April Showers

Well, our little corner of New Brunswick

has hit more flooding...

could the waters at last be receding?

I shot this of our town square in the foreground.

Behind the trees? The river!

All connected now.

The white bits are chunks of ice.

But (seemingly) timed perfectly with the yearly floods

is our local, annual Highwater Hook-In.

It was held in a new spot: a huge church gym with plenty of light.

Pots of tea, muffins, fruits, sandwiches, and cake filled our tums

while raffles and hooking and chit chat warmed our spirits.

Our attendance was down by a good third due

to closed roads, but here are some samples from

the rug exhibit.

Love the bright red-orange one

This is quite big and attached to a supportive wood frame

Complete with real checkers!

William Morris winner

I'm a sucker for geometrics

See above comment!

Santa takes centre stage

Another very large work of art!

This is a small runner made entirely from someone's winnings at Left, Right, and Centre

!

So you'd think I'd have won a raffle basket given

that my chances were high from low attendance.

No indeed.

But I bought fab fudge and shopped two vendors there.

If you haven't experienced the fun of a hook-in

why not organize one yourself?

Have a sunny weekend!!!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!!!!

 May your weekend be lovely

"...looking steadfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith:

 who, in view of the joy lying before him, 

endured [the] cross, having despised [the] shame,

 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  

- Hebrews 2:2

Tapestry Show

Our local Christ Church cathedral had a one time showing of

it's treasure trove of tapestries this Saturday.

Many of them were fashioned in the 1800's.

These pieces adorned altars and pulpits, and priests

and used symbolism to teach.

This one was my favourite as it was

fashioned from the coronation robe of Queen Victoria:

Another favorite was this one from the first settlement in Canada, Caton's Island, New Brunswick.

The green vine is a bean runner and small beans circle the centre Lamb of God.

 The beans are significant as the settlement suffered hunger the first winter and a great pile of beans was discovered on the tiny plot of land. 

This saved their lives.

I've been to Caton's Island,

 it 's in the 

St. John river and hosts a youth camp.

The remainder of the photos show amazing stitches that

talented artists used to create these works of art and praise.

(Zoom in on the exquisite stitches!Satin stitches, chain stitches, couching....)

Of course, there was the quintessential tea and cookies

served afterwards in a corner of the great cathedral by the women of the parish.

I loved that they used real cups and saucers and lumps of sugar.

A super afternoon....

April Snow Showers

Welcome April!!

I'm glad you're here.

We had 5 inches of snow last night so I think you're a little confused

but we'll get there.

This is a rug I hooked way back in 2004.

I got inspiration for the design from an antique pie safe.

From my home town of Strasburg, Virginia.

The doors were tin punched  in a similar way. 

Now this little beauty looks deceptively simple:

Yes, it's a flannel nightgown but here's the thing.

I'm caregiver of a centenarian.

Now she cannot use scissors anymore, nor can she feel to pin things.

And I cannot use a sewing machine.

But between the two of us we made a thing of beauty

which her daughter received most happily.

I'm still hooking away at the Pat Cross pattern:

I keep running out of khakis and darks 

so I've made numerous trips upstairs

 to the wool room to root around for more.

Tonight I have a rug hook meet-up so there will be hours to hook.

At the end of the month the local guild

hosts a big hook-in. 

It's a real highlight of Spring:

vendors, prizes, hookers, yummy food to share...

The blues are slowwwllly ebbing away.

I'm so grateful.

Six months of Winter surely doesn't help.

May you find beauty in the day!

 

 

We're mellllllltttttting!

At last! 

It's been months since we saw our driveway 

but it's still there.

I was beginning to wonder.

New Brunswick's melt brings threat of flood

 but it's too early to tell what will happen.

This morning I lit my Gable House Goodes candle called

"This Old House"- for ambiance.

(I think it smells like smoky cornbread).

 

Then I pulled a few loops.

This pattern (Pat Cross) I am hooking up in a #6.

Boy #6 is much slower than my preferred #8.

I was too lazy to change my cutter blade when I started

but I think I may change it yet.

And speaking of Pat Cross-- she wrote a couple

of pattern books years ago and I haven't heard her name

since then.

Anyone know anything about her?

April is just about here. 

Welcome Sweet Spring Lady...

Combatting blues with greens

I’ve been feeling blue.

A friend brought these by.

I’m told they grow them in hot houses on Prince Edward Island.

It’ll be a while longer before the ground is bare and tulips bloom.

While my parents were here we went to a local nursery and I got dill and thyme to start indoors.

Haven’t been doing a lot of hooking lately.

I've been spending mornings with an elderly woman.

Her family inherited an unfinished braided rug.

I have no experience with braiding but this one just needed the coils

attached to one another.

I used a very strong thread.

 There is definitely a front and back to this rug.

It measures about 2 ft long by 1 ft wide or so.

I like the colours and there are various types of cloth

used in it. A make do rug.

My Lucy is grateful that she can spend some time on the deck again.

the snows are still on the ground but melt is happening and

our sun is very strong.

Lucy spends most of her summer days right there.

Isn't she sweet?!

And in need of a cut and style!

Have a warm wonderful weekend!

 

Happy St. Patty's

The snow is melting with almost alarming speed!

My neighbour says, "Six inches a day with this sun."

Not sure what the actual figures are but it is -2C today yet still melting away.

Here is a charming pattern I hooked up years ago:

It is "Colonial Table Mat" by Cherylyn Brubaker of Hooked Treasures.

Her website sample is done in browns, cream and reds.

I had her for a class in 2008? in which I hooked pomegranates

 and she was very good.

In late Fall last year, Doris Norman taught our rug group

to hook brick doorstops.

I chose to draw up a fraktur style pattern.

It turned out very sweetly:

Side view

 

The trick to covering the brick is a good padding

of cotton batting and a nylon stocking to encompass the

batting and the brick base.

And very very strong thread.

SO, how will you celebrate St. Patty's Day?

On Winter Sundays our neighbourhood pals head down to the local

craft beer/cidery to moan about the weather. 

We will do this today too.

Perhaps our chosen beverages will be green.

Don't know what that has to do with the good Saint Patrick

but around here green is the promise of Summer which is HOPE!