Alaskan Cruise!

I am so excited to announce:

 A rug hooking/Alaskan cruise with Kris Miller!!!

Dates: September 14 - 21, 2014

Where: Inside passage, Alaska (Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria (British Columbia). Leaving from Seattle Washington.

Princess Cruise lines.

Teacher: Kris Miller. Two days of class while we are at sea. Your cruise package includes a kit (wool, pattern, and ALL the supplies to create it) Also a rug hooker's goodie bag worth at least $50.00 and other great perks!

Please contact Leslie Koehler of Brighton Travel. Phone: 810-229-2935 IMMEDIATELY! If you place a $200 deposit before October 31st, you will receive a savings of approximately $150.00 off the quoted price for an inside or ocean view cabin. Husbands are warmly welcome too! Leslie will have all the details when you call.

PS: If you are not a rug hooker but you want to join in on the fun, you are still welcome to come along ~you don't have to be a rug hooker to join this cruise!

I would be thrilled if you could join me!

Blog Wool Sale!

Happy Shopping!
Click on the photos to see more detailed pictures. 

Here are the conditions of the sale:

1.  All wool will be at the wholesale price of $13.50 per yard.  Shipping is extra.  If you live in Michigan, you must pay 6% sales tax.

2.  All wool is sold as-is.

3.  No wool will be cut smaller than 1/2 yard.

4.  All wool sales are final - no returns.

5.  All sales are first-come, first served.  I will go by the time of your phone call or e-mail.

6.  You may order by e-mail or by phone, however all wool must be paid for in full before shipping.

7.  I accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover.
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SOLD OUT

Wool #2 ~ Yellow/turquoise/blue check ~ 2-3/8 yards available

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

Wool # 8 ~ red/orange plaid (not as bright as photo shows) ~ 9 yards available

Wool # 9 ~ Brown/red stripe AKA: Walnut Stripe ~ 6 3/4 yards available

SOLD OUT

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

Wool #15 ~ green/orange/gold plaid ~ 7-1/2 yards available

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

Wool #18 ~ Green/brown plaid (contains about 2% nylon) ~ 1-1/2 yards available

Wool #19 ~ Gray/brown plaid ~ 1 yards available

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

 SOLD OUT

Wool #23 ~ brown/red plaid (looks "flat" unwashed but washes nicely) ~ 12 yards available

 SOLD OUT

Wool #25 ~ Gray/green/rust plaid ~ 7 yards available

SOLD OUT

Wool #27 ~ Navy/rust plaid (looks "flat" unwashed - will shrink - wash in cold water) ~ 7-1/2 yards available

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

Wool #30 ~ pink/purple/orange/multi plaid ~ 2 yards available

 SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT

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Blog Wool Sale Coming Tomorrow!

Thanks for everyone who came out to the tent sale on June 1st.  We moved the sale to inside but the weather turned out beautiful!  I enjoyed seeing everyone!

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While we did sell a lot of wool, there are many, many yards that are still available.  Today, my assistant Nicole and I measured out the left over wool so I could post it on my blog for all my out of town friends.  Here is your opportunity to stock up or build your stash at discounted prices!  I'm going to post the terms and conditions of the blog sale.  Please read them carefully so you are prepared when the sale is posted tomorrow:

1.  All wool will be at the wholesale price of $13.50 per yard.  Shipping is extra.  If you live in Michigan, you must pay 6% sales tax.

2.  All wool is sold as-is.

3.  No wool will be cut smaller than 1/2 yard.

4.  All wool sales are final - no returns.

5.  All sales are first-come, first served.  I will go by the time of your phone call or e-mail.

6.  You may order by e-mail or by phone, however all wool must be paid for in full before shipping.

7.  I accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover.

8.  All sale wool will be posted tomorrow, June 11, 2013 at 3 pm eastern time/2 pm central time.

Some great hooked projects!

First of all, let me just say that the Spruce Ridge Studios Open House and Tent Sale will be held rain or shine!  I know the weather looks a little "iffy" for this week-end but we will still go ahead with our plans...even if we have to move it inside!  We are praying that the rain holds off until later in the afternoon so that we can put out all the glorious stuff that the shoppers will be looking for.

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This spring, I had a wonderful group of ladies come to my studio for rug hooking classes.  They were eager to learn and quickly applied their new techniques to their hooking projects.  Here are a few of the things they hooked:

This is Pat's project, the Honey Bee Chair Pad from Notforgotten Farm (through Spruce Ridge Studios).  After showing how to sculpt loops, Pat went home and came back to the next week's class with this!  The bee's head and body are sculpted.  You might be able to see this better if you click on the photo.  Truly amazing!  The bee's eyes are quillie circles.  I love the little stinger that Pat added too.

Sue M. hooked and prodded this purse.  The Proddy Sunflowers Mat comes in a kit that I sell (not on my website but if you are interested in purchasing one, please send me an e-mail).  When she finished the mat, she sewed it into a little purse!  I think what makes the whole thing  is that she found those fun and funky leather purse handles!  Another excellent job and oh so creative!

Sue E. hooked my Farmhouse Geometric pattern.  She used a black reversible striped wool, which makes the border look so old and faded.  She also finished the edges with a crochet finish using wool fabric strips.

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Just another FYI about the tent sale....I have more than 32 different textured woolens on bolts (not full bolts but still a substantial amount) that will be clearance-priced.  I know that many of you are a long distance away and cannot attend the sale.  Following the sale and as time allows, I will post the left overs on my blog.  They will be sold "first come, first served" so stay tuned!

Spruce Ridge Studios Annual Open House and Tent Sale

Just two weeks away!  Always a fun day!

Spruce Ridge Studios Annual Open House & Tent Sale

Saturday June 1, 2013

10 am to 2 pm 

(sale starts at 10 am sharp - NO EARLY SALES will be allowed.  We will be organizing and setting up right until 10 am)

The emphasis of this year's sale is beautiful textured wool on the bolt at wholesale prices.  Also a selection of rug hooking patterns at 50% off!

There will be wool, rug hooking patterns, knitting yarns, and craft-related products at reduced prices.  Also vintage, one of a kind, and antique treasures.  

All sale items will be under the tent.

For your regular shopping needs, my studio will be open during the sale.

Visa, Master Card, and Discover accepted.

Please message me for directions.

Texture Inspirations

When I am traveling, I sometimes see the most interesting and inspiring objects that have amazing texture.  I often choose random things that catch my attention at the moment.  I'm glad that I have a camera on my phone because you never know when inspiration is going to hit.  I've decided that I'm going to make a "texture inspiration" file on my computer so when I am in stuck  or have a creative block, I can go back and look at these amazing wonders.

Here are a few of my snapshots that inspire me:

Here is some broccoli that I saw at the Pike Street Market in Seattle.  I love the bright green color and really unusual texture.

A window box of plants in Annapolis.  I love the variety of green shades and the mixture of leaf shapes.

I am sort of a "stone" aficionado.  Here are some stones on a wall in Annapolis. I love the little stones set into the mortar.

More stones from a cobblestone street in Helsinki, Finland.  It is amazing to see all the wonderful colors in stones....blues and pinks in this example.

A cobblestone street in Dent, England.  I love the colors in these stones too...blues, red-oranges and peach.

A stone wall in the North Yorkshire Dales, England.  Lots more yummy colors in these stones...taupe, yellow green, peachy pink!

OK, don't laugh at me...this is the carpeting in my doctor's exam room!  I took one look at it and thought it looked like a hit or miss pattern!  I love the nubbiness of the weave. It reminds me of this:

An old and well-worn hit or miss rug seen in an antique shop in Ohio.  I love the use of bright colors with the black and neutral.

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I hope your week-end is full of color, texture and inspiration!

Little By Little

I had a spare moment to lay my rug down and photograph the progress of the hit and miss border.  When you are working on a big piece, it is always helpful to lay it out every once in a while and step back and take a good look at it.  I am very happy with the way the border is turning out and I don't see anything that needs adjusting so I am going to keep hooking!

I love the way the small stripes have given this design a lively twist.  The colors also pull your eye out to the edge of the rug.  For the mix of colors, I used all the colors that were used in the center design, plus added a few more that weren't used at all but blend nicely with the overall color plan.

I look forward to sitting down at my frame every night and working on the border...I always want to see what the next color will look like as I hook in the stripes.

A Happy Day And New Patterns!

Thanks to all of you who came out for the BSSG Market Day & Fiber Fair in Bowling Green Ohio yesterday.  We had a really fun day and it was great to see familiar faces and new shoppers.  At one point during the day, I looked up and saw quite a crowd of people and overheard someone say "looks like the recession is over!"  Despite the cool weather, the sun was shining and I think that is enough to raise one's spirits.

If you haven't been to my website recently, I do want to tell you that there are a few new patterns added.  The Notforgotten Farm collection has three delightful new patterns.  You can see them at the top of the page.  I love all of them but I just wanted to point out that the Daisy pattern is a really wonderful pattern for all you "wide-cut and primitive" fans out there.

Also added is 6 new magical and dreamy adaptations from Ann Willey's designs.  The new patterns are again listed at the top of the page.  There are some great animal designs (check out Little Fox!) and two "girl" patterns that can be embellished in so many ways.  I immediately thought of some colorful Sari ribbon (did you know that Spruce Ridge Studios carries a beautiful selection of Sari ribbon all the time?) and I think some funky yarns or quillie circles would work too.

Lastly, there are a few delightful patterns in The Cooperage section.  There's a really cute Gingerbread Men pattern that can be hooked as a small bag or a square mat.  I'm not sure that I've seen any Gingerbread Men rug hooking patterns out there so I think this one is really special.

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I have been working more on my hit and miss border.  It is quite a long runner but I almost up to the third corner.  I will post an update as soon as I can get a new photo.

Fiber Show This Week-End!

Just a reminder that I will be vending in Bowling Green, Ohio this week-end!

Saturday March 23, 2013   9 am to 4 pm

Black Swamp Spinners Guild 28^th Annual Market Day & Fiber Fair

Junior Fair Building, Wood County Fairgrounds

13800 W. Poe Road

Bowling Green, OH  43402

$1.00 Admission

Quality fiber-related products such as rug hooking supplies, yarns, roving, fleeces, spinning and weaving supplies, handcrafted items, books, dyes, and more. Door prizes and lunch is available.

http://bssgmarketday.tripod.com

It's my first show of the year and I've got lots and lots of wonderful treasures just waiting for someone to buy!  It may be chilly outside but the warm fuzzy fiber will make you feel good on the inside.  This is a cute little show just crammed with all kinds of unique products for the fiber lover and artist.

I'll have new patterns by Notforgotten Farm, Hickety Pickety, Ann Willey,  The Cooperage and more (just wait until you see them...you are going to love them like crazy!!!)

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Thank you for all your kind words about Sequoia.  I feel better today and I know he is reunited with his brothers in the green pastures of heaven.