It's Mississippi, y'all!

Mississippi: land of King Cake, fried catfish, and fried pickles!  And some serious rug hooking happens in February as well!

I flew out of Detroit just minutes before the blizzard hit...and flew back into Detroit during a second snow storm.  Seems apropos that this year's Mississippi workshop rug was Santa!

Here are a few photos of the happy hookers, busy with their patterns:

 Everyone was very productive and as you can see, they did a fantastic job with the Santa face.  Part of our lesson was hooking eyes.....

 The part I loved the most was that everyone put their own little spin on how they hooked their pattern.  Some used paisley for accents, others used more muted or antique colors for Santa's robe. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of ALL of the rugs, but this is a good representation of the work being done.  As always, I was simply amazed at all the talent in the room.  These girls were serious rug hookers!  They got a lot done and it all looked good!  

We decided next year would be a Halloween theme.  I can't wait!

Tomorrow is the beginning of something BIG!

Tomorrow is the first day that you can officially register for the ATHA Biennial which is being held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania this October.  This is a BIG, BIG event!  There is lots of buzzing going on about the classes and the great roster of over 20 teachers.  I think there will be a huge response to the classes being offered, so if you are interested...tomorrow is THE date to mail in your registration and don't delay!  The hotels have been booking up fast (I believe 3 hotels are already close to capacity).  If you need a registration form, click on this link.

If you want to see the roster of teachers, click here.

(psst!...just a sample of some of the teachers include Barb Carroll, Jule Marie Smith, Elizabeth Black, Pris Butler, Heather Ritchie, Maria Barton...and Kris Miller!...)

 (c) 2010 Kris Miller/Spruce Ridge Studios-All rights reserved

 This is the project for my ATHA class.  It is officially called Fancy Barn Symbol but my friend Kate calls it "Eight Ways To Thrill A Hooker."  I think she's right!  There are lots of different techniques and embellishments to try out.

1. Hooking with antique paisley

2.  Beading (hooking with 2 colors)

3.  Herringbone stitch

4.  Hooking with roving

5.  Quilling

6. Bird's eyes

7.  Hit or miss

8.  Proddy

and a bonus, folks...separating and hooking a striped fabric to make it work for you.  

This will be kitted up with a linen pattern, all the woolens, and some hand-outs, all at one affordable price.  It will only be available to the people who take my class.

I don't expect you to get the whole mat done in one day!  But we will work on all the various techniques during class and then you can go home and finish it up.  Sounds like fun?  Yes, I think it does!

Materials for Blog Challenge #3

It's my turn to challenge my blog sisters with some different types of materials.  They should be getting their boxes today so I thought it was safe to show you what is in my magic box of tricks:

 There is about a yard of nice Corriedale roving, some over-dyed Wensleydale curls, a couple yards of variegated blue and green yarn, a length of glittery craft cord, and a twig!  Just like all the other projects, I have a general idea of what I might want to create.  Last week-end I stopped by a yarn shop and unexpectedly got some inspiration!  You'll see the results on February 20th!!!

Second Creative Blog Challenge Project

Ali Strebel has posted her project so I am going to go ahead and post mine as well.....

as you remember, we were given these materials to work with:

 

When I saw the old lace, I had a general idea of what I wanted to do.  

So here is what I came up with...

  A little Valentine heart pillow! I was inspired by those candy hearts with the messages printed on them.

 

Back of pillow.  The lace is used as trim around the outside.

 

 Here are the words and you can see just a glimpse of the pink sari ribbon hooked around the edge.

 I sewed the felted heart to my foundation and hooked a shadowed shape around it using the stretchy nylon and some purple sari ribbon I had in my stash.  The purple sari ribbon was also hooked all the way around the outside edge of the pillow.

 I appliqued two small hearts to the back of the pillow and the beads were sewn to the center of the hearts.  

My personal challenge?  Well, I don't use pink in my hooking so that was certainly a challenge (although the color I used was more of a coral-type pink)!  Sewing up a heart-shaped pillow and attaching the lace trim in between the hooking and the wool backing was another small challenge.  And I discovered that I love hooking with sari ribbon!  I had bought a little from Ali Strebel in years past to keep in my stash and now I know I want to get some more...hope you have some more, Ali, because I'll be buying more from you!!!

Please check out Ali's blog, along with Maria and Alice for their results.

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I'm responsible for the materials for the next Creative Blog Challenge.  Give me a few days to recover, girls, and your package will be on its way!!!

Teaser!

The last stitches have been put into my Creative Blog Challenge project!

Come back tomorrow afternoon for the grand unveiling!

A Tale Of Two Santas....In January

I never get tired of Santa and here's proof...I've been working on this Santa rug for a workshop in Mississippi, coming up the first week of February:

 There are several different techniques that I'll be teaching my class...hooking with roving (of course), how to hook eyes (and there are three of them here!) and sculpting.  The holly berries are all hoved, which means they are sculpted from wool strips that have been pulled up high.  They are actually 3-dimensional.  And the pom pom on Santa's hat is also sculpted, but it is sculpted from roving.  It's hard for me to say which materials I like to work with the most, but I do think perhaps the roving is a little easier to sculpt with.  I'm also going to crochet wool strips around the edge to finish it and that will be another thing that will be taught in class.

I still don't have a name for this pattern...any suggestions???

And I am itching to return to my hooking on this......

 My Midnight Clear rug!  I had to set it aside to work on the other Santa rug, but now I'm anxious to get back to it.  Everything was hooking up wonderfully and I couldn't be happier!  The background is a mix of two navy plaid wools.  I think they make a stunning midnight sky.  It is important for the letters to pop (but not too loudly) so I chose a brighter blue plaid for them.  I don't use a lot of blues when I color plan for myself but I love what I am using for this rug!

Of course, there is no rest for the weary!  I'm ALSO working on my blog challenge project which is due on January 20th.  Yikes!  I'll be burning the midnight oil for sure because I am nowhere close to being finished!  I don't even have enough done for a sneak peek yet...but I can tell you that it will have something to do with Valentine's day.  LOL!  So come back on Thursday to see what I have concocted.

More Farm Mischief!

While I was eating my lunch and looking out the back window, I noticed the goats acting a bit odd and out of sorts.  The little voice in my head told me to get out there and see what was going on....

Yes, I had another "jumper!"  This time, Willow had gotten into the hay feeder and was waiting  patiently for someone to help her out.  The last goat to do this, Bryce, is actually her twin brother.  And like a good brother, Bryce was standing close by.  I'm sure he would have helped her if he could.

Some of the other little boy goats are acting strangely, but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that...little Miss Ruby has come into season and she is driving the boys crazy!  Even though my boys are neutered, the call of the wild is loud and clear and they like to think they are Big Men On Campus!

I know....too much information.....welcome to my world!

Forgot something!

Just an addendum to my blog challenge items...I found 5 little red beads in the bottom of the envelope.  They look a lot like Red Hots candy and will be a perfect addition to the rest of the Valentine theme.  Here's a corrected view of everything:

 

The Newest Blog Challenge

I received a package yesterday from Ali Strebel for the newest project of our blog challenge.  There is a length of vintage crochet cotton lace, a small pink needle felted heart, a couple of yards of silk sari ribbon, and a curious little piece of material which reminds me of a nylon stocking with runs in it (also pink). It's time for me to put my thinking cap on and get creative!  This definitely has a Valentine's Day theme to it!  I do have somewhat of an idea of what my project will be.....but again it could be a mystery as to how I will get it to all come together!  January 20th will be the next unveiling....

~~~

Here is the aftermath of Christmas Day....Jack was totally exhausted after opening gifts and all Riley wanted to do was play with the paper!  The goats and sheep got apple slices in the morning so it was a wonderful day for everyone!

The Wait Is Over!

Sorry for the delay...Blogger was posting my pictures SIDEWAYS - Errrr!

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Well,  you've waited long enough...so here is my blog challenge project!

 This is Santa's Little Elf!  He has a hooked face, a wool cloth body, and woolen clothes.  The beard is hooked with Angora goat locks, and the back of his head is hooked with wool roving.

I'll point out the challenge items used:  red pompom on top of the hat, star button adorns the middle of his jacket, white pipe cleaner was used in the candy canes, ribbon is tied around the present in his sack, the green pipe cleaner holds the green glittery tree with jingle bell.  I also received a length of wire, which I sewed inside his right arm, thus that is why his arm can bend and hold the sack of gifts.

Here's another view:

A close up of his face:

A close up of the back of his head:

A close up of the sack of gifts:

And finally, a close up of his hand holding the tree:

I only took one picture of my work in progress.  This was when I was hooking his face:

 Not only was I challenged to use all the little implements, but I also hooked on monks cloth (I ALWAYS use linen!) and I hooked the face mostly in #4 cuts.  A proud accomplishment for this primitive wide cut hooker!!!

Be sure to check out my other blog challenge partners' blogs for their wonderful creations!

Maria Barton

Alice Fraizer

Alice Strebel

Thanks to Maria Barton for organizing and coordinating this challenge.  It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!

So what do you think???

Just a tease........

Don't forget about the unveiling of our blog challenge tomorrow...at 5 pm!

Maria Barton

Alice Fraizer

Kris Miller

Ali Strebel

Just one more little tease before tomorrow.....

Ruby has another secret.......

Ruby here, and I've got some secrets to share again!  Any pattern order that you call in to my mom Saturday (today) or Sunday (tomorrow) will receive free shipping!  This offer is good for all patterns on the Spruce Ridges Studios website at the regular retail price for anyone living in the contiguous United States only (expires at midnight on Sunday-but don't call my mom at midnight!  She might be too busy hooking).  She gonna want to ship those packages out on Monday!

tee hee hee....

my other secret is that I've gotten a sneak peek at the Blog Challenge project and I'm going to share it with you right now...

Shhh...don't tell!  It looks like roving to me.....

What's On My Frame Right Now?

Now that I have all the traveling and shows and camps over with for 2010, I have had some time to sit at my frame and hook.  It's a great feeling to get back to my creativity and rug hooking!  And nothing is more festive than to hook a Santa during the Holiday season!  I know I won't get it done in time for Christmas but hey, it doesn't matter.  It's just plain old fun to do.

I'm working on Midnight Clear, an adaptation from Lori Brechlin's folk art. I have wanted to work on this pattern for sooo long!  The colors were swirling around in my head, so it seems like the design is practically hooking itself!

 Santa's face was fun to do...once I got his eyes worked in there, his personality just popped!  I think outlining his mustache in the gray wool helped give a little more character to his face too.

 And what could be more delightful than this little pocket snowman?  I hooked the pocket in red striped wool to make it look like it was patched and added on later.  Lori has such a wonderful, whimsical way of creating these charming characters!

***

Five more days until the unveiling of the blog challenge project.....tick tock tick tock....what could it be?

One of the reasons I love Michigan!

Snow, of course!  Here is what my back yard looked like this morning...

and then about 4 0'clock this afternoon....

I'm so excited about our first major snowfall of the season!

Emma

 

Ruby.  

The only way you can make her stand still for a picture is to feed her a little hay.  

By the way, come a little closer....Ruby wants to share a secret with you.....

 "My mom finished her Blog Challenge project on Friday before she came out to feed me my evening hay!"

Oh Ruby, I told you not to tell!!!!!!!!

~~~

Yes, it's true!  I started my project on Tuesday evening and finished it on Friday afternoon!  I wonder how my other blog sisters are doing on their challenge?!?!  (Tee Hee! Sorry girls, there's no stopping me when inspiration hits!)

It's killing me not to show you all!  I hope Ruby doesn't give out any more secrets until December 20th.

A Sneak Peek......

Wow!  All of a sudden, inspiration has kicked in...and motivation...and  creativity... 

I have begun my Blog Challenge piece and I couldn't be more jazzed about it!  I can hardly stay away from my rug hooking frame and my work table.  No matter what I do, I keep drifting back to my project...just pull up one more loop, just one more stitch, just one more minute to figure out one more piece to the puzzle.... 

If I even took the blurriest picture of what I'm working on, you'd be able to figure out what my project is, so I'll tease you with this:

There are many facets to the way I've challenged myself.  Can't wait for December 20th!

Creative Rug Hooking Blog Challenge

In an effort to expand our rug hooking creativity,

Maria Barton

Alice Fraizer

Kris Miller

Alice Strebel

have joined together to challenge one another to come up with fresh new ideas for rug hooking projects.  How the challenge works is simple.  Over the next few months, one of us will take the lead and will send items to the others to use in our rug hooking project.  The requirements are that the project involve some aspect of rug hooking and all items received will be used in the challenge.  The leader of the challenge can designate a theme if she wishes.

We will have deadlines for the projects and will post the deadline along with the items received for the challenge on our blogs hopefully on the 20th of the month.  On the day of the deadline, we will post on our blogs the finished project along with links to the other participants' finished projects.  Our hope in this challenge is to inspire you to think outside the box, use new materials in your rug hooking projects and to be creative.  If you would like to participate in the challenge with us, you can contact the leader of the challenge to purchase the items.  

Thanks for allowing us to share the works of our hands with you.

The date for the first completed challenge project is December 20, 2010.  Maria Barton is creator of this  blog challenge and the first project leader.  Here is what she sent to us:

 As soon as I opened my box, a little vision with an idea leapt into my head so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do with these.  Let's hope that I can translate what I see in my head into a material project!  I can't wait to get going!!!  What would you do with these???