It is HOT!

It sure is hot here.  I think I must be crazy---today I am going to help my daughter who is going to acid stain the concrete floor in her living room.  There is still prep needing to be done today then tomorrow we will attempt to get the stain applied---it is going to be interesting.

Here is a picture of Cammie at King's pottery where she bought "Thelma"---to see a picture of Thelma go to Cammie's blog---primitivejunky.blogspot

Yesterday I got the wool all put away and am beginning to feel more organized.

Saturday morning I am running in The Color Run---with one of my friends, Carol and her husband and daughter.  Our team name is called Starting out White.  In this run you get colored corn starch throw on you at various mile markers---I plan to try to preserve my tee shirt so I will post a picture of how colorful I get---should be interesting---fortunately this is not a timed event---doing it just for fun.

A few more pictures from Caraway.

This Comstock rug was done by Pam in my class last year---it was good to see it finished.

This is a wedding rug that Deste is doing for her son's wedding in September---she already had it designed and color planned before she got there so it was hooking time that she needed and she got a lot done as well as enjoying her time in the class room---and thanks for the red licorice too!!!

This is Deste's rug from last year---a great little primitive rug.

I bought this piece in the scholarship auction thinking my daughter might like it---but no she doesn't like the color in the leaves---hoping she might change her mind---it was hooked in 1985.  It may end up for sale in my shop in Greenwood.  It is nicely framed.


Well it is time for me to get ready for the drive to Manhattan---Kansas that is.

It is going to be a sweaty day.  Hopefully I will post a picture of a beautiful floor when we are done.

Anita

home from North Carolina

I arrived home yesterday---11 days away from home.    I left a week ago Friday, taking the northern route through Louisville and spent the night in Lexington KY,  On Saturday I drove to Caraway arriving around 4 o'clock.  I waited until Sunday morning to unpack---it was great to have the whole morning and afternoon to get my room set up---and what a great room and class I had.  The first year I taught at Caraway I had a small room and was very crowded, the next year I graduated to a bigger room and this year I had the biggest room---thank you Eric!!!  Here is a picture of the classroom.

I took this class picture on the day of the rug show---missing one student---sorry Deste!

Before I post some of the class projects I'll review some more details of my trip.  I left Caraway on Friday morning and went to Asheboro and spent the day pottery shopping in Seagrove.  What fun we had---I spent much time trying to find the perfect face jug and at the last place we went, an antique shop  in old downtwon Asheboro I found it.  Here is the one I bought---it is actually a Georgia jug designed by Cleater and Billie Meadors---I really ove the wood fired drippy glaze on what is referred to as a buggy jug.

On Saturday I headed to Loudon TN to visit good friends who used to live in Overland Park---thanks Drew and Jim for a great visit.  I got up early Monday morning and drove home in one long day---good to be home!  I guess I was still on eastern time as I woke up at 4:30 this morning---unloaded my vehicle early this morning to beat the heat, but it still sits waiting for me to put things away.


On Tuesday afternoon I taught a mini class---journal covers for a 5 by 7 inch journal---here are some that get finished---my sample is on the lower right---I had temaplats for several different designs for them to choose from---the sheep proved to be the mopst popular.  It is hooked into the wool fabric.

Jennie was a busy student.  She first hooked ne of my paisley patterns and then started on The Reader a Sharon Smith pattern---she redrew and hooked her do before the camp was over---wish I had gotten a picture later in the day.

Margaret hooked this geometric star runner, a Cathy Stephan's design.

Diane designed this pattern---inspired by an antique coverlet---a great camp project because the color plan is all there---just needs to be repeated in all the corners.

Jan chose Karen Kahle's Towne Garden for a rug for her kitchen---a fun pattern to color plan.

Joyce was working on this Primco pattern called Poppy's Cottage---wish I had rotated the picture.  

the corner's will be hit n' miss---and check out the beading by doing a close-up.

Millie was working on and Edyth O'Neill pattern called Fruit Theorem.  We had lots of fun choosing the textures and colors for this rug.

Sheri was working on my Paisley on Paisley pattern---no she didn't get all of this done this year.  :)

Kathie was hooking a nice Santa design---a needle punch pattern that she is hooking with permission from the designer.  The beard is unhooked at this time but she is going to do it in yarns.

Nancy hooked this rug in my class last year---she is almost done---great job!  This year she was hooking Square Harmony but I can't find my picture that I took of it---boo hoo!  It's a beauty!

Vicky designed this  large bed rug inspired runner---it is color planned for her bedroom.  It is going to be a beauty!!!

Becky was hooking this Comstock version---she got a lot hooked and would have had more done except for deciding to eliminate some lighter off white---I'm glad she did---great job!

Robin purchased this pattern from Nancy Blair ---Pomegranates and Pineapples---not sure who the designer is.  The lines in the pineapple are paisley---as you can see we reworked the pineapple design.  Great job Robin!

Nancy was in my class and was working on existing projects---she finished this Searsport runner and we all did the happy dance!!

She was also working on this Edyth O'Neill Guilford runner---the big one in neutrals that she started at Barb Carroll's.

Georgeann was working on the Double Comstock design from Woolley Fox---we reworked the flower to be a pineapple---a great start to a fabulous rug.  I never tire of this design as it offers so many possibilities to make it your own.

Barbara designed this pattern from photographs that she took lat year---a wonderful start to a great memory rug!

I have a few more pictures to post tomorrow but my fingers and brain are tired.

Thanks everyone for a great workshop!  Hope everyone made it home safely.

Hospital Hill, Caraway Rug School, First Friday Market

Last Friday I went to the First Friday market in the kansas City river bottoms---it has become quite an event for vintage shoppers.  Here is a picture of what I purchased.

the wooden level got shipped to California with the spice set for my daughter Chelsea, the basket may come to Caraway---it is a very cool double pie basket--I have seen singles like this but not this big one.  The silver brushes are vey cool---here is better picture...for now I am keeping them.

Also some vintage patriotic crepe paper and streamers---and a turned wooden dish made by Ed Provost in 1988.

It is getting close to time for the Caraway Rug School---this is my third year to teach at this school and I am looking forward to this camp---such a beautiful setting and a great workshop.

I ran in the Hospital Hill race on Saturday morning---it was a cool 54 degrees at race time---Yeah!!!

A neighbor, Kelly ran with me---it is a good thing to have a young neighbor to run with you and encourage you along the  way---I completed the 5K in 29:41 and came in 3rd in my age group.  Thanks Kelly!  This was my fourth time to run this race and and I had my best time by far---previous years were between 32 and 35 minutes.  It is one of the most challenging races due to the hills---more ups than downs that is for sure...and best of all is that I am not really that sore today...glad I did some training on hills.


Gotta get busy---home classes this week!

More rugs from Wool Sisters

Well I am finally getting around to posting some more pictures from Alabama...so here goes.

This is a rug designed by Sharon---I think the textures work well in the loon and the bird---she is planning to needle felt in some of the birch trees she wants in the distance...the cattails are sculpted and when I got home I dyed the sky for her.  Here is a photo of the sky wool...these strips are 60 inches wide and 8 inches deep and will be cut and hooked in order.

This next one is Mary's wool gatherer---a pattern from Red Saltbox---her hairdo is a work in progress as we were experimenting with a braid---we'll see if it stays or goes.

Ane this is Diana's long runner that a friend helped her design.  One neat thing about this rug is that the truck was originally owned by the Gruelle family (originators of Raggedy Ann and Andy) and they are in the driver's seat---not hooked yet in this picture but according to Diana when I talked to her this morning they are done).

 This rug was Mary Lou's---Wild women never get the blues---what a great fun rug this is!

And here is Wendy's rug called Flower Basket---her own design from Red Saltbox.  She wanted to use paisley and she is using it well in the flowers and leaves!

This is Kathy's fraktur bird and flowers---she too used paisley in her color planning---what a delightful bird and flowers!

Libby was working on Here Birdie, Birdie another Red Saltbox pattern---check out her great flag using a five loop technique to make a start---love the expression on the cat's face!

Penny was a color loving student so we had great fun bringing this piece to life---a very happy purple dog!

We went to the lake over Memorial day---great fun!

We are having cool morning right now and I am loving it and glad it is supposed to hold over into Saturday morning---my 5K Hospital Hill race is Saturday morning at 7 o'clock.

I have been in the dye pots the past two days getting ready for The Caraway Rug school---leaving in a couple of weeks...yikes!!!

Some fruits of my labor...

That's it for today!

Anita

Fun with the Wool Sisters

What a great time was had by all with this great group of women.  Such fun---so much laughter and yet so much accomplishment!  And so much good food---Elizabeth is a great cook!

Here are some of the projects done by the students.

This is Bobbie's "Ride 'em"---a pattern by Sharon Smith---this little girl is sporting a paisley scarf and the horse has red paisley reins---check out this close-up

Ginger  hooked a pattern called "The Reader"  also by Sharon Smith---she did a great job with the dog and girl---can't wait to see this one finished.

We had many discussions about those helicopters in the background---there were many ideas about they really were.

Several of the students actually finished rugs...

Here are some of them

This is Penny's "Dog in the Window" ---this is Ruby---isn't she a great dog---Penny called herself a dirty hooker so we had great fun with this one---even worked in a couple of paisley patches.

Melanie finished this Fish pattern designed my Margaret Pitman.  She even got the binding sewn on but I didn't get the picture with the binding on---she used the black dotted fabric and will be about 3/4 inch wide showing around the edge.  Great job Melanie!

Faye worked on my newest cupboard design called "Give a Hoot"---She got it finished and decided to add a proddy edge and make it into a pillow---Love the purple background and the edge really make this one sing.

I will post more pictures soon...I drove all the way home on Tuesday in one day---not sure that I'll try that again any time soon.  I was pooped out all day Wednesday---even took a nap which is something I almost never do.

I am busy working on preparations for the Caraway camp in North Carolina---plan to hit the dye pots today before heading to the lake for the weekend.

Have a great Memorial day weekend.

A beautiful day at Pomme de Terre

Yesterday we came to our place at the lake---wonderful weather!

I will be heading to Alabama next week to teach a workshop for the Wool Sisters---really looking forward to this as I have heard many good things about this group.

The house is just about finished being put back together.  I have had fun putting things back together and hanging many rugs.

this is the stairwell down to the studio---since I took this picture I decorated the little spool stand with lots of fun sewing things

this is one the wall going up to the second floor

I like that it covers up some of the areas where I had to do some touch up painting---who would know!

A few weeks ago I posted a small picture of my mother that I found---I had the picture enlarged and changed to a sepia tone and printed on canvas---I framed it in an antique walnut frame---I just love that ir has a paisley background.  I think that she was about 17 in this photograph...she was the youngest of 11 and unfortunately died when she was only 38 of Hodgkins lymphoma---my youngest daughter Sarah has my mother's name, Pauline, as her middle name.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there---enjoy your special day.  I wish that I could be with my daughters on Sunday but I  know that they will be thinking of me---or they better!!!!  My daughter Chelsea will be going to see her Mother in Law on Sunday---fortunately for her they live closer than I do.

this is some of Chelsea's artwork I found when I was cleaning out the back storage area---not sure what those toys are????

We had a huge storm last Sunday and our sump pump quit working without our knowing it so we had water in the basement---fortunately just in the storage area---spent many hours cleaning it up and washing wool that got wet.

This is my old dining room turned office / sitting room---the green chair is my Mother's Day gift---love how it goes with my rug.

Well gotta go enjoy my time at the lake---and do some hooking!

heading home tomorrow as i am running in race on Sunday for Mother's day---hoping for a new PR!