I'VE BEEN FRAMED!!!!
Sometime ago my daughter suggested that I get some "modern" equipment since all of my "stuff" was 40 years old. As a result of her suggestion, I ordered a Snapdragon frame. Several friends had them and I was impressed with the way they hold the background material and the general workings of the frame. Well, it seems that my lap just was not built for a Snapdragon. I felt as though I was hooking up under my chin and it was to bulky for my lap!

The first picture shows the lap fram that I have been using for all these years. It is an old friend, I hooked my first ten rugs on it. My husband built the lap frame part and drilled holes in the hoop to fit. Very simple arrangement that folded down easily and assembled quickly. It is in the down position in this picture. Also, it is very light weight. This assembles with 2 screws, 2 washers and two wing nuts.

This is the way it looks assembled. I'm certain that I will never stop using it altogether but it is nice to have a new frame!

I was telling Linda Keller about my experience with the Snapdragon at one of the Thursday hook-in at the Grant Street Woolworks and she suggested that I try a frame that she had in stock. It is made by The Needleworks of Hartford, Conn. This is my first experience with a frame that swivels all of the way - 360 in both directions.

This is the frame in the fold down position. It becomes a very small package. I was really surprised at the engineering that went into the fold down arrangement.

This is the frame ready for use. It's just a matter of turning 3 knobs and you are in business! I have fallen in love with this frame. The working space is a bit small but since most of us work only in the bottom third of the frame its just fine for me. Linda most graciously suggested that I take the frame and try it for several weeks to make sure that it was a fit. It is and I look forward to making it mine.

In the meantime, I am still nursing this bum leg. Doctor says that I have pulled or injured a muscle in my upper right leg. What a pain! Litterly and figuretively (spell?). The pain has been beyond belief. The doctor prescribed some pain medicine that made me sicker - but I have finally managed to reduce the dose so that I can at least fix myself some meals and take care of Eloise. I miss being able to go hooking and hope that all will be well before to long.

I have finished my piece for the purple swap that is due in September so all has not stopped. I need to continue with the reoranization of my hooking room but at the moment it is at a standstill. Summer has gone by so fast that it seems I have accomplished little! I hope to be able to rejoin all of you soon, until than keep hooking!

Doris

BUSY, BUSY SATURDAY!!!

Saturday was the regular meeting of the Heart and Hand Antitem Rug Artisians Guild. The turnout was a bit smaller than usual - so many are on vacation - Ah! Summer - it is fleeting away from us. However, we had two guests, both very interested in hooking. Eleanor and Maggie were both so enthuastic that we held an impromtu rug show of the work in progress. I admit that all of the pictures are not good but I hope you will enjoy the diversity of projects in this group.
This is Nada with her "Cape Cod Primitive." A large rug that she says is very different from the way she normally color plans a rug. She is trying to step outside of her usual color box by using more color.

This is Betty's pictorial. She designed this rug herself and is hooking it with a number 3 cut. The detail is very fine. It is a pullman car with many people in the foreground - many representing her family members and the U. S. Capitol in the background. A truly impressive project.

Mary is holding her pumpkin project. She belongs to a group that offers a retreat and challenge on a monthly basis and this is the current project.

This is a truly poor picture. It is Carolyn's rug - very large project - with a horse as the main motif. Sorry I could not get a better picture as this is quite a project. I hope to get a better picture as Carolyn progresses with the hooking.

Here's Ron - the only gentlemen in our group. Ron perfers small projects and I must say this is more colorful than most I have seen him do.

Maryanne has been working on this rug for some time and it is now finished! This runner is quite long and is truly a beauty!!! She has done a wonderful job on this.

Jennifer's project is for her son. He is attending school at Michigan Tech and this is their logo. The huskie in the center is very lifelike and her letters are perfect. Way to go Jennifer!

I did not attempt to take pictures of several other projects as they were in the very beginning stages and will wait until more is completed before photographing them.

After the meeting, I went to my grandson's for a cookout. My grand -daughter (Richard's sister) was coming with her husband Paul. They live in southern Maryland and we haven't seen them since Mother's day. It was a truly good time. However by the time I got home I thought that my leg was going to drop off! My leg does seem better each day but I guess I tried to do to much at one time. Sooooo, a quiet Sunday, listening to the gentle rain that has been falling all morning. More is expected this afternoon and evening. A perfect day for hooking. I put the design for my entry in the purple challenge swap on the backing on Friday and started the hooking. Today I have finished the design and am starting on the background. I will photograph it, and post it after the swap has taken place. It is something that I am having fun with - and it is PURPLE.

Until next time, keep those hooks moving, love your family and be good to your friends.

Doris

The week that was!

For the first time I am posting on my blog with no pictures. This has not been a good week for me. A week ago Sunday I carried a lot of heavy things and apparently hurt my leg in the process. I didn't realize that anything was wrong until I woke up Monday and walking was so painful. It is getting better but I still can't walk any distance without being in pain. I'm finding that the heating pad and tylenoal are a girls best friend.

I have not attended any of my usual hooking groups this past week. However, I have been giving a lot more thought to the unfinished pieces and have begun to work on the small floral pillow top. I have finished the "parkay" floor on my black and white piece as well as the little girl in the chair. I started the top of the piece with what I hoped would be simulated wall paper - I tried several designs - all looked terrible to me. Sooooo, the piece is resting until such time as it tells me what it needs. I do believe that as I am hooking, a rug often tells me what to do next. I hope that this one can talk!

In the mean time, the deck that I had planned for such a long time is being built on my home. It is really going to be a beauty. Later I will post before and after pictures. I want to wait until it is completely finished. Hopefully only another day or two. I am looking forward to hooking on the deck with my coffee in hand.

I envy the fact that Kathy has cleaned her hooking room. It is one of my goals to get my room in order before I start teaching again this fall. At this time nothing has been done but at least I have some ideas about changing the situation and I have thrown away enough things to make some space in the spare bedroom that can be used for storage. I can't believe that it is almost August already - summer has flown by.

An aside - TO BETH - I found your new gardening blog and love it. Keep up the good work but don't stop hooking. I hope that you encourage Jill to finish the pieces she has started. I think that she doesn't know what a nice job she is doing. It must be great to have a sister!

I hope that each and everyone of you is having a great summer - hope to see all of my friends at the Grant Street hook-ins. Until then - bless you one and all.
Doris

ANOTHER FUN DAY AT GRANT STREET -

Thursday is a day to look forward too. So much fun hooking with the group at Grant Street Woolworks! I am ever amazed at the wonderful things that Linda Keller has managed to stock her shop with. If I do nothing but look at all of the "goodies" I have had a good day.

For instance, look at this little gem. Bees wax molded in the shape of a lamb. If your frame swivels, you need bees wax to keep it swiveling smoothly. A neat and inexpensive hooking tool!

One of the shelves holding a myrid of goodies. Plates, sheep, dolls and lots of smalls that all of us ladies like to pick through.

And then there is Linda herself. Always a lot of fun with a lot of ideas to spur on your hooking.

In the background of the picture above, is Jill and her neighbor's daughter Lacy. Lacy is 7 or 8 (not sure which) and interested in learning to hook. Linda fixed a heart on burlap for her and gave her a hooking lesson. How nice it was to see a young person so interested. After all, all of old hookers have a responsibility to keep the art form alive and what better way than to share with the children. These young people are our future. Not only in the art world but in the geopolitical world. We need to give them as much help as possible.

This rug is one of Jill's unfinished projects. She brought it because she is disatisfied with it. She thought that the background was terrible and it was "puckered" because she had hooked it so tight. I suggested to her that all it needed was a good steaming and to be finished. Linda heard the conversation and took the rug into her sewing room and steamed it with her professional steamer. The result was amazing. Jill was very surprised at the difference that steaming can make. An aside to Jill - you must stop comparing your rug to a similar one - after all each hooker has a different concept of how a rug should be done. Your use of color in this rug is excellent. Since you are a fairly new hooker, you don't seem to realize what a good job you are doing. When it is finished, this rug is going to be a beauty.

Kathy, Jill, and Lacy discussing the proper way to use a Townsend cutter.

Linda is showing Patti how to use Crack. Unfortunately, I got only Linda in the picture. But believe me, Patti is sitting on the other side of the table and Linda has the roll of Crack in her hand.

Patti is working on her project for the ATHA Guild's "purple swap." She is way ahead of the game on this piece. I have a design in mind but haven't even put it on the backing. It's due at the September meeting in Boonsboro. Better get on the ball.

This is Jen. Jen is visiting her sister. Jen lives in China where she has resided for the past 6 years. She said that she wanted to do something exciting when she graduated from college and she landed in China. She teaches science classes in an international school. It was a joy to have her join us for part of the day. A delightful person also interested in hooking.

On Monday, Linda and her family are off on a two week trip across country. We all wish them a wonderful trip - so no hook-in for the next two weeks.

In the meantime the Gettysburg group meets next Monday and the Boonsboro ATHA chapter meets Aug. 1. Always something to do.

For myself, I am looking forward to a week of staying home and working on my present project and perhaps getting my purple swap started. Until my next posting - keep hooking.

Quote of the day -

A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away!

Bil Keene

UNFINISHED PROJECTS - A MESSY HOOKING ROOM!!!

My hooking room is a mess! I have been trying to decide what to do to make it a more pleasant place to work. Wish I had wall expanders - I suppose all hookers wish for the same thing. In the process of deciding what to do, I took stock of my unfinished projects. When I got to 12 I decided to stop counting. So pictured below are a few things standing in line awaiting their turn. A small pictorial of Noah's ark. This portion was started by my daughter Kris and I intend to finish her work.

A floral chair seat. I have 4 Queen Anne chairs that need new seat covers.

A view of a 5 x 7 foot rug that is 75% finished. This is a beautiful rug pattern. One of Pearl McGown's best.

A second view of the same rug. It is called Ayer's Antique.

Another of McGown's beautiful patterns. A 3 x 5 foot rug with only one corner done. I have completed most of the middle which is a shadowed leaf design.

A small floral piece to be mounted on a tote bag.

A large pictorial, 3 x 5 Quail Hill design, with lots of work to be done yet. This is a scene of New York in the 1820's.

A small sampling of the work before me. Of course, I am still working on my black and white project. It is about at the half way mark. I am sure that many hookers are in the same position. We all seem to get enthused about a project and low and behold! another project comes along. It is time to stop creating new projects and get many of the old ones finished. I have cut down on going to hook-in's this summer in order to stay at home and work on some of these projects. Can one live long enough - question of the day???

And now to another subject. All of his life, my grandson Richard, has wanted an English Bull Dog. His wife and girls got together for father's day and you guessed it - along came a darling 4 month old puppy. Her name is Roxanna Grace (big moniker for such a little pup) and believe me with those big paws, she is anything but graceful.

She is the newest member of the clan but according to her she is as big as any dog around!

The happy owner with his new baby. Enough said!

Quote of the day -

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue -

Unknown

RAMBLINGS OF MY MIND -

It's time to catch up on a few things. I decided some time ago to take the summer off. No teaching - no workshops until fall. I must admit that I am enjoying this time to myself. Part of the reason for taking the summer off is I have to many unfinished projects. Yet I had the nerve to start a new project!!! I am a hooking nut!

Thought I should give you an update on the new project. Most of the black is done. Now I'm working on the white part of this black and white experiment. I realized that with so much background I had to make it work for me so I decided to do a "parkay" type floor. This picture shows the starting of the floor and how I marked the floor out hoping to get it straight. ?

This is how the piece is coming along as of Sunday night. I have had three days to hook. No interuptions or demands to do anything. I am not a fireworks fan so a peaceful 4th was a welcome treat for me.

A week ago Sunday I went to a social hook-in at Beth's in Boonsboro. A few pictures to show what went on at that hook-in. Everyone brought something to work on but I have yet to see anyone hooking. Lots of talking and eating!

Linda and Barb in the kitchen, of course.

Sandy surveying the good eats.

Jill, Linda and Carol eating and talking. The best parties always wind up in the kitchen.

Jack and Barb discussing something in the doorway to the lovely screened porch.

In addition, the only other social thing I have done is go to the day long hook-in at the Grant Street Wool Works last Thursday. It was a real fun time. I enjoyed the company of all who were there including Pat's husband Jig's.

I looked at the calendar this morning and was surprised to see that there were no Doctors appointments or pressing engagements this week. That means that I can get more hooking done this week which really pleases me. Today is errand day, groceries, drug store, etc. I must go to the grocery or Eloise will rebel - she is out of cookies!

Quote of the day-

Anger is the feeling that makes your mouth work faster than you mind

Evan Esar

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Doris

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY -


Here it is the 4th and Eloise and I find ourselves ready to celebrate this wonderful day. How grateful we are to the founding fathers for giving us such freedom. When we look at the rest of the world we know how lucky we are.

We plan to spend a quiet day just enjoying our freedom's and the beautiful weather that mother nature has gifted us with.

We hope that each of you has the opportunity to enjoy this holiday with friends and loved ones and that you give thanks to our brave soldiers for keeping our freedom's alive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!