Sunday, November 29, 2009

New Books

Here are a few new rug hooking books recently released.

From "Rug Hooking Magazine" comes
Celebration of Hand-Hooked Rugs XIX. Always a joy to look through and draw inspiration from. I love looking through quickly at first to see if I know any of the hookers.



The new book by Jane Halliwell Green called Pictorial Hooked Rugs was released in October. The description from the amazon.com Web site follows:

One of the most challenging of all rug styles is the pictorial rug or wall hanging. This full-color book guides readers step-by-step through the process of how to create pictorial rugs. This book is the definitive instruction manual on how to create the elements of a pictorial rug. Each section contains a description of techniques, materials, dye formulas, and hooked illustrations of the elements described. It contains tips and tricks for the rug hooker to take the guesswork out of planning a personalized rug.



Check it out. I'm always fascinated with a book on pictorials. It's a goal of mine to create a rug of the neighborhood I lived in while growing up.

Amy Oxford's new book is entitled
Hooked Rugs Today IV: Expect the Unexpected. Here is a description of the book I found on an Italian (!) Web site:

Explore expertly crafted, contemporary hooked rugs with designs ranging from abstract to political statement, and from adorable pet depictions to painterly expressions. The Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild mounted a great exhibit for a few short weeks in November 2008 at Shelburne Museum in Vermont, and now displayed forever in the pages of this rich book. Two featured artists - Rae Harrell and Diane Kelly -display their personal styles through retrospectives of their work. Members from the guild were challenged to think "outside the box," and they came up with a variety of imagery and form ranging from lifesize, three-dimensional sheep to extraordinary miniature punch-needle works. Other categories include animals, florals, landscapes, penny rugs, and even a small section dedicated to the smallest members of the group: the children. The colors, forms, and variety will astound and inspire anyone with an interest in fiber arts.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Dyed wool

Here are some of the shades I dyed this past week. The first is called "Amber Glass" and is a set of grads. They remind me a bit of amber depression glass. Go to the store section of my blog if you are interested in purchasing a set.


This second photo is a new set of transitional grads. There are four pieces in the set that is called "Sun Phases." It ranges from an orange to deep golden shade. It will be in the store on this blog for awhile before going to Ebay auctions. Check it out.

Next photo is the fourth grad in a set called Cloudy Sky. This is a beautiful blue shade that a customer is using in a rug along with the other three grads. I sometimes forget when dyeing grads that each color is pretty enough to stand alone.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Dye Day

Well, I never made it up to Shelburne for the rug show. Due to a never-ending sinus headache, I just couldn't face the drive. Off to see the doctor tomorrow. His last suggestion for my problem was to have my nose broken! Can't seem to get my arms around that one!

Anyway, I'm dyeing wool today. Doing some grads and overdyes and this afternoon, I'm going to do a set of transitional grads. Will post a photo later. It's a beautiful day here today, so the wool should be able to dry outside. Trying to do my part to go green!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Veteran's Day


Knowing that this Wednesday was Veteran's Day got me thinking about my father's service in WWII. Having served in the 1st Battalion, 106th Infantry in the Western Pacific Theater, he participated in the Battle of Saipan. I googled some sites online to find out more about the battle, and actually discovered some film on You Tube showing some of the fighting. As with all war footage, the scenes were horrific. I also found a site that described some of the battle:

The 106th was heavily involved in the fighting for Saipan's dominant terrain feature; a 1,554-foot mountain called Mount Tapotchau. The 106th initially fought along a ridgeline near the mountain's base and in an open valley at the base of the ridgeline, two terrain features that were grimly dubbed Purple Heart Ridge and Death Valley. The 106th was instrumental in repelling the second fnad final Japanese counterattack.

One of the most lamentable events of the battle for Saipan involved the mass suicide of hundreds of families, many of whom jumped to their deaths from the high cliffs at the island's northernmost point. This tragic event could not be stopped, despite efforts by Americans and indigenous Saipanese using loudspeakers to try to convince the Japanese that surrender would be shameless and harmless.

Reading this information gave me some insight into what my father must have seen. He talked little about it during his lifetime, and today I'll try not to dwell on the horrors he witnessed, but just be proud of the contribution he made to his country during his four years in the Army in WWII.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Green Mountain Guild Rug Show

The Green Mountain Guild "Hooked in the Mountains XIV" rug show is being held Nov. 7–15, 2009 at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT (outside of Burlington). My sister and I will be attending this Friday, and we are both looking forward to this outstanding show. I've attended several times and have never been disappointed. Hope to have lots of photos to share.

This year's show features the rugs of
Sharon Townsend, Gail Duclos Lapierre, and Diane Phillips. In addition, 15 vendors will be present.

A word to the wise.... This show is held in the Round Barn at the Shelburne Museum, and in the past, there has been no heat. Dress warmly. Interestingly, you begin on the third floor. As you work your way down to the second and first floors, it gets progressively warmer!



For more information about the show and the guild, visit their Web site at: http://www.gmrhg.org.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

It's been a long time between posts

Wow! Time is flying by! I haven't posted in quite awhile, as things have been busy. My husband and I both have been sick (me with bronchitis and him with pneumonia). In the middle of all this, we left for a cruise out of Boston to ports in Maine and Nova Scotia. The weather was surprisingly good, and we had one of our best vacations ever! The sea air must have been good for both of us, as we felt worlds better during the cruise.

Got to visit Portland and Bar Harbor in Maine and Halifax in Nova Scotia. I know, kind of a crazy time of year to go north, but the day we were in Halifax the temperature was 60°! The coldest spot turned out to be the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park where there was snow on the ground and tremendously strong winds. We took some pictures and quickly got back on the trolley. I'd love to go back there during the summer months. Here are two photos I took.




Once we got back home, things returned to normal. I'm continuing work on my time travel rug and feel like I'm making progress. Here's a photo of the rug to date:


I've listed a lot of wool and binding tape on Ebay. Check it out: Michele's auctions.