Happy Halloween Hooking

Halloween!!

Tonight two of our besties are coming for 

wine and stir fry and scary movies.

We'll begin with Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

And perhaps the Disney short Sleepy Hollow.

Very atmospheric.

When we raised our kids we were involved with churches

that were outspoken against Halloween.

But we always took our kids out trick-or-treating.

I loved seeing the other kiddies' costumes

and happy faces

and seeing old neighbors and meeting new ones.

And I've always liked graveyards.

Being a pastor's kid our manse was always close

to or beside graveyards.

I never feared them but always liked the quiet 

and the huge expanses of green.

As little girls, my sister and I would pluck flowers from

 recent burial bouquets and present them to mom.

Oh dear!

Stones are sometimes beautifully ornate with carved angels, devils, 

willows or lambs while others are simpler with names and dates.

All represent such stories!

When we were in Boothbay Harbour, Me., we came across

a cemetery on our walk.

Poor old Alfred Gaswell.

His stone is being swallowed by a tree.

It's difficult to tell, but the bottom of the stone is airborn.

My hooking is coming along.

It is hard to tell, but the background colour is a brown-purple.

(P is for Primitive design).

What are you working on??

Something Fall-y??

October Trip

I've been hooking away at this mat by

P is for Primitive and have come this far.

I like the way that the images come right up to the borders.

Last weekend we took our rv

on the last trip of the season.

We drove down to Boothbay Harbour, Maine.

What a lovely lovely spot!

And what lovely lovely people!

We had planned to set up camp there and then

drive into Camden, Maine to hike but there were

AMPLE paths around Boothbay.

There are so many little causeway roads to small islands

which are covered in pines and craggy rocks.

Lucy is limited due to arthritis but she had a blast

as well!

And here is a tip-- take a wander into thrift shops in the place

you are touring.

Often you can find local pottery and art for a fraction of the prices 

of the area boutiques.

The thrift store I went into had paintings of ships and

lots of lobster knickknacks but look what else I found (and bought):

The Heirloom Rug design is old and on burlap

but for $2 is a bargain.

I will trace it out onto linen.

The book was $1.99 and will be donated to our

hooking group's library.

Scores!

A Fredericton friend dyed these pieces of wool

All I know is that she used both fresh and dried leaves

and old iron nails soaked in something.

I'm very attentive.

Ha!

Aren't they works of art?

Unfortunately our home is still on the market.

We get less than 5 trick-or-treaters each Halloween

and I want to live in a neighborhood with loads of trick-or-treaters

which means kids and community.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

My “Grandmother’s Rug” (see previous post)
is getting to the fussy point;

when I hook a width of border,

especially an oval rug’s border,

it’s hard to get an even width all the way around.

And since I hook like I cook (I hate to count or measure)

this poses a frustrating finish for me.

SO, I set it aside, temporarily of course,
to start this one by P is for Primitive.

The ladies at the mental health group

always put me in a better mood.

This term we have only three which is the smallest 

number we’ve ever had.

These women come every week

to hook for ninety minutes.

They have said that the rhythm of the art

and the company is helpful.

I agree! 

Here is what they are working on:

This woman is legally blind; we outline the figures and she fills!

This woman is a color and design master!

One woman traced her grandma's hands as she lay dying.
She is hooking the hands from
 her grandma's clothing to give to relatives.

Our hood is looking autumnal!

I took these on my walk this morning.

And this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving!

Technically it falls on Monday but families 

around here seem to celebrate on one or 

all days of the long weekend.

Some make rounds to all the family groups.

The celebration is more casual than in the States

and it does not quick off the Christmas season

so there is no rush to the retail shops. 

Our neighbour has us to her cottage since we have no family.
Such a special place to share.

I leave you with a local recipe which is over 100 years

for a yummy apple cake

Keswick Ridge Apple Cake
1 C sugar
1 C shortening
1 C raisins
2 C tea
2 large apples sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp b powder
1 tsp salt

Cook first 8 ingredients until apples are soft. Cool to lukewarm.
In bowl, stir together remaining dry ingredients.
Stir into wet mixture.
Bake at 350 in a 9 X 13 pan for approx 1 hour.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

King's Landing

Once more I explored King's Landing, a live history

village here near Fredericton, NB.

The leaves were turning, the air was rich with wood smoke and apples,

and the sky was just overcast enough to deter crowds!

My friend, Teresa, strapped her 10 month old granddaughter to her 

and we hit the paths.

The mill I hooked last year

A woman strings beans to dry for winter

I love these vignettes

A determined sheep reaches for the apples

After we had hot spiked cider in the candle-lit pub
we stopped at the gift shop.
They were trying to sell heavier pieces as the season is ending.
I nabbed this table and Teresa got a buffet
at 60% off!
Having a truck was convenient...

Home again.
My Grandma's Rug is really coming along

Wheels and Deals

                             

Last weekend we hooked up the trailer

and drove an hour plus away to the peninsula on the St. John.

Part of a club which allows dry camping on specific places of business,

we chose Gillis of Belisle Vineyard.

The days were unseasonably warm so we did not

need the propane heater.

We walked a marsh trail with little Lucy dog,

sipped wine under the stars,

and I hooked on the stone patio while hubby caught up on 

office work.

The vineyard logo is taken from the painted quilt

at the side of the barn.

As the limit is one night's stay, we slept in

and slowly decamped to the calls of birds and bullfrogs!

My two awesome scores this weekend included

this little cross-stitch piece I put in the trailer.

Cost a whopping quarter. So sad, really.

But it has an excellent home now.

And this dry sink:

Cost? 

$30.

It will take elbow grease to strip it down to the wood and wax it 

 and I'd like to change the handles.

Two more house viewings over the weekend 

but no 

feedback yet.

May your week be blessed!

                          

Rainy September

What a rainy cool day! 

I feel some stirring to prepare for the upcoming Winter already.

I have a new client from 7-9 every morning;

a super schedule that pays well and gives me the day!

Today I returned home, made a cup of tea and lit a fav candle.

Here’s a plug for my fav candles:

 I used to buy Swan Creek exclusively but my tastes have changed.

We

Gable House Goodes turns out more primitive, homey scents.

The lit one is a clove molasses scent.

The Olde Salem candle small like all the good things

in an old house.

My K Creations bargain of a frame arrived and 

I love it.

I took it to the first booking meeting of the year last night

and my friend, Ute, presented me with a cover she made!

Wasn’t that thoughtful? 

And it fits perfectly! 

We had some interest shown in our home which has 

been on the market since June:

Here’s hoping!

Happy Humpday

Cozies

Atlantic Canada got Dorian-

Here in my town we had strong winds and 2 inches of rain.

In other parts they had 5" of rain and category 2 winds.

Apparently Nova Scotia is 80% without power.

The storm brought cooler air too, so out came these:

My wool socks from Briggs & Little mills nearby.

I have 4 pair and they are toasty.

I've also been working on cleaning yellow stains off a 60 year old quilt.

Much came off with OxyClean, both from soaking and washing,

but a friend recommended this Italian soap and I was lucky to

find it locally.

(My friend used this to hand clean a yellowed wedding dress and

she couldn't believe the difference.)

Here is the quilt, a twin size plus and hand stitched. 

A client gave me this quilt while I was helping

her declutter. 

She was disgusted to find it so stained

and asked me to keep it or pass it to the thrift store.

I decided I'd try to remove the stains and then

offer it back to her.

As it was made by her mother she may want it but in good repair.

I've also been making lasagna today to take to a family 

who just lost their elderly mom.

The house is filled with the delicious smells of sauce and meat.

I handed off the guild project rug to someone else and now

I will turn to my own for hooking again! 

Warm socks, baking and quilts--

all cozy representations of domesticity.

Happy Week...