April, where did you go?

 Last weekend’s two-day workshop went very well. Caroline Simpson, our teacher, taught on hooking all our extra wool worms using values, not colour. (We had two huge tables filled with extra worms to share.)

Made easier by photographing piles we constructed then looking at them thru grayscale filters (silver tone on my phone), on our phones and iPads. As you can see, I did a fair job separating these by values, I’ve I got the hang of it. 

Caroline is a fabulous rug hooker and a natural instructor. Lots of laughs, tea, and cookies added to the 

fun weekend. 

Our big guild here in town is having their 40th year hook-in and celebration in May. I’m collecting ruby coloured glasses and 40th anniversary knickknacks in the thrift stores I frequent. The sign-up reached capacity in three days. Wow.

In other hooking news, New Brunswick Mat Registry held another registration for mats hooked 25+ years ago. I was trained at the identification station, charting everything from loops per square inch to type of foundation. Fellow blogger Julia was working there too! 

In reads, I finished Bellman and Black, recommended by Robin of Cranky Crow. A good read by a talented author. I’m back to my beloved cozy mysteries; I vastly prefer the ones written in 1990s and before as the writing and plots seem so much more intelligent. This is current read:

August will mark our third year in the small apartment half underground. Yesterday we hit the roads to determine how far we’d be willing to live out of town and still travel happily enough to work.

Our agent told us that if we were pretty happy with a house we saw we should just jump on it. Sigh. I don’t know about you but plunking down several hundred thousand+on “pretty happy with” is hard to wrap my head around. 

On a higher note, the song birds are in full singing gear beginning at 4 am and the daffodils and forsythia are in bloom!!! Ahhh late spring…

Spring Sprung

Last Saturday was the hook-in in Rothesay, NB. What a great sparkling Spring day for the drive and what a sweet, big group of people! I believe the number was around 110 people. I took this mat I’m working son as a “de-wormer.” It’s 20”x 7 ft and is three panels of linen stitched together. 

 Below are a couple pics of mats there. I love the idea of the one hooked on snowshoes.

As you can see I didn’t take many as I was too “busy” hooking and chatting. I won a sweet hooked tool carrier bag and a sheep mug.

 Because we are still adjusting from Covid days, hosts of hook-ins do not prepare and serve lunches. We bring our own but prepared muffins and cookies we’re in abundance and they were great. I don’t know the reasoning behind all this but I am sad that the days of potluck style gatherings seem behind us. Anyway… a superb day!

This coming weekend, our small guild is hosting a workshop taught by Caroline Simpson on the Value of Worms. We will be separating our worms based on values, not colours, and hooking them into a pyramid or spiral pattern. We will use our cell phones/ipads to see the grey scales of our worms! Can’t wait! I’ve been organizing this and have cookies to bake and people to contact this week. 

Here are some mats I’ve come across in my volunteer work. Interesting note: when I do data entry on these into our museum system, I am told to use the word “mat” not rug. Old entries with the word “rug” are also changed over. I still struggle between the two terms. 

And I can’t resist one gross snap from one of the dirtiest and moth-ridden mats I came across. I had unrolled it for a photo before putting it in the freezer and this was left on the inspection table. 

Sheila’s Brush

 

All is done but the binding on this Garrett Bluenose pattern. I’ve got a turquoise Briggs and Little wool yarn to bind it and I think I’ll fold/roll the burlap edge to the front and whip it that way. 

The next mat on my frame will likely be a geometric meant to use up those wooly worms! 

Monday I’m taking a close friend to Amherst, NS to shop at Deanne Fitzpatrick’s wool store and Della Ackles’ wool shop too! It’s great that there are two places for hookers in one town. But as wonderful as hooking stores are, the long drive there and back will be most fun. “C” and  I laugh ourselves silly and solve the world’s problems too…

I had day surgery today and am glad it’s behind me. Nothing out of the ordinary was found. Someday, such exploratory surgeries will be non-existent.

 Friend “B” is having major surgery for her cancerous tumour next Wednesday. She has to travel five hours to another province for it. Her friend group will gather around her to pray this weekend. I’m so grateful for such friends. Amazing. My younger sister says it’s rare but I’ve always been blessed with such a group.

July will bring a trip to Scotland with my elderly dad and one sister. August will find me and hubby at another archaeological site, this time digging up human remains. That should prove very interesting.

Snows are on the way for next week in New Brunswick- these are so typical around St Patty’s Day that they are known as Sheila’s Brush. Sheila sweeps the remaining snow from the cloud stores before spring is ushered in.

Happy Friday!

Mats from the Past

These are some old mats which I’ve come across with my work. I love being able to touch and study each one

It’s like touching history.

The cream “fabric” which is the greatest makeup of first mat is actually corn husks! I’ve hooked with some challenging wools in my time but never like that. 

The second photo is a close up of those loops. 

Likely a Garrett Bluenose pattern (above)

This is a Maltese Cross with flower centres (above)

 

Another Garrett Bluenose…

     Sometimes we know what family these come from but the frustrating part is not being able to identify the maker. Women (most often the maker in our area), viewed these as necessity for cold floors, not as worthy of her signature. 

This week the New Brunswick Mat Registry will once again hold a registry day: mats made in NB or by an NB maker which are 25 years or older will be photographed, historical narrative recorded and tagged. 

I love that this is preserving history forward!

Retreat Gallery of Mats

Monday through Thursday went by swiftly. The rug hooking retreat (15 of us)

was loads of fun. 

And we got a lot done. 

Here are some of the incredible mats…

The last 3 pieces are 6x6 mats by Caroline Simpson. She is a new and superb teacher.

I even managed a couple solitary walks by Renforth dock here in St. John, NB.  

I didn’t see vehicles on the ice until we were set to leave. I realized the ice huts were much closer to the shore than in years past. It’s been a milder winter.

And thank goodness for the walks as the caterer was constantly feeding us delicious food: three meals plus two breaks of fresh baked yummies and raw veggies.

I’ll post photos of mine and my progress another time.

Sweet sweet retreat

 

This hooked heart, by Lauren of rugs and pugs blog, is front and centre for Valentine’s week! It’s so prim and wonderful! 

Today I’m going to a rug hooking retreat- and it doesn’t end until Thursday! Oh bliss! I selected a Garrett Bluenose pattern, a floral and Greek key design. I started hooking with reds and an oatmeal background and then switched to dark antique-y colours:

I’ll probably change it up again at the retreat. Sigh. I dislike when colours don’t sing to me and life is too short for hooking combos that don’t.

Well, it’s time to go over my checklist again before I head out. Every hooking supply imaginable? Check. Wine? Check. Doorprize? Check. Shortbread? Check. Favourite pillow? Check….

Happy Valentine’s week to you 

Mug Rugs and Chocolate

Brutal cold means hubby, me and Reggie cat are indoors! Brrrrrr. -45 (with wind chill) is same temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit.   

I bought a cute mug at Marshall’s and hooked a mug mat to go with it. This is my donation to a gift basket at a hook-in. Maybe I’ll add a box of teas but right now the cost is prohibitive!!!

Yesterday I was jones-ing for a chocolate cake so I made one, ate a generous slice and sent the remainder with hubby to his band practice. This is how I deal with my baking and eating desires.

I used the recipe from addapinch. The icing would get full marks but I found the cake could have been moister. 

My next mat will be from the Garrett Bluenose collection. The pattern, which has a central floral with Greek key border, is being enlarged for me. Hubby suggested blues and golds which sounds like a winner.

Stay warm all! I haven’t heard one bird today so I think they must be keeping each other cozy in their nests.