden (my design), hooked by Laurie Hannan.
Martha Lowry hooked this Emma Lou design.
Wow!  I love this shaped horse, hooked by Diane Stoffel.
I have always admired this design by Tish Murphy.  Hooked by Kathleen Bennett.

 Linda Long hooked these fun two Halloween rugs.  Both are Notforgotten Farm designs adapted by Spruce Ridge Studios.
Another great Halloween rug hooked by Marguerite Evans.  A Star Rug Company/Maria Barton design.
This is a Star Rug Company pattern too...hooked by Linda Long.  Great soft Easter colors!
 Here's another design I have always loved!  This is a Karen Kahle pattern.  I'm sorry that I cut off the tag and I don't know who hooked it.
 A beautiful Bea Brock design hooked by Janet Griffith.
 Mr. Iggy by Star Rug Company.  Again, I cut off the maker's name...sorry!
A Sally Kallin pattern hooked by Janie Featherston. What a great red background!  I love how the turquoise star just glows against it.
 A fantastic mola design by Norma Batastini and hooked by Debra I.
 This rug was hooked by Dianne Tutt.  It is Annie's Wandering Scroll by Cindi Gay.
 Another Sally Kallin design hooked by Marj Miller.
 This is one huge rug hooked by Paula Fenter.  She told me she had started hooking it in January...and here it is finished and bound by June!!!
Another fabulous rug!  It is a Barb Carroll design, hooked by Cynthia Norwood.  The bird is hooked in different paisleys.  I love the graceful feeling of this rug.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Be On The Look-Out...

I am just disgusted and heart-sick when I hear about stuff like this.  Maybe you can help find these two stolen rugs:
 This is the e-mail I received with all the details:
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 Dear Rug Hookers,
Last week I was teaching a workshop in Ohio for a small group in a local church.  Two rugs were stolen from the church sometime after class on Tuesday and before class began Wednesday morning.  The room was filled with wool, hooking equipment including frames and cutters, other rugs and a digital projector.  None of those items were touched.  Please forward this email on to your rug hooking guilds and groups.  If you are a frequent follower of Ebay, Craigslist or any other internet site that sells things I would appreciate it if you would be on the look out for the rugs.  I am offering a reward for information leading to the return of the rugs.

Rug #1 is my Crocodile Mola design.  It was featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.  It was exhibited at the ATHA Biennial exhibit in Lancaster, PA in October 2011 and at the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild exhibit at the Shelburne Museum in November 2011.  The rug is 36 x 48. 

Rug #2 is my Pumpkins and Leaves design.  It was hooked by Linda Woodbury and has been exhibited at many local shows in New Jersey.  The rug is 28 x 40.

I have attached photos below.
If you have any info please contact me or Linda.

Thank you,
Norma

~~~~~
Let's all do our part to help recover these kidnapped rugs!  If you see them, get the details, etc., then contact me and I'll get in touch with Norma.
Thanks for your help!  Kris 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

An Extraordinary Day!

Thank you to all the happy shoppers who attended the Spruce Ridge Studios Open House and Tent Sale.  It was very good to see so many friends and new faces too.  I met several enthusiastic beginners and I must say that I am always tickled and inspired by their eagerness to start hooking!

We really did have an extraordinary day...that started about 20 minutes before all the shoppers arrived.  My town of Howell hosts an annual hot air balloon festival every year in June, and it is taking place this week-end.  This morning was exceptionally calm and clear, and they were able to get the balloons launched.  We are in the flight path for many of the hot air balloons during their evening launch but this year, the balloons came sailing over our house in the morning as we were setting out the wares for the tent sale. Not just a few balloons.  I counted at least 25 beautiful, colorful balloons high in the sky.  What a sight!  As we continued to work, I heard a loud WHOOSH, which I recognized as the sound of the gas jets of a balloon.  When I looked up and to the south, a low flying balloon came drifting over our marsh.
 As he drifted closer, one of the pilots waved to me.
 And then he called out "Is your llama afraid of the balloon?"  (apparently it's hard to tell an alpaca from a llama at his altitude *wink*)  I replied "No" and just as I said that, Emma let out a big BAAAA.  The pilot said "It's OK, it's alright."  All the while the balloon was drifting closer and closer to our house.
 "Are you going to land in our yard" I yelled up to the pilot.  I have always had this goofy desire to have a hot air balloon land in my yard.
"I don't think we can" he yelled back.
"Too bad you can't come back at ten o'clock when I'm having people over" I yelled up again.
"I'll see what I can do" he replied.
In no time at all, he was sailing past our pine tree, nearly hitting the branches as he floated along. 
 A minute or two later, he actually hit some branches of my next door neighbor's tree and we could see him pushing away branches as he skimmed by.  My heart jumped into my throat!
 As Ken and I raced to the road, we noticed he was clear of the trees.  Their recovery vehicle was parked on the road and two grounds crew men were standing on the grassy shoulder.  "Drop it now!" they yelled up to the pilots.
And just like that, the balloon sank smoothly to the ground.  The grounds crew caught the basket and helped ease it to the grass.
Wow!  I love when stuff like this happens.  I couldn't stop thinking about it all day!



Thursday, June 21, 2012

A Wonderful Week!

Last week I was teaching at the Star of Texas Rug Camp in Tyler.  Wow!  I can't even begin to tell you what a fantastic week it turned out to be.  Maria Barton (Star Rug Company) and I drove there...it took two days each way with a stop-over in Nashville to visit my sister overnight.  We did lots of talking, country music listening, and Maria even got some rug hooking done while I drove.  It was a long trip with some sore butts, but we got to see parts of the USA that we had never seen before...like a rice field in Arkansas!
Here is a picture of my fabulous class.
A great group of gals!  They were so talented that it made my job as a teacher very easy.  Emma's Garden was being hooked by three different ladies.  As you know, this pattern is near and dear to my heart because it is inspired by my beloved Wensleydale sheep, Emma.
 The first one is being hooked by Beverly R.  She is a fairly new rug hooker but she is doing a great job!
 This is Judy C.'s version of Emma.  Judy brought some very light gray roving for Emma's body and I think it looks perfect with the light gray face and legs.
 Paula F. is hooking this Emma.  Paula was my student 2 years ago at Tyler and her hooking technique is exquisite.
 Cora M. is hooking Give Ye Thanks.  I love Cora's cabin and the soft old colors she is using in the rest of the rug.
Dianne T. wanted a customized version of Goat Hill.  We added the date that she moved into her current house and her last name on the hill.  I love the combination of red, gold, and turquoise.

 Queen Anne's Welcome is being hooked by Sherry V.  I love the combo of deep warm red and soft light yellow, which Sherry says will match the decor in one of the rooms of her house.

We also had two Herb Angels in our class!
 The first angel belongs to Dorothy D.  Dorothy also hooked little American flag pins for everyone in our class in honor of Flag Day!  How nice is that?!?
 Gwynna W. is hooking the second angel.  Gwynna's colors are so soft and lovely.  She has since finished her hooking and is getting ready to bind her rug.  Wow!  That was fast!
One more note I want to make about these two rugs:  One of my demos in class was how to hook a primitive eye.  Both of these girls have really done a fabulous job on the eyes.  I think hooking eyes are very important because once you get it right, your whole rug will have a personality.  And both these angels have a beautiful personality!
 Ginger J. is hooking Bewitched.  This rug has a lot of eyes done with different techniques.  Ginger has done a fabulous job!!!
While Ginger was waiting for me to get around to her, she was working on this little gem of a rug, designed by Maria Barton.  Need I say that Ginger is a prolific rug hooker?!?
 Jeannine is hooking this wonderful chicken (design by Mary Johnson).  I love how she hooked the feathers directionally.  She even added some strips of paisley!
 This wonderful Kris Kringle pattern (Woolley Fox/Barb Carroll) is being hooked by Joan H.  If you click on the picture, you can see the fabulous beard she hooked using Wensleydale curls.  To keep it from become too thick, she first hooked Santa's beard with a light colored textured wool and then pulled up strands of curls in between the rows of hooking.  Perfection!
 This beautiful version of Harvest Goode Things is by Linda L.  Wow!  I love the soft old blue house, the sun flowers and the lettering.  Linda really gets things done and she was working on the border when I packed up my wool on Thursday.  I'm sure she got the whole rug completed before she left camp.
 And last but not least, this beauty of a rug, Goode Witch With Alphabet, hooked by Pati W.  I love the witch's green skin...and if you click on the picture, you will see that Pati needle felted a little wart on the chin (and added a "hair" made of thread)!  A little extra touch that really makes you smile!

There was also an excellent rug show on Wednesday.  I have a few pictures of the rugs that were there and will post them soon.  I am still frantically gathering items for my tent sale...only two more days to get ready!  Yikes!