A Bag Full of Leftovers

I originally thought I'd hook my Kandinsky's circles handbag using primarily red wools. But then I looked at this basket of leftover and unused wool strips...

and decided it was time I empty that basket a bit. I'm now hooking the circles bag using only leftover strips. So far, it's coming along fine. The striped section will be the bottom of the bag.

the rain stopped

No rain yet today and the outdoors are looking more colorful, like this rug. This was the third hooked rug I made. It's no house in particular, just made up. The inspiration came from Paul Klee's "White House" painting and also antique hooked rugs with houses that often seem to have unusual shapes and motifs swirling round them. This rug gets tramped on daily in my living room. The photo is actually a scan of a small resized photo and so it's pretty grainy. I just can't find the cd with the original pic and I'm feeling too lazy to take a new one. I'll replace the pic when I find the original.

Preparing for the Farmers Market Season

Over the past week I've been practicing my crochet stitches and started a real project. Here's the beginnings of a string bag. Hey, have to start easy! The yarn I'm using is Samoa Mouline, a 50% cotton/50% acrylic. My town is finally going to have a farmers market-no more commuting around to get to a market. The market starts June 15. I think I'll have time to finish it by then and will soon bike to the market and shop in style. The bottom photo is the finished bag from "First Crochet Projects for Beginners" by Lesley Stanfield.

Hook of a Different Kind

Saturday I rode my bike over to The Knitting Room in Arlington to take a 2 hr. beginning crochet class. I probably shouldn't have had so much coffee before going! Anyway, here's my very beginner attempts at single and double crochet. It was easier than knitting, which I'm hopelessly bad at. This morning I experimented free form which resulted in the little scallop corkscrew. I ended up getting the "Stitch 'n Bitch" crochet book because the directions and drawings are very clear. I decided to try crochet because I wanted something I could easily take to work. My work space tends to spread with rug hooking and embroidery so they don't quite work at work. I'm going to practice a bit more and then decide on a simple project.

Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion

Over the weekend I heard Bowie songs in 3 different places while out and about. Somehow that naturally turned my mind to fashion - and I thought, "why not turn the dyed-skein-gone-bad into fashion?" Could this semi-felted neck gaiter be a next fall trend? Well, I just couldn't discard this poor skein. What can I do with it? Trying to felt it more seems like too much work. Could it be needle felted? Hmm, it could make a fashionable bird nest.

what a pretty hell this is

It was such a gorgeous day I had to spend most it outside. But now I'm paying for it with watering, itchy eyes, constricted throat and chest, etc, etc. The dry, breezy weather is making this one bad spring pollen season. It's great to see the trees coming back to life and unfurling their leaves but I'll be thankful when those pesky maples and birches are done with it!

Flowers and Vines Variation

This punchneedle embroidery version of the hooked stool is done I think. I may rearrange the vines a bit. It's done on hand-dyed wool, using 2 strands of embroidery floss. The loop pile is fairly high. I applied woven interfacing to the back of the wool in order to punch through it successfully. I think I'll make a handbag out of this; still thinking about the bag design.

Dying with Bonnie

My sister, Bonnie, had to come into Cambridge Saturday to drop off one of her pieces of art at the Cambridge Art Association for their upcoming National Prize Show in May. Afterwards she came to visit and we dyed some of her wool yarn. One skein came out a brilliant terra cotta and the other a yellowy-gold. Unfortunately we weren't paying attention when rinsing out the gold and it started to felt! Cascade 220 yarn really is a great felting yarn. Later, I tried out some Pro-chem dyes I got. I used a new washfast acid dye color, golden pear which I used on a natural wool. I love it - mottled some and very pear-like. I also tried a new one shot dye, Autumn, on a dark oatmeal wool. It's nice, a bit darker than I wanted. And definitely not as delicious as the homemade pumpkin bread Bonnie gave me! I also got to see in person many of her beautiful perfectly knitted pieces that I covet. You can see them for yourself on her blog, Towards the Blue Peninsula, in the sidebar.

Cover Up

Another punchneedle embroidery gets a permanent home. The cat gets to grace this address book cover. This was quick and easy to put together!

Spokes and more spokes

On the left is the punchneedle embroidery sample I made for the spokes stool. It's 2 in x2 in, worked with single strands of embroidery floss. I think I'll use it on the front of a needle case I have been thinking about making. The other photo is the hooked rug stool as it stands so far, based on the pne sample. Have a super weekend, and a heartfelt thank you to each of you for your extremely nice comments!

Apron

So what did I end up doing with the turnip embroidery? It became decoration for the pocket of this apron I made. The patterned material is from a (Gap I think!) shirt I stopped wearing because it shrank too much. And as you can see, I added a little clip for hooking scissors and such on. Almost too crafty a project for me!

Color Sandwich

Sunday morning I did some dying. I'm trying to use up most of my Cushing's dyes before getting some Pro-Chem dyes. These are Old Gold, Dark Green, and Terra Cotta dyes straight up - no dye recipes used this time. Now, time to run the gold through the cutter and start hooking.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 9:
It's a beautiful Spring day so I'm posting the finished Flowers and Vines stool. I'm thinking on working this design using pn embroidery on some hand-dyed wool - and maybe another hooked stool using different colors.

Wrap Up

I finished up the embroidered bracelet and I'm semi-happy with it. I trimmed the bracelet and applied glue to its edge. I couldn't find silk ribbon locally so used sanmari ribbon instead that I'm quite pleased with. Attaching the ribbon to the band with Wonder Under worked well. Here's what I don't like: There's not enough of an edge to cover up the tiny white material edge that peeks through. And, something about it reminds me of high school. Still, I think I'll try a 2 inch cuff using more delicate-thinner threads.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 8: Dark Stripes
It actually feels like spring out this evening so this is a quick note as I'm going out for a walk. This week's stool is primarily greens and purples and lots of texture. I gave this stool to a sister and brother-inlaw.

Tree of Life

Here's an old rug hooking pattern I have. It's a Virginia Snow design. From the pictures on the pattern's flyer it looks to be from the mid 1920s or later. The Virginia Snow patterns were for punch needle and distributed through the Dexter Thread Company. I think Dexter sold their products through Sears Robuck. Anyway, I like the quirky tree of life design.Then again it could be just a whimsical flowering plant.

Sunday Samples

I keep changing my mind on the color scheme for the spokes stool. My most recent leaning is to use a split complementary of yellow green, violet, and yellow oranges. My original idea involved using salmon with red violets and a myrtle green. Either way I'll need to do some dying! But really, I'm pretty sure I'll be changing my mind again before I finish.


I'm making a punch needle embroidery wrist band as an experiment. It's about 1 inch wide. My plan is to use a small toggle clasp for the fastening and attach the embroidery to silk ribbon for the inside backing. Now I'm trying to find a store with nice silk ribbon but may have to go the online route. I'm pretty happy with it so far, but I'm thinking a wider 2 inch band would be cool.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 7: The Underbelly
Sometimes how the underside of a piece looks is as important as the top. I always add upholstery fabric and sometimes a trim to cover up the raw stool bottom. I try to use a fabric that works well with the hooked stool design. Since I use fabric remnants it can be tricky now and then to find a smashing pair up.

Turnip Up

I ended up tacking the turnip I made a while back onto a piece of linen, and then added a little embroidery and applique. I'm thinking of turning it into a pot holder or I may stitch to another base fabric to make a small hanging.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 6: Re-tread Stripes
This stool was my first commission. Its colors are the same as the first striped stool I posted except for one subtle different color. I varied the stripe pattern also.

Embroidered Buttons

The other week when I made my felt ball pin cushion I found some half ball button covers in my button stash. This weekend I punched these buttons while taking a break from hooking a handbag. The size of these are 3/4 inch.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 5:
Here are random rectangles with a small color palette. Could this also be influenced by Klee?

Primitive kitty

This is my version of the little primitive kitty project featured in the new book, Miniature Punchneedle Embroidery: Simple Techniques Beautiful Projects by Linda Repasky. It's a must-read (or must-have!) if you're interested in this type of needlecraft. The book is very well written, has outstanding photos for visual learning, and is just chock-full of useful information. And check out these pretty hand-dyed cotton threads, Wildflowers by Caron. I was recently turned onto using them for pne. The kitty and border were worked using these. The background is 2 strands of cotton embroidery floss.
Now, back to rug hooking.

Turning lemons into lemonade

I never much liked the saying but it's turned out to be that kind of weekend. I didn't have any lemons but I did have my cats' old worn felt ball and the need for another pin cushion. I didn't pay attention to stitch perfection but had fun making my new pin cushion. (and it makes a funky creature turned upside down).

Cambridge Hooked Rug Exhibit

It's not every day there's a hooked rug exhibit so if you happen to be in the Cambridge, Ma. area in the next couple weeks, plan to see The Passion of Emily Robertson: Contemporary Hooked Rugs in the Sherrill Library at the Episcopal Divinity School on Brattle St. All the rugs are wonderful and span a variety of styles, including some of her garden rugs that are brilliant expressions of light and shadow. Other rugs are downright humorous and thought-provoking. Emily joined our rug hooking group when she moved to Cambridge to pursue another degree. The rug shown is taken from the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild's web site. Emily will be one of the featured artists at the guild's rug show in April. Bravo, Emmy!

Permanent UFO?

I'm heavily leaning towards putting this mat, Swirling Seaweed, into the not-to-be-completed pile. The design originally had a dragon fly in the upper right area but I wasn't satisfied with how that was turning out, so I nixed the dragonfly and thought I might add a needle felted lotus. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be happy with that because I just dislike how this is turning out. I'm also not satisfied with the dark background. The green seaweed is temporary bits and pieces until I find the green wool I was going to use. My original thought was a moonlight Asian inspired image. The design was inspired by an antique Deerfield embroidery. Maybe I should rip it all out and restart with different colors?

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 4: Center Stripe
This stripe variation is one of my favorites. I like using these colors and should do some dying because I'm completely out of the terra cotta color. I love mixing salmon-pink with terra cotta or warm oranges. The result is lively I think. I didn't plan the pattern other than the center stripe. The rest of the design I decided as I went along.

Crafty day

Today was a mixed bag. Here's some marble magnets I made using last year's calendar. I also framed yesterday's embroidery piece and sketched out some potential designs for rug hooking projects.

Eat, drink, and be merry

I finished this pn embroidery last night. It's 3.75 x 2.5 inches. I used one strand of embroidery floss. I have a little black frame I'm going to put it in. I'll find a spot to hang it in the kitchen.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 3: Klee's Twilight
Thursday's going to be a busy day so I'm jumping the gun! This stool was inspired by Paul Klee's "Fire in the Evening" painting. I was looking at a book on Klee and realized I had just dyed some similar colors. I planned the design as I went along, again starting at one end, switching to the other end, and meeting in the middle. I remember being a bit nervous that it wouldn't be balanced as I headed toward the middle, but it seemed to work out fine.

Swirls Round

Okay, you get a heart today. This was my first attempt at needle punch embroidery. Quite bad, but it's the thought that counts.

Flowers and Vines

I just finished hooking this. It's a good thing because I had just enough of the main background color. After steaming it, I'll do the upholstery step and then this stool wil be finished. Bad photo I know- I think my camera's focusing ability may be on the decline. I hope not - maybe new batteries will do the trick.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 2
9 circles for February 9! This stool was fun to hook. I enjoyed making each circle different while using the same wools in each. I've been meaning to make another with circles, but with the circles placed randomly.

Mafrash Discovery

Friday after work I went down the street to the Armenian Library and Museum. It was a nice way to shift away from the work week. One of the exhibits on view right now is about Turkish baths. There were some absolutely beautifully embroidered bath towels and bundling cloths. There were also some mafrashes - large storage containers made from kilims. The patterns and colors were great. I was very interested in how the edges were joined. It looks like the edges were sewn together with overcast stitches and then covered with herringbone stitches. Sue, the textile conservator at the museum, showed me Mafrash, a book they had just acquired. It was filled with lots of wonderful photos. You can always be guaranteed you’ll see some interesting textiles at the Armenian Museum. I found an online exhibit from the New England Rug Society “To Have and To Hold” that has lots of photos and good information.

Put Yer Feets Up Thursdays

Week 1:
I've decided to do a weekly feature for awhile highlighting some of the stools and ottomans I've hooked and made. This was the first one I made using this metal frame. It was a housewarming gift for one of my sisters but I hope she doesn't mind the flaws. These hand dyed colors are some of my favorites. I let the stripe pattern evolve as I hooked it. I started at one end, then switched to the other, and finished up in the middle. It was the start of enjoying stripes.
Check the links in the sidebar for an online random stripe maker I found. Endless possibilties and it's also great for looking at color combinations.

Cats Demand Equal Time

If you mention dogs, you just have to be fair and do the same for cats! So here's a fun rug I made for myself of one of my past cats, Mimi. Sadly, I had to put her to sleep last spring. She was a great (big), sweet cat, and never caused any mischief. I always said " Oui, oui, Mimi!" when feeding her. The rug's in my kitchen, in front of the sink. A fitting place, considering eating was her favorite past-time. Of course, I have to include a pic of the real Madam Mimi.

Year of the Dog

Happy Chinese New Year!
May you find prosperity, health, luck, and happiness in all you encounter.

This One's for Joelle

Here you go, Joelle - the photo's for you, not the ottoman! (click on the photo for a larger image)

White outside - Colors Inside

Finished this little piece. After I steam it, I'll stretch and attach it to a 3x3 inch piece of plywood. That's it for today - bit of shoveling to do.

Seasons Minis

I thought I'd make some mini mats, 3x3 inch, depicting the seasons. Right now I'm trying out punching narrow wool strips with my Craftsman needle. I sawed an extra notch in it to get a shorter loop. I thought I'd show the backside that you punch from and the front. It's not coming out as abstract as I wanted, but I'll wait and see as it's filled in more. Here's also a winter mini that I did last year using a regular rug hook. I used a bit of roving in it.

Amy Oxford Workshop

Saturday my rug hooking group, the Wooly Bullies, had Amy Oxford come and teach us everything about punch needle rug hooking. She's a fantastic teacher and had many of her beautiful rugs and other pieces to show us as samples. It's amazing how thick rugs are punched with rug wool as compared to traditional rug hooking. She had a beautiful piece she punched using silk yarn. It had a wonderful sheen and was incredibly soft. She said it was extremely difficult to punch. After Amy showed us the technique we tried our hand at punching using rug wool, many different types of yarns and combining them, and wool strips. She also showed us how to punch single yarns and narrow wool strips using a mini punch needle she's developing. I really liked the look of that for small pieces. I'm going to try to punch a stool cover using wool strips. I think it will take me less time than traditional hooking. I'll post some photos of it.

From Krishna to Cats in the Sun

Happy New Year! My kitchen calendar has gone from Krishna and Radha art to cats lounging in the sun while my engagement calendar went from botanical drawings to wanderlust photos. Hmm, perhaps travel to the Mediterranean is in my future.
With the start of the new year I began working on this year's goals and resolutions. Seeing as this year will be the Year of the Dog that's all the more reason to put goals and plans down in writing! One thing that I put down every year is that I'll do at least one "new" thing every month.
I've begun a couple journals. One is a great little project journal that one of my sisters gave me in which I can keep track of all my projects. The other journal I'm starting is my fiber book where I can doodle and work out various ideas for rugs, etc. Up to now I've been rather scattered with this - bits and pieces of paper and wool strewn here and there. Time to try to be a bit more organized!