On the way home---in Louisville tonite

 We are spending the night in Louisville, KY tonite---we are going to take the shuttle from our hotel to the 4th Street Live area---fond memories from the Atha biennial---partying on 4th street with Diane and Kathy!  I also spent some time here with Kim Nixon during the biennial---how she is missed.

When we got here we took a dip in the pool----it felt great!

I am looking forward to getting home tomorrow---another long day of driving.  We passed the time listening to a John Grisham book on tape---will finish it up tomorrow.  It was a big help.

Here are a few more pictures from the rug show at Caraway.

 This rug was hooked by Dayne in a class with Jane Halliwell Green.

 Here's a beauty---sorry I didn't get the name of the rug hooker on this one.

This dog was hooked by Nancy Hackney---unfortunately Nancy wasn't able to come this year.  She was supposed to be in my class---hopefully next year she will be able to come---get well Nancy!

Robin hooked this rug in my class last year---great job Robin!

Here is a great Santa hooked by Shirley---a jolly old soul!

Okay that's it---time to take the shuttle to 4th Street Live.

Peanuts!!!

Virginia has great Peanuts!  We stopped at several places on the way to Virginia Beach to do some tasting...and buying.  Here I am at one of the shops.

The rug on the left is a rug  Linda, one of my students from last year brought back for the rug show.  It is a pattern designed by Susan Fellers designed and lengthened for Linda's table.  I love it when finished rugs come back for the rug show.

This was a sensational rug, forgive me for not giving credit to the artist.  I know it was hooked by a student in Diane Stoffel's class---be sure and click on the picture to see more detail---phenomenal!!!  

Georgia hooked this dimensional pumpkin from her scraps---isn't this a fun one!

Kathie Meyers is selling a book with a braiding technique for adding braiding around hooked rugs---got the book but haven't studied it yet, but here is a sample done with her technique on one of my cupboard patterns---also check out the way the background it hooked to maintain the plaid effect---WOW!

When I get home I will get the book out and give you the info on ordering her book---still is somewhere in my stuff to be unpacked when I get home.

A Pris Butler rug---you can tell that Pris is a talented painter---this is one to be studied carefully!

Okay that's it for today---have a great day.  It is going to be a hot one today.

Back from Virginia Beach

We had a nice lunch on the waterfront, did a quick walk on the beach and dipped into the water---Doug and I were the only ones who went into the water.  The water felt quite cool.  As we were leaving we had a burst of rain, but thankfully didn't last too long.

We are back in Chesterfield so I think I'll try to post some pictures from Caraway.

Here are some class projects.

Here are three versions of Comstock that were being hooked, two in colors resembling the original from 1810.

Georgia was hooking this piece for her nephew's wedding---last name of Shelton.  What a lucky bride and groom!

Jennie made great progress on her Hidden in the Garden rug---she did a great job of balancing her colors.

Nancy was working on a Lib Callaway pattern called Jumbo Star---it is a great pattern for a workshop because you can work on one-fourth of the rug and get your color plan.

Linda was working on Aunt Tillie's Garden a Woolley Fox Pattern.  It is a little difficult to see the light colors but it is going to turn out great---esp. love the leaf on the end with the blue spots.

Nancy came with the background already hooked so she was able to concentrate on the flowers and leaves.  The pattern is called Rose of Sharon by New Earth Designs.  What a great rug!

 Here is Ginny's Santa---sorry, I am drawing a blank on the designer.  It is a great design and she did a great job on the face.  Hope you are feeling better Ginny---she had to leave a bit early on the last day due to not feeling well.

Deste was doing a great job with this M Shaw pattern---we added he tongues.  What a great basket!

Sheri was working on my Paisley on Paisley.  She is almost halfway there!  It is going to have a dark teal border...great rug!

Dayne, one of my last minute students who was going to be in Jane Halliwell's class was a delight as she was working on her own design with sunflowers...she was doing a great job---be sure and do a close-up on the lupines.

Sorry this pattern is sideways---this is a fraktur that Shirley designed in a class with Susan Fellers---she wanted to change the colors she had started with so we unhooked some wool and started over.  It is going to be a great rug---check out the colorful bird by clicking on the picture.

Vicki was working on Edyth O'Neill's Cape Ann---a fun rug to hook---love the big flowers.

Fred and Nancy hooked this Primitive Grace pattern---can't wait to see this one finished!

As you can see I had a very talented group in my class.  

Thanks for a great week.  Tomorrow I will post some completed rugs from the rug show.

Finally, a short post

I know that it has been a long time since I have posted and this will be a  quick one as we are heading to Virginia Beach today.  I am still in the Richmond Virginia area, arriving here last Friday after finishing up my workshop at Caraway.  We celebrated my brother in law's 70th birthday and my husband's 61st---they were both born on the same day 9 years apart.

The Caraway workshop was great.  I have lots of pictures to post but that will have to wait till I have more time.  One neat thing at camp was getting Jessie Turbayne's new book hot off the press.

This is a book you will definitely want to own.  Her address is:  76  Oak Street  Westwood MA 02090

On my drive to Virginia I stopped at an antique mall in Burlington North Carolina and bought a paisley shawl---I was very happy!

Everyone is ready to leave so I'll post again when we get back.  Have a great day!

Anita

Record heat in New Orleans

Wow is it ever hot here!  We had a nice relaxing day and are meeting old friends for dinner tonite.

I had raw oysters for lunch---they were quite tasty!


It sounds like all I have done it eat.  I did do an early morning run but it was hot even at 6:30.

The wedding is tomorrow at 5 o'clock with a reception afterwards in the quarter...I hope it will be fairly early to bed for me as I have an early morning flight back to Charlotte on  Sunday morning and a 1 1/2 hour drive back to Caraway to set up for the workshop.  So far everything has gone smoothly so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  the hotel that we are staying at is listed in the top ten of haunted places in the US---I haven't encountered any ghosts yet...I'll let you know if I do.

The big easy

I love the food here!  We had a wonderful lunch at The Bon Ton---I never eat fried food but i had fried soft shell crab and Oyster Alvin---yum!!!  Tonite we opted for appetizers and had mussels, scallops and gumbo that we shared.  It was yummy too.  It is a good thing that I didn't eat too much the last 3 days because I made up for it today.  We are here for a wedding that is on Saturday evening.  Tomorrow I plan to try to get an early morning run in---it is very hot here so it might be difficult.  Laying around by the pool sounds like a good idea.  I went to a weaving shop today and had a nice conversation with the owners.

Great trip so far---New Orleans tomorrow!

I left Kansas City on Monday---have enjoyed my trip so far and am looking forward to the wedding in New Orleans.  I have an morning flight---staying near the airport in Charlotte.  I dropped off all my stuff at the workshop in Caraway and am hoping to be back by 1 o'clock on Sunday to set up...thankfully I was able to put everything in the room I will be teaching in.

I am looking forward to the workshop.  I had forgotten how beautiful the setting was---love the mountains and tall trees---such a beautiful drive in.  I was able to go to the IKEA shop in Charlotte this afternoon and got some new bags for my wool--my current ones have seen better days---I have patched them up so many times but I think it is time to replace them..I almost got lost in the store---it is huge!!!

I have settled in for the night and am watching chopped...love that show!  I have finished one audiobook and plan to start another one tomorrow.

I took this picture of a hooked rug in an antique mall that I stopped in on the way---happy little cats!!!

Couldn't get to sleep at all

Yesterday was a hard day---should have done more on Saturday to get ready but after going to our guild meeting and a graduation party nothing got accomplished which left too much to do yesterday.  I stayed up past my normal sleep time and sleep didn't happen.  I hate it when that happens!

I finally decided to get up and go ahead and get an early start---so after coffee I plan to finish the packing, shower and get on the road.  I plan to drive to Clarksville, TN today.  The car is loaded!  I've got audiobooks to listen to.  Packing clothes for 18 days is not fun especially with planning packing for a wedding in New Orleans---with only carry-on to speed things up---and save money!  A quart ziplock bag doesn't leave a girl much room for beauty products!

Time to hit the road!

It's a heat wave in Kansas

Hot and humid in Kansas!   A couple more days and we are supposed to get a little break.

this has been a busy week with home classes on Monday and today.  Yesterday was devoted to getting the shop in Greenwood Mo. ready for The Primitives of the Midwest---This year it is June 22-25---it brings in textile artists from around the country to attend classes.  This year there are no hooking classes but lots of wool applique.  It is sponsored by Quilter's Station.  On Thursday our shop---Greenwood Mercantile--- stays open late for a field trip to the antique malls in Greenwood for the visitors.  Unfortunately I will not be back from North Carolina to be there but my friend Kate will be there to assist.  Here is the link to The Primitives of the Midwest.  http://www.quiltersstation.com/shop/custom.aspx?recid=7

I hope everyone has a great workshop and enjoys the trip to Greenwood.

Tomorrow and Friday I will finish up preparation for Caraway and start the packing---fun and games!

I am also working on the next three workshops---August in Texas, September in Vermont and Ohio.  I've been hearing back from lots of students and am excited about the workshops.

I finished up a new sample of Nick at night , one of my cupboard designs---just need to do the binding but here is a picture in one of the frames.

this was done mostly with leftovers---except for the blue plaid background---quick and easy!

There is another new one coming out soon---Acorn Vine---hope to have a picture to  post soon.

Here is a picture of the cutter box that my husband makes---got a new batch done and took two to Greenwood yesterday.

I guess that's it---gotta get the studio ready for classes.

Hospital Hill---I conquered the hill

Yeah---the race is over and I didn't die, although it was painful at times.  I finished in 33:18 which was good for 2nd place in my age group.  The longer distances 10K and the half marathon usually draw the faster runners, but overall I was very pleased,  considering that when I hurt my knee I wasn't sure that I would be able to race again.

  

This photo was taken quite a while after the race was over---the action shot that my husband shot had his finger over the view finder so it got chopped off.

Okay I'm going to go treat myself to a shopping excursion---something cute to wear.

Yeah---I found it!

Wow, I don't know how it got buried so deep!  I must get a grip on my storage.  I have a closet in the basement underneath the stairs which has been a catch all kind of storage place.  It is difficult to get into and it is definitely time to clean it out!  This morning I decided to see if it was in the back part---as I was pulling everything out from the front part I caught a glimpse of it---yeah---now I have a big mess to clean up but I don't care.

Another cup of coffee and it's back to the closet...

Comstock is still MIA

I'm still looking for my rug...just doesn't make any sense,

Here is what I am looking for.

I do not have all my rugs out---I keep many of them rolled up and rotate them.

I'll look more today.

Today I am picking up my race packet for tomorrow and meeting a friend for lunch.

Summer is here in Kansas City.  Coffee is ready---gotta go!

Another day in the dye pots---and missing a rug

I have looked high and low in my house and I cannot find my "Comstock" rug---where could have have put it?  I've tried praying to St Anthony and no luck yet...I really need it as I have three students doing the pattern in June and more in August.  I don't think I took it to Wisconsin and can't remember if I took it to Ohio...it is hiding somewhere...I've checked in all the closets and trunks...think  Anita, think....

Had more fun in the dye pots today but it sure is hot and muggy!

I can't believe it is Wednesday already

Where has the week gone?  Yesterday was a fun day in the dye pots.  I got interrupted with several things but still managed to get quite a bit done and have another day planned today.

And check out these beauties...

A visit to the eye doctor---no poison ivy---yeah but I do have an eye infection so no contacts and drops three times a day.  I can wear them on Saturday morning for the race but have to take them back out and put them in a special solution.

Cheryl send me this picture of one of my Cupboard patterns.  I love what she did with the proddy effect on the flowers.

I sent out my Welcome letter last night to the students for the Angela Pumphrey workshop in San Antonio in August, so if any of you are reading this blog---welcome!