Rug Hooking Etiquette Part 2

Thank you for reading my previous post on Rug Hooking Etiquette!  I am amazed at all the positive comments and your suggestions!  Since I believe there is still a lot to say, I'm going to continue with a few more tips today. 

(Honeybee Chairpad, a Notforgotten Farm design, hooked by Pat Hagadon)

The first day of rug camp is always as busy as a bee hive. Everyone is picking where they want to sit, getting their frames and cutters set up, and there is excitement in the air.   They want to get started hooking on their rugs!

Here are some "B's" for the first day (how did you like my pun?):

Be on time (especially the first day)

I know a teacher who starts out the day by giving a talk/lecture. It might be about color theory or technique or copyright. Wouldn't you feel bad to walk in late and miss out on some of that wonderful information? On the first day, I always give a little talk about how my class works, how my wool is priced, how I color plan, a little personal information about me, and then we draw numbers for color planning. I like to have everyone there so I don't have to repeat myself over and over.  And if you are not in your seat when we draw numbers, you will get pushed back to be one of the last to be color planned. Hey, it's only fair to the students who did get there on time.  

I get it....there are times when you can't help but get there late. Try to tell your teacher ahead of time so she knows you won't be there until later. 

Which leads me to the second "B" .....

Be ready

Be in your chair when the teacher comes to your spot and she's ready to help you. It's fun to shop in the camp store or see what your friend is working on, but if you are away from your seat, I'm going to continue on to the next person who is waiting for me.   

Please stay off your phone or iPad if you see the teacher is coming to help you. I have had the experience where I stopped to help someone and they were so busy sending a text or looking at Pinterest that they never even lifted their head. Again, I don't want to interrupt you so I will move on to the next person who needs help!

Another big complaint at rug camp is phone conversations!  Try to keep your phone on vibrate. Or if your phone rings, step out of the room and continue your conversation. It might be a great achievement that your grandson finally ate carrots but not everyone in the room wants to hear it. I know there are emergencies and I've had a couple myself. But I've stepped out of the room so no one had to hear the details. 

Be Patient

Trust me. I know how hard it is to wait.  I have been one of the last students to be helped in a large class. As a teacher, I am acutely aware of the wait time, especially on the first day. I have had students sigh and/or roll their eyes as I walked by, on my way to help the next person.  Some students need a little more time than others. We have all been there at some point in our rug hooking life. My hope, by the end of camp, is that I have spent about the same amount of time with everyone. 

On the other hand, don't be a "time hog."  Remember in my first post, I said I liked to build your rug by only planning a motif or two at a time. I want to make sure your colors are working and I can move on to help the next person while you are hooking.  

Be Honest

I want you to love your rug when you go home.  Be truthful with your teacher if something isn't looking like you want it to be.  Just say "I don't think this is working for me."  There's a 99.9997% chance you won't hurt my feelings if you don't like the colors. So speak up! 

There's still more to talk about so I will save that for the next post. Thanks for reading!