Rug of the Day - Notforgotten Flowers

Notforgotten Flowers

Design by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm, adapted by Spruce Ridge Studios/Kris Miller

I hooked this fun, cheery mat many years ago when I first started adapting Lori's artwork into rug hooking patterns.  Now flash forward to 2021....

A customer had ordered the larger size of Notforgotten Flowers and as I was drawing it, I made not one, but two stupid mistakes.

I have been drawing patterns for over 20 years....I could probably draw them with my eyes closed!  haha!  I am quite picky about having them straight so when I am drawing the outside border line, I always try to use a very fresh Sharpie with a nice sharp point.  When the tip starts to jump the ditch, I know it's time to switch to a new marker.  Sometimes a slub in the linen or a piece of lint will make the pen jump too.  If the overdraw is just a small line, I feel there is no harm done.  I correct the jumped line and keep going.  I think we all understand that it happens sometimes and it doesn't affect the outcome.  But when I drew out this pattern, my Sharpie jumped badly.  In two spots.  I tried to correct and made it worse.  I thought it looked sloppy and I just could not send this pattern to the customer.  So I drew another one that was pretty and perfect and without blemish.

Now, I will tell you that I HATE to waste linen.  It is expensive.  What was I going to do with this imperfect pattern?  My choices were to discount the pattern price and sell it as an "oops" or to turn it over and draw a different pattern on the other side just for myself.  But wait!  I started thinking that I could hook this pattern again...but in all soft neutral tones.  A little challenge to myself since I had already hooked the small version in a colorful palette. 

 

I think I mentioned this in a previous blog post, but I started gathering up some textures that I considered "neutral," piled them up on my work table, and let them "stew" for a few days.  I would walk by and glance at them throughout the day.  Sometimes I'd find another piece of wool that I thought would work and threw it in the pile.  Other times, I would eliminate a piece that would somehow seem out of place or just didn't catch my fancy anymore.  

This is what my pile looked like.  I had three piles for the three flowers in the pattern and there are multiple leaves to color plan too.  The dark taupe-like texture that is scrunched up at the top of the picture was a candidate for the background, but I realized later that it was not dark enough for what my vision of the background should be, so I used it to hook the flower pot.  A nice dark chocolate brown is working great for my background.

Even as I have been hooking, I have pulled some wool out and switched it to a different texture. But I think I am still on track with my goal to keep my mat in the neutral "neighborhood."

Here is the start of my rug and I am very happy with the progress so far!  I am outlining all the objects with one row of my chocolate brown texture.  This holds the shapes in place and gives me a good idea of how the background works with my other color choices.  I am considering another brown texture to mix with my chocolate brown but will try it out later when I am hooking the rest of my background.  I am so focused on hooking the flowers and leaves so I don't want to lose that mojo by filling in background right now.  Stay tuned!

You can find the small pattern for Notforgotten Flowers here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/not-forgotten-flowers-18-x-18/

and here is the link for the larger pattern, which I am working on now:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/not-forgotten-flowers-24-x-24/

 

Rug of the Day - Matilda Hornbuckle

Matilda Hornbuckle

Hooked by Kris Miller

A Notforgotten Farm/Lori Brechlin design, adapted by Spruce Ridge Studios

Here is the adorable Matilda Hornbuckle!  She was my unfinished project that I mentioned in my last post...I had some background to hook in and I had not completed her face.  As is often the case, once her cute little face was completed, I had a smiling and mischievous friend looking back at me!  She really made me happy and the rest of the hooking was a snap!

When I hooked the shoe, I pulled up some scrap pieces of wool (just a tail and then another tail) to mark the spot where I wanted to sew the shoe buttons after my mat was steamed.  I could have hooked them but I have a small collection of old shoe buttons just for this occasion.  I think they add just a bit more whimsy to my mat.

I had quite a collection of light colored, textured left-over pieces so I promised myself that I would cut up, mix up, and use those scraps instead of cutting into a new piece of wool.  It's pretty strange how you can plan to do that and still have a bunch of scraps left over when you are done hooking.  

This little mat is a fun, quick project.  She could be displayed all year round and not just in the Fall or around Halloween.  I'm going to smile every time I see her!

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/matilda-hornbuckle-18-25-x-14/

 

Rug Of The Day Update-First Heavy Snow

First Heavy Snow

Designed by Cabin Creek Designs/Faye Schilling

Hooked by Kris Miller

I have been trying to wrap up some unfinished projects and here is one of them.  I just hooked the last loop on Monday night...it's not steamed yet but will be soon.  Then I'll bind the edges with the crochet finish, using the same Christmas plaid in the border.  

This was so much fun to hook! I think my favorite part was figuring out how to dress up the snow people.  I can't wait to hang it up next winter when the snow starts to fly.  In the meantime, I've got another UFO (unfinished object) on my frame....mostly just hooking the background but oh how I love hooking backgrounds!!!

You can find the First Heavy Snow pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/first-heavy-snow-49-5-x-12-5/

 

I know most of you don't want to think about snow, now that the weather is warmer and the flowers are starting to poke their sleepy little heads through the dirt, but I think I could hook winter patterns all year round because they are so much fun!

Have a great week-end!

Rug Of The Day - Puddle Duck

Puddle Duck

PJ Rankin-Hults design, rug hooking pattern adapted by Spruce Ridge Studios

Here is a totally adorable design that is in my pattern queue to be hooked very soon.  I have always thought that this would be really cute hanging in a nursery or in a child's bedroom and now that I have 2 grandchildren, I want to hook it!  It should be a very simple and straight-forward color plan...I think I'll stick close to the colors in Pam's artwork but I still have to figure out a background.  This pattern should be a quick hook because it is only 12" x 18".  I'm going to pull out some textures and see what speaks to me.  Sometimes I pile or stack them on my worktable and let them "stew" awhile.   By that I mean that I'll walk by and take a glance at the the pile, sometimes I rearrange the order of the colors or pull one out and add another.  It gives me time to think and plan.  This one shouldn't take too long to speak to me.

I have another pattern, too, in which I made a drawing boo-boo and instead of scrapping it or discounting it, I decided to challenge myself and hook it...I'm going to keep that sort of a mystery for now because the color plan and hooking would make a good blog post...so stay tuned and I'll walk you through it someday soon.

You can find the Puddle Duck pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/puddle-duck-12-x-18/

 

Rug of the Day - Have Ye Any Wool

Have Ye Any Wool

Designed and hooked by Kris Miller/Spruce Ridge Studios (c) 2009

I just finished watching all 7 episodes of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS.  I don't know why the PBS app let me watch all seven shows before they have aired entirely on TV, but I couldn't help myself but binge watch all of them.  

I have never read the books but I have been to "James Herriot" country, the Yorkshire Dales, 3 times so I was anxious to see the beautiful scenery portrayed on screen.  When you are there, it is so beautiful that you feel like you could be looking at a postcard...it seems almost unreal and you just can't fathom that you are actually there and seeing it for yourself.  A "pinch-me" moment at every turn of the head.  

The TV series is charming and gave me the warm fuzzies.  It has animals, of course, but deals so much more with human emotion and the feeling of belonging and togetherness.  I can't wait for Season 2!

All of this reminds me of my Have Ye Any Wool pattern.  I designed the rug for a workshop where we learned various techniques but the rug has a much more personal meaning behind it.  The sheep is inspired by my pet Wensleydale sheep, Emma.  Wensleydale sheep originate in the Yorkshire Dales and they are beautiful creatures. I was fortunate enough to visit a farm that raised Wensleydale sheep.   You might have heard me talk about Emma...she was seriously a sheep with a queen-like attitude and so full of antics!  However, it is not Emma's fleece that I have hooked into my rug but Mikko, my pet Finn sheep that crossed over the rainbow bridge at an early age and I used his roving to commemorate his short life in this rug.

The goat is inspired by my beloved goat, Zack.  I don't have any chickens but I thought a rooster should be up at the top...it gave me the excuse to use some fabulous black and white, honey-comb textured wool.  

This design is the classic folk art of stacked animals but made extra personal because I portrayed some of my very special creatures in the pattern.

  

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/have-ye-any-wool-25-25-x-27-2/

 

Pattern of the Day - Basket of Hearts

Basket of Hearts

Artwork by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Pattern adapted for rug hooking by Spruce Ridge Studios

There are times when I am hooking on a project and I find myself overthinking the color plan for the design.  I end up making things much more complicated than they need to be.  Often this leads to frustration because I can't quite figure out what I'm going to do next.  I have learned to stop and tell myself "you need to simplify!"  By scaling back all the "busyness" and making things less fussy....keeping it simple...I find more creative satisfaction and joy in my project.  

So!  When I look at the Basket of Hearts pattern, I see lovely, sweet simplicity.  You don't need to overthink the color plan.  Just yummy shades of reds (hearts), greens (leaves) and browns (basket).  I envision the background as being light because it gives a fresh, clean look.  

If you want to switch up the hearts a bit, you could use some lovely plaids with pops of red, along with some textures in warm barn red.  Use several values of greens for the leaves. You could use the darker green values for the leaves closer to the basket and then choose the lighter values for the leaves toward the top.  

You could also use the basket-weave technique for the basket or eliminate the wicker lines all together and hook the name of your favorite Valentine in the middle of the basket.  You are still keeping it simple but making it more personal.

The original size of the pattern is 20" x 26" but I had a friend who requested a larger size of 27" x 35" to fit a space in her house.   I have to say that if I hooked this pattern, I definitely would do the larger one...terrific for those wide cuts!  The smaller version is perfect for those of you who like a quicker project or smaller cuts of #6 and #8.  However, I am a #8.5 girl and I'd find a way to work those cuts into the background somehow ! Haha!

You can find the smaller pattern here:  https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/basket-hearts-20-x-26/

And the larger one here:      https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/basket-hearts-27-x-35-large-size/

Pattern of the Day - Be Still My Heart

Be Still My Heart

Artwork by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Rug hooking pattern adapted by Spruce Ridge Studios

This is a really darling design and a sweet, sentimental Valentine!  I have seen it hooked up several times but I must not have saved the pictures because a search of my computer files does not come up with anything.  I knew it had appeared in the ATHA magazine several times, too, but I could not put my hands on which issue (or issues) have featured it.

  However, a Google search came up with the following link:

https://farmhousenotforgotten.blogspot.com/2014/04/be-still-my-heart.html

Lori wrote a really nice blog post in 2014 about the ATHA article and Marguerite Evans' rug.  I love the plaid for the rabbit which easily creates "instant" fur, and also the soft plaid for the background which adds a lot of interest and movement. The rabbit's red dress is perfect and using red again in the lettering and the tulip moves the color around the rug.  Wouldn't we all agree that red is THE perfect color for a Valentine!?!?

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/be-still-my-heart-18-x-24/

Just a note:  Marguerite was an exceptional and kind woman who loved the fellowship of rug camps and rug hooking.  She passed away in 2015.  It was an honor and a privilege to know her and see her wonderful rugs.

 

Pattern of the Day - A Bushel & Peck

 

A Bushel & A Peck (Lori's)

Cross stitch by Lori Brechlin/pattern adapted for rug hooking by Spruce Ridge Studios

I drew up this pattern for an order last week and I'll admit, I had forgotten how truly cute this design is.  As is often the case when I am drawing out a pattern, I start color planning in my head and get pretty excited about the results.

This sweet little mat is 28" x 20" so the bird is drawn pretty big on the rug pattern...however if you are a wide-cut hooker, this is the perfect size to use your 8.5 and 9 cuts (bird and background).

I can envision a light background, maybe more parchment or creamy colors.  My first reaction would be to hook the bird as a robin (our state bird) but after I thought about it for a few minutes, I think the colors of a bluebird would be really lovely!  I would consider using a medium brown plaid or texture for the basket, and if you are feeling really creative, you could try the basket-weaving technique.  I'd have lots of fun with the hearts...either several values of primitive reds...throw a couple of purple textures in there!  Or maybe various shades of dirty primitive pink would look lovely if you hooked a robin.

The words are important but you don't want to upstage the bird and the basket so I would choose a soft brown or even a soft charcoal.  

If you have hooked this design, please do let me know!  I would love to see your version.

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/a-bushel-and-a-peck-loris-28-x-20/

Lauren asked yesterday about my favorite plaid that was used in the Three Hearts kit, so here it is:

I don't remember what the original name of the plaid was, but I call it Flower's Friend and you can buy some here on my website:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/flowers-friend-14-yard/

Happy New Year and a new Rug Of The Day

 Happy New Year!

The holidays were busy here at our home.  My grandson was weaned off his oxygen at the beginning of December which means more babysitting time for me.  When you add in all the duties of Christmas, such as decorating, wrapping, cooking, baking, it meant that my blogging had to be set aside for a while.  I also did quite a bit of knitting over the holidays.  Knitting was my first fiber hobby that I took up, maybe at the age of 10 or so.  It really feels good to get out the knitting needles and yarn every once in a while.  It is soothing and meditative...and hey!  I'm still using wool and textures and color!

But now it's back to rug hooking!  Hooray!

I still have to take down some Christmas decorations but lately I've been really inspired by Valentine's Day.  Somehow those little red hearts are speaking to my heart...and in contrast to that, I have been really inspired by all things white too.  I know this is the way a lot of people feel at this time of year, but I have not always been so inspired by Valentine's Day.  

So the next few blog posts are going to be either "Rug Of The Day" or "Pattern of the Day" with the theme of valentines, hearts, and spring.

Three Hearts Kit

I created this kit a couple of years ago for a customer who was asking for a simple kit with hearts.  Those of you who know me will smile when you see that I used my favorite plaid with colors of red, turquoise, and just a touch of gold.  A lovely charcoal background makes the hearts sing!  The wool is just a bit lighter on one side and darker on the other, so I mixed them all together and I didn't care which side was showing when I hooked it.  This gave a subtle variation and movement to the background.

I really loved hooking this...one of those projects that practically hooks itself!

This would be a wonderful project for a beginner or a quick and fun project for the more experienced rug hooker.  The mat is 10" x 10"... just the right size to use as a mat/hot pad for your favorite tea pot!

You can find the kit here, with the wool cut into #8 strips and a basic hook:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/three-hearts-kit-new/

If you would like a Three Hearts kit with uncut wool and linen pattern (no hook), please contact me through my website and I can put one together for you.

Rug Of The Day - Joy

 

Joy

Designed and hooked by Kris Miller (c) 2005

"Tis the Season!"  Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's time for all things Christmas.  Christmas is really my favorite holiday.  I love to decorate, I love to bake all kinds of goodies, I love Santa and evergreen trees and snow and shiny old ornaments.

I have been decorating all weekend long!  The little studio shop looks darling.  I've set up my snowman collection in my dining area, decorated my own little Christmas tree with all my childhood ornaments, and set up my vintage Nativity scene (it's been in our family for 3 generations and I am happy and honored to be its current caretaker).

I thought I'd highlight my Joy design since Jo Wick recently posted her rug in a lovely setting.  You can see it in her post here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3884658318219595&set=a.256237477728382

I designed Joy as a project for the now defunct Country Marketplace magazine in 2005.  I was doodling one day back then and came up with the design.  I wanted a project that could be left out all winter long.  Childhood memories were an inspiration.  Oh, the joy I felt when I saw snowflakes falling!  It meant sledding until your toes and fingers were numb, and then hot cocoa with marshmallows afterward!

I used a light gray herringbone for the snowflake.  If you used white, it would end up being too bright for the rest of the rug.  I liked the idea of using Christmas reds and greens but mixed a little gold in the side tabs for some variation.  The background was a fabulous plaid of evergreen and red.  It was not impressive to look at but when it was hooked, it was perfect!  I call plaids like that "chameleons" because they might look a bit boring until they are hooked...they are the ugly ducklings that turn into beautiful swans!

This is a quick little project to hook because it is only 13" x 17" - just perfect for a table mat with all your other holiday decorations.

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/joy-13o-x-17o-2/

I also have a limited amount of kits available here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/joy-kit/

Rug of the Day - Old Tom

Old Tom

Adapted from the design of Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Hooked by Kris Miller

Old Tom is a fun little rug for any time of year but it's perfect for this week.  It measures 15" x 19.25" so it can be a fast project to hook.  I hooked my mat in almost all #8.5 cuts.  

I thought my Tom should have a little more of the "traditional" turkey colors so I found a scrap of blue/gray plaid that I used for his head.  Then I used a plaid that I call "Spice Cake" for his wing and body. 

As you can see, there are bands of red running through the plaid, so I cut it in such a way so that there would be strips of red and strips of brown.  I separated the two colors and used the red strips for Tom's wing and the body was hooked with the brown strips. I was a little sneaky and used a bit of the gold that was contained within the red for most of the outline around the wing.  It gives the wing a bit more subtle definition.

Last year when I taught in Ocean City, MD, I was talking to my class about separating colors in plaids and mentioned how one could hook Old Tom with the Spice Cake plaid.  I was holding up a quarter yard and Saundra Porter stood up and snatched it right out of my hand....we all had quite a laugh and it remains a wonderful warm memory of my class.  And then I believe there was a mad rush to my wool table to find the Spice Cake plaid.

PS:  I have used it in rug borders and it has an equally wonderful look, even without the colors being separated.

You can find the Old Tom pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/old-tom-15-x-19-25/

You can find the Spice Cake plaid here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/spice-cake-14-yard/

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!  Gobble Gobble!

Rug Of The Day - First Heavy Snow

Rug of the Day is back!  Here's what is on my frame right now:

First Heavy Snow

Designed by Faye Schilling/Cabin Creek Designs

Available exclusively through Spruce Ridge Studios

Hooking in progress by Kris Miller

Every time I drew up this pattern for an order, I thought "Wow, this is SO cute...I need to hook this myself."  Then, last week, someone posted a picture of their completed rug on Facebook and that was the tipping point for me.

I love how I can "dress up" each snowman (or lady!) in their own winter attire...it's so fun to decide on which textures would make the best knit hats and scarves!  The best part is that each little hat or scarf doesn't take much wool so I can sort through my scraps and use up some of them without cutting into a big piece.

I don't often do this when hooking a rug, but I started working on the border first and then decided to work from one end of the rug to the other.  You see, I wanted to fool around with the border and try out a Christmas plaid that I had in stock.  I have to admit, I wasn't convinced that I was going to like the way the plaid hooked, so I added one row of red and green beading to the first inside row, then I "auditioned" the Christmas plaid by hooking several rows next to the beading.  When the plaid was cut into strips, it sort of gave me a selection of red strips and green strips so I made a plan in my head to stagger the red and green strips when they were hooked in rows next to each other.  It dispersed the colors a bit better and made it more of a hit-or-miss kind of feel (whew, are you following me on this?). 

So the verdict is in!  I LOVE, LOVE the Christmas plaid and I'm going to keep the beading too.  Sometimes there are places where the beading fades into the Christmas plaid but I love it that way and I'm not going to change a thing! So now it's on to the rest of the rug!  

A few observations:  

Since there are many small details in this runner, I have had to use a wide variety of cuts. The border is #8.5 cuts, the background is #8.5 and #8 cuts, the snowmen are also a combination of #8.5 and #8 cuts.  However, the carrot noses are a #6, as well as the stick arms, and the eyes are a #4 cut (I found a little bundle of #4 cut black strips that I had set aside - I have no idea why I cut them that small in the first place but they have come in handy now!)

I also have scraped together various shades of primitive "white" for the snowmen, since there are a bunch of them.  I may do some outlining for the ones that overlap and I can repeat some of the lights.  Three or four shades of "snow" is a good variety, I think.

I have taken a little break from hooking since October...I picked up my knitting needles and I'm working on a blanket for my granddaughter and need to start knitting a Christmas stocking for my grandson. Sometimes my hooking urge becomes so great that I have to put down the knitting needles for a day or two, but with this wonderful variety of fiber arts, I will never be bored or regret having to stay at home. Bring on the first heavy snow!

You can find the First Heavy Snow here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/first-heavy-snow-49-5-x-12-5/

If you feel the runner is a bit too big, there is also a smaller pattern that features just three snowmen and a tree:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/first-heavy-snow-22-x-12-5/

And you can find the marvelous Christmas plaid here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/christmas-plaid-14-yard/

 

Coming Soon! Shop Grand Opening and Tent Sale

 Just 6 days away!  You are warmly invited to the Grand Opening of the Spruce Ridge Studios rug hooking shop and our Annual Tent Sale.  If you haven't peeked at our 2020 Show & Travel Schedule (tab located at the top of the page), you might want to read about all the details for next Saturday, October 10th.

Ken and I are in the final stages of putting the little shop together. The last minute paint touch ups and final construction details are being done today.  This coming week will be the stocking of wool on shelves and patterns in bins and rearranging display pieces. If you are coming and would like to purchase a specific pattern, please send me a message or email before Friday so I can have your pattern waiting for you.

Hope has approved the new flooring.  She says it's really nice but it will be a lot more comfortable with a few hooked rugs put down there.

Here's a few teasers of our decorating...we just couldn't resist putting a few fun treasures in place, especially the "up high" ones.  Still lots of tweaking to be done but I like it so far!

The tent sale will be set up in our front yard.  It's probably going to be a much smaller version of what we normally do but we are going to try to spread the tables out a bit more.  We would like everyone to distance and wear masks...we can do this and be safe at the same time!  Also just two shoppers allowed in the shop at one time but everyone will get their opportunity!

After October 10th, I will be scheduling regular shopping hours or you can also contact me and set up an appointment for the day or time that is convenient for you.  

I am happy for this wonderful new adventure...the pandemic has changed so much of our rug hooking life.  I miss the hook-ins and rug schools but at least you can still come and put your hands on all our lovely rug hooking goods!

Hope to see you Saturday at 10 am sharp!

P.S.  Forgot to mention that the weather will be gorgeous on Saturday!

 

Rug Of The Day - Wool Witch

 

Wool Witch

Designed and hooked by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Pattern available through Spruce Ridge Studios

I can't think of a more darling pattern for a rug hooker to hook.  Perhaps to adorn your studio or hooking room, or perhaps to gift to a special rug hooker in your life.  We all love sheep and we all cherish our hooks...and don't we all create a little "witchy magic" while we are picking out colors and working our wool strips into the design?  Our rugs come to life right before our eyes!

Lori was extra-playful when creating her rug by adding a little braid for the witch's hair and a ribbon with a jingle bell for the sheep's neck.  The beauty and magic of rug hooking is making your rug personal to YOU and knowing that no two rugs will ever look the same.  

What I love about this design is the border!  Oh my goodness!  It adds energy to the rug and draws you in.  I think it's clever that only the corners were done this way, with some dark in between.  Of course, it's a great way to pull the colors from the center out to the edge.  You could add a few other noodles that have been hanging around in your stash too.  A great hit or miss incorporates the colors you used in your rug PLUS a few random strips of color that you didn't.  The only other suggestion I have is that you would not want to put your lightest nor your darkest color in the hit or miss.  Just a little "rule" that buzzes around in my head...

I know I didn't post for a while and I was surprised at how much time had gone by since my last Rug Of The Day.  We had family visiting from out of town and it was my granddaughter's first birthday.  We had a lovely picnic/party and we did wear masks and distanced as much as we could.  She loves Peppa Pig so her mama's friend made a bright pink smash cake for her to have fun with.

I think my fingernails are still tinted pink from trying to help clean up afterward.

You can find the Wool Witch pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/wool-witch-30-x-27-25/

Rug Of The Day - Olde Hallow's Eve

Olde Hallow's Eve

Adapted from the artwork of Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Hooked by Kris Miller

Here is a really fun and simple rug to hook for Halloween!  I only used three different wool textures....an orange plaid, the ever-popular reversible black stripe, and a speckle tweed that was ivory and black.  You could use a light value of gray to get the same look for the wings.

I decided to jazz up my mat by making some quillie circles and using them for spooky eyes on the pumpkin.  I also wound some quillies in black and orange...I placed one in the big O at the top and then used two for the smaller dots between the letters at the bottom.  You know how I love to hook letters!  The lettering is a little bigger so they would be easy for a novice to tackle.  And they are kind of wonky so you don't have to worry about precision for this mat.

My husband is a professional picture framer and he's always thinking outside the box and beyond the limits.  He built a gravestone display out of wood, texturized and painted it, then mounted my mat on it.  We had it in our booth in Lancaster in 2011 for the ATHA biennial.  I picked up a few leaves from outside to add to the spookiness.

I have to admit that I'm not sure quite where this is right now...not the easiest thing to store and my husband wrapped it up and squirreled it away somewhere (he is notorious for doing that).  I think I'm going to have him dig it out for my new studio shop!

But you don't have to build a tombstone for your mat...it's only 16" x 16" so it is the perfect size to place on a table or display on a cupboard.  And it's simple enough to have it hooked in time for your spooky decorating and gatherings!

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/olde-hallows-eve-16-x-16/

 

Rug Of The Day - Merrie October 31st

 

Merry October 31st

Adapted from a design by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Hooked by Sandi Lucero

This is one of the newest patterns that I recently adapted from a Notforgotten Farm design.  Isn't it terrific?   It comes in two sizes and either one would hook up quickly.  Just think, you'd have it ready for Halloween this year!

I love the color palette that Sandi used for her mat.  The background is light and faded, which she achieved by using wools that are similar in value.  I also like the way she hooked the house with a brighter value on one side so no dividing line is needed at the corner.  Her witch is "prim perfect" too!  You really don't need a lot of different colors to make this one fabulous.

Bravo, Sandi, thank  you for sharing your wonderful work!

You can find the small pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/merrie-october-31st-small-17-75-x-14/

And a little bit larger pattern here (a good size if you a fan of wide cuts):

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/merrie-october-31st-large-25-x-19-5/

Rug Of The Day - Ghost Genie

Ghost Genie

Adapted from the artwork of Johanna Parker

Hooked by Marion Wilson

I posted about Marion's rug back in February so if you are a regular reader of my blog, this will be a repeat story for you.

Marion was in my class at the Historic Franklin Rug Hooking Retreat last October.  She wanted to hook this pattern but she did not want to use any orange in it...perhaps a little challenge for me as a teacher because I had already seen the original artwork and it was pretty much all orange and black.  So the next thing I thought of was purple.  I set about dyeing up several pleasing values of purple that I thought would work.  I had to keep reminding myself of the old phrase "keep it simple, sister"  (KISS).  I think as rug hookers, we sometimes overthink our color plan and make it more complicated than it really needs to be...at least, I can relate to that!

The best solution for the pumpkin was to make it a dusty green.  Then, of course, the use of off-white for the ghost and stars and black for the outlining and spider.  

I had to keep my fingers crossed that Marion would like the colors I brought her (because THEN what would I do???) but lucky for me, she loved them and away she went!  She hooked quite a bit on her rug during our retreat and I think her rug is pretty amazing, don't you?  Of course, most of the awesomeness is the skill of the maker!  So "bravo" and applause to Marion for her beautiful Halloween rug!

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/ghost-genie-26-25-x-29/

 

Rug Of The Day - Merrie Halloween

Merrie Halloween

Adapted from the artwork of Lori Brechlin

Hooked by Kimberly Maggion

Did you know that Mr. Pumpkin Thyme has a companion and her name is Merrie Halloween?  She is quite the party girl and loves to dress up for the Halloween Ball.  She's put on her finest gown and a proper top hat (her favorite one) with a magnificent plume at the top.  It makes her feel so festive and giddy!  She brought her mask along to disguise herself but she's pretty sure that everyone will guess who she is anyway.  She can't wait to see Mr. Pumpkin Thyme again so they can dance the night away under the moonlight.

I have always thought of Merrie as a white pumpkin person so I am happy that Kimberly hooked her "Merrie" in this way.  She used a light background so there had to be a pop-out line around Merrie's face and upper body.   Kimberly kept it thin so it doesn't overwhelm Merrie's delicate features.  Merry is wearing a beautiful ball gown and that is one of the things I love about rug hooking....we can "dress" our hooked figures in some wonderful clothes.  Sort of reminds me of playing with paper dolls, don't you think?  We are the ones who are creating the finery!

There are some fine details in this pattern so I think it is important to mix your cuts to achieve the delicate nature of the design. 

Hooked by Melody Bryan

Here is another terrific version of Merrie Halloween.  Melody hooked an orange character, who is very lovely with the dark background.  I love the purple hat that coordinates with her dress and a few of the flowers in the vine!  Super fun!

Congratulations to both ladies for a job well done and your rugs are beautiful inspirations!

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/merrie-halloween-28-x-35/

The Merry Halloween pattern was sized to coordinate nicely with Pumpkin Thyme.

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/pumpkin-thyme-25-x-35/

 

Rug Of The Day - A Witch's Walk

A Witch's Walk

Adapted from a design by Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm

Hooked by Joan Treis

Hooked by Pat Cross

Here are two outstanding samples of A Witch's Walk.  The background contains circles, with stars and a moon within each circle, so I think a dark sky is the perfect choice.  Both ladies created movement in the sky by using several different textured wools for variation and they echoed the rows of hooking around the circles.  The witch's dresses are both fabulous...I can't pick out a favorite because both are good color choices...but I am really glad that there is some purple used in both!  I also think it's great that they both pulled some of that purple over to the windows and doors of the houses.

Both rugs are super-fun and a lovely inspiration for our Rug Of The Day.  Thanks so much for sharing your talents, Joan and Pat!

You can find "A Witch's Walk" pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/a-witchs-walk-24-x-32/

Rug Of The Day - Happy Halloween Moon and Cat

Happy Halloween Moon and Cat

Adapted from the artwork of Johanna Parker

Hooked by Donna Miller

Spruce Ridge was a vendor at the Merry Mountain Hook-In last September and I took a picture of Donna's rug in the rug display.  She used a lot of alternate materials and really made her piece special!  Lots of fuzzy fun yarns with yummy textures. Don't you love the way she used pearl beads for the teeth on the cat and snake?  Genius!  If you look very closely, you can see she put little ghost beads all along the cat's collar and the snake has a glittery rhinestone eye.  She captured the moon's expression just perfectly.  You really can't help but smile when you see Donna's super-fun rug!

I have to point out that the pattern does not have a snake drawn on it (there is more of a "ribbon" type line drawn there).  That just shows how clever Donna's imagination is, to make it her own and make it playful.

Bravo, Donna!

You can find the pattern here:

https://www.spruceridgestudios.com/product/happy-halloween-moon-cat-22-x-18/

How would you hook your version?