A QUIET WEEK - THANK GOODNESS FOR SMALL FAVORS!!

I am having a quiet week, not to many plans except to stay home, hook, and do some household chores. I did have a lovely time on Sunday evening, when I went to dinner with good friends. I am sure that they had no idea how much I enjoyed the evening. I love to eat out, but it is no fun by yourself. Eating is such a social thing. So this was a real treat for me.

I thought I would post some pictures of rugs that you had not seen before. The rug below is called "The Library Cat" and is a Peachy/Bean design. It was a lot of fun to hook - I especially love the mouse on the cats shoulder. I posted this second picture of the rug since it is a little closer up. This rug now belongs to my daughter and "lives" in Hedgesville, W.Va.

The following rug is now in the possession of my Grandson. I call this "Gone Courting." The inspiration for this piece came from an antique advertising card. My husband enlarged the small card to a 3 x 5 rug design for me. The two "lady" cats are peeking thru a hole in the wall. One looks alluring and the other a bit grouchy!

I am convinced that in order to take a good picture of a 3 x 5 rug (or larger) one must stand on a ladder - no such luck with me - I have altitude-phobia!

Tom is looking the ladies over -

He really is a handsome fellow! All in all, two fun rugs to hook for a family that is crazy about cats - exceept for me - I'm a small dog girl.

Eloise's surgery has been postponed by the Vet for a week, giving me a longer time to fret and worry about it. I am trying to not think about it.

I am planning to go to Glenelg, Md. on Wednesday to meet with my old original hooking group. I haven't seen these old friends all summer and am looking forward to seeing all of them. While I love living in Rohrersville, I still get "homesick" for the area that I lived in for 40 years. Somehow it is still home to me.

One special aside - to Jill - what a wonderful blog you have this week. You covered all base's of friendship - you said it all and it was WONDERFUL. Thank you for reminding all of us what friendship really is.

Have a wonderful hooking week, enjoy this great fall weather. I hope to see many of you at the ATHA meeting first Saturday in Oct.

Doris

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK -



On Tuesday, Eloise, Richard and I had an appointment at the Vet's. This is a different vet than Eloise usually sees. We were looking for a second opinion about the growth on her eye. Dr. Russon recommended that it be removed as soon as possible since he could do it early in October and at this stage it would not deform her eye. Much bigger and it would not only deform but could become cancerous. So Eloise is going into the hospital on October 8th. You can be sure that I will be a nervous mother!

The bright news of the week is that Linda's sister Veronica came to visit from Pittsburgh. What a delightful lady she is with a great sense of humor! Linda has persuaded her to take up hooking, so they spent Wednesday with me picking out colors for her first rug. It is a basket of fruit and rather a large piece that should keep her busy most of the winter. Introducing Veronica to the hooking world!

And here is her companion, Bailey, who will go anywhere his ball is. What a charmer he is. Loves everyone and everyone loves him. I thought I was seeing double when I arrived in Chambersburg and the little ones were in the parking lot. I am used to seeing Louie and Bo but another white one really had me thinking I had double vision.

An overall picture of the group. Kathy with her back to the camera, Linda, Pat, Traci and Barbara all in conversation. Barbara is not hooking but is taking a quilt apart.

Veronica hard at work on her fruit rug. We were able to get an interesting leaf started. She had picked a very pretty leaf (I think from Linda's garden) and was using it as a visual aid. We also were able to take a good look at her hooking technique and help her with the size of her hook and the splitting of the wool. A lesson accomplished along with a lot of fun and good companionship.

Linda is workin on a primitive rug that she started some time ago. Like lots of us she has a "few" unfinished projects. She is really making an effort to get them finished.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this mess. It must be at least 20 bags of "worms" just for this one small rug. Good thing they are not real worms or they would take over the world!

Here's Traci, looking oh so intent on what Kathy is saying to her. I can't imagine that any conversation was that serious. Perhaps Traci was just resting - she had been working awfully hard on her rug. Its really coming along. We were able to pick out some material for the border and I think it will look great when she gets it finished.

Here is her Santa rug. I love the humor in this rug, especially the knoby knees on the reindeed! They are just great and she has hooked them in a very cute and interesting way.

Traci and I had such a good time yesterday that we talked like magpies all of the way home. It was a very happy day - a real bonus. Thanks to everyone that came to the hook-in.

I am expecting Linda and Veronica for another hooking lesson this afternoon - this is a concentrated course because Veronica has to return to Pittsburg tomorrow.

Enjoy the fall weather - the best time of the year - and happy hooking to all.

Doris

A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY!!!

How about this weather! Isn't it grand. How lucky we are to live in this part of the country - no mud slides, no large forest fires, just wonderful weather most of the time altho we do have humidity - a small "glitch" in our hitch along!

I finally found the furniture that I wanted for my new deck. It was delivered last Wednesday and I am so pleased with it. This is a glass topped table with four chairs. What pleases me most is that the chairs are so comfortable that I can sit in them for hours and really enjoy myself. I am looking forward to getting some hooking done in the out-of-doors. My children gave me this lovely bench for Christmas last year. It is really "cool" as my grand-daughters would say. It is very nice with the cocktail table that I found to go in front of it. The table fits perfectly - I was so lucky to find it.

This sofa is on the lower deck. I laid down on it after it was delivered and took a sun bath. Not only comfey but looks great on the lower deck.

Today was so beautiful that I spent a lot of time outside. Richard and Danyel were here this morning mowing grass and doing a meriad of small things that make my life better. They are so wonderful to me and I enjoy their company so much. They are the joy of my life. They helped me get ready for the October season and halloween, of course. This is an overall view of the fence that faces Bent Willow Rd. - at the front of the house.

Meet Buleugh Witch - she's a real charmer!

Her companion is Mr. Pumpkin Head. He used to have batteries that caused him to speak but he is so old that now he is tonque-tied! - But still cute.

And last but not least - Ralph the Spider.

He's a real big boy. When it is not October and Halloween time he resides in the family room where he keeps watch over my drafting table.

As we were putting these characters on the fence I notice this one poor lonely Iris blooming. I can't believe that at this late date a re-bloomer is doing its thing. However, it really is beautiful. It was a joy to see.

I have been away from home a great deal lately. I am sure that Eloise wonders if I still live here. Most of the time has been spent in doctor's offices or at the Robinwood Medical Center. I have hope that most of the tests are over and that good results will come of all of the things that I have been though in the last 3 months. I am limping a bit today but generally speaking my leg is much better but there is still concern on the part of my doctors. I am taking a very positive attitude and am continuing to teach and plan to follow thru on my hooking schedule as much as possible.

In the meantime, Eloise continues to oversee all that goes on in the house and continues to be patient with me. She still kisses me and acts glad to see me when I am at home. I don't know what I would do without her. She is what makes me get up in the morning.

I am loooking forward to my classes next week and to seeing all of you before long. My best regards to my friend Barbara - so sorry that I did not know about the memorial service for Bob. I wish you the very best and hope that I will see you soon.

To all of my hooking friends, thank you for your concern for me and for all of the times you have driven me places in the past months. The dr. seems to think that I can now drive longer distances and I am going to give it a try. Until I see you again keep the faith and love one another.

Doris.

SUNDAY AND MONDAY - TWO WONDERFUL DAYS -

When I got up Sunday all I could smell was the wonderful odor of yeast. I had started a new batch of sourdough starter one day last week and it had sat on the counter in the sun for a few days. The whole kitchen had the aroma of that wonderful wild yeast. The picture of the starter doesn't do it justice. It really is full of bubbles and is just working away!
I knew that I had to do something. The something was to make sourdough corn bread. Oh, Boy! is it good. Moist and sweet and a delight to eat. What goes with corn bread? Why Chili of course.

Richard had harvested our garden on Saturday and I had about 15 beautiful tomatoes. Just what I needed. The picture just shows the left overs and some of the other "fruits of the garden."

Soooooo, having so many wonderful tomatoes and the other ingredients in the house, a crock pot of chili was in the offing. By mid afternoon on Sunday the house smelled not only of wild yeast but wonderful warm chili.

A crock pot full! That together with the sour dough cornbread and a side of cole slaw made a meal fit for a king or in this case a queen!

On Monday I went to Gettyburg to a meeting of the Blue and Gray Hookers. I couldn't believe the turnout. I guess all of the kids are back in school and vacations are mostly over. The room was full of hookers, all of us talking at once and exchanging ideas and catching up after the summer hiatius. There were so many beautiful rugs shared with all of us that it truly was a treat. I didn't get everything but I got pictures of most. I hope that you will enjoy.

This beautiful pillow was hooked by Peggy Beauford. It is a gift for her brother. A truly beautiful gift.

I'm sorry that I don't know whose piece this is. It is charming and was very well done.

This Santa was hooked by Naomi. Naomi at 86 can out hook all of us. She turns out piece after piece. Most of them are given to relatives as gifts. She is a dear lady that we all enjoy.

This beautiful rug is very large and I could not get one picture of it in its entirity. Sooooo, three pictures showing both ends and the middle. It was hooked by Marian Sachs. Marian is an exceptional hooker. All of her rugs are prize winners. We should all take note of her rugs and learn from them. We are so lucky to have her in our midst.

The center portion of this lovely rug. Please note the beautiful roses and the lovely white flowers.

The opposite end of the rug. The most beautiful scroll work!

And last, but not least, a piece shown by Ivi Collier. This piece is a picture of the bull dog owned by a friend of Ivi's. She sent a picture of her dog to Elizabeth Black who put it on the backing. Ivi's friend hooked the dog and Ivi did the background and finished the rug. We all loved the rug and were so pleased she shared it with us.

All of the ladies that attend the Blue and Gray group are so gracious in sharing their rugs. It is a joy to attend and see all the wonderful hooking that is accomplished by this group.

So, after two full days, I must admit that I am tired and my leg is hurting a bit, but I can't give up. Tomorrow I am going to the Mason/Dixon Chapter of ATHA in Ellicot City. I understand that the speaker will be discussing Grenfeld rugs. Should be an interesting meeting. As it is getting late I shall quit for this posting.

Please keep in mind that time goes faster than we all think, sooo, be sure to tell your family that you love them and know that we are all in this together.

Doris

FRUITS OF THE LAND -


I have several several students working on fruits. One is comtemplating doing a melon and some are having trouble with grapes. It occurred to me that if I posted pictures on my blog. that during the weeks between lessons, that they could have some visual aids. The pictures that follow are taken from a 15 tile fruit rug designed by Pearl McGown. It is a very large rug, approximately 7 feet by 9 feet. I hooked this rug in 2003. I give the rug credit for saving my sanity and some portion of my life since I hooked it as I recovered from my heart operation. I origionally started the rug to use in my dining room, but having moved, and having no separate dning room, it now resides rolled up on the cedar chest at the end of my bed. I occasionally put it in the living room and it looks lovely there. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pictures and that those of you attempting to hook fruits will find some help and some inspiration from these pictures.
Green grapes with blue leaves

Purple grapes and some cherries and pineapple

Melon and blueberries with red "somethings"

Green and pinkish-white melon with strawberries

Another colorful mellon with strawberries and a bit of pineapple and green grapes

Pears - brown to green and pinkish highlights. You can see that I like blue leaves

Purple plums and a peach

Peaches and gooseberries

Hope this helps some. Keep hooking - I know that with a little patience you can hook all of the fruits of the land. After all, Mother Nature and God gave us this wonderful bounty to enjoy and admire it beauty.

Until next time keep those hook moving and don't forget to tell your family that you love them.

Doris

RANDOM THOUGHTS - - - - - -

I got up last Friday morning feeling great! First time that has happened in a long time. No pain in the leg and all else seemed to be in place and functioning! So, I got busy in the kitchen and baked four loaves of Pineapple Zuchinni bread. It turned out beautifully. Golden brown and delicious. I hope to get more in the freezer before long. It makes really good Christmas gifts for those friends that you just want to give a little rememberance to.

It occurs to me that this blog is supposed to be about hooking and it has been some time since I posted pictures of hooked pieces. So here goes. This first piece is one of the "left overs" that I needed to get finished. It is 14' x 14' and I plan to have it made into a pillow. I have a very nice piece of dark green velvet for the backing. Linda volunteered to mount it for me but I really wonder if she has the time. She is such a busy lady but always willing to help others. In the past month several people have asked me about hooking pictorials. Pictorials are my first love in hooking. The following pictorials are now owned by my daughter who has five of mine. The first one is called "Pork and Beans" and was designed by Charlotte Stratton (I think - can't quite remember). I did this a number of years ago. It is done with a number 3 cut as are all of my pictorals.

This is a slightly closer view. It shows the pig, driver and cart a bit better, I think.

The next one is for all of you cat lovers out there. It is an original design. I call it my stylized cats. One cat is reaching for a butterfly while the lower cat is concentrating on a mouse.

This was great fun to hook. I used a lot of scraps in it. All pictorials use a lot of left over small quantities of wool. I find them great fun to hook.

I spent yesterday in the dye pots. Came up with some great colors. I hope that they work out for what I have in mind. I am planning to do more dyeing this afternoon. A good thing to do on a rainy day. If I am in the dye pots I don't think so much about eating everything in sight!

I left home early this morning (before 7) to get my blood drawn as I have a noon appointment with my cardiologist tomorrow. I am so sorry that I will not be able to go to the hook-in but I hope that all of you have a wonderful time.

I am hooking while I am watching the U.S. Open and getting a lot done on my "scraps" rug. Hope all of you are having a productive week. Keep hooking and loving one another - kiss your family and give the dog a hug.

Doris

WHY ARE SATURDAY'S SO BUSY???????

I have not figured it out - but I live a boring life all week long and then comes Saturday and everything happens. The exception this week was that I went to the hook-in on Thursday at Grant Street Woolworks. I have been trying to do that because the companionship is so good there. I find something new in the shop each time I go. Linda has the shop jam packed with little things - many of them are just things that ladies like and have nothing to do with hooking but all are interesting. This is what I saw this week. She has collected and put on sale a collection of gourds that are made into lamps and are so cute as to be irrestiable. This group is very halloween like.

This is a cute bear family with their little house. Charming!

Apparently Linda went overboard when buying these for the shop - so her husband Rick put up the following sign:

It is a gourd "sell-O-meter." The bottom says "buy a gourd" "Save a marriage" - too funny!!!!!

On Saturday morning I went to the ATHA Guild meeting held at the Boonsboro Library. This was the month that our purple swaps were due. I think that 9 of us participated. I really forgot to count all of the swaps. One was more interesting then the other. We drew names from a basket to see which one we got. It was a fun time and we plan to do a Christmas swap. Below are pictures of the finished swaps.

The one I got is on the far left. Pumpkin man with moon and cat.

I got the one done by Joan and I really love it. Thanks Joan.

After the meeting I went to my daughters house in Hedgesville for the family fried chicken feast. It was a lot of fun. We got into a pattern of nostaliga stories and we all laughed so hard I'm sure there were wet undies in the crowd! I forgot to take pictures I was so involved - but finally I "came to" and took just the following two.

I talk so much about my grandson Richard that I thought you might like to see a picture of his wife, Sherri, and daughter Danyel. By the time I took the next picture the wolves has been through the food and not a lot was left. I can assure you it was a feast of grand proportions! I'm sure I need not eat again for 4 days.

In closing this blog I wish all of you a wonderful labor day with lots of family fun and love for all.

The quote of the day:

The trick to living is growing up without growing old.

Casey Stengel