Off the subject of rug hooking for this post. Some of you may know that I belong to a prayer shawl ministry. We are a group of about 30 knitters and crocheters who get together twice a month. Besides doing prayer shawls for the community, we have taken on several other projects through the last four years. Some of those projects include: - Wool caps for the soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq;
- Confirmation and baptismal stoles for the local Catholic Church;
- Afghans for the VA Hospital buddy program in Albany, NY;
- Hats, mittens, scarves, socks, etc. for a the local Giving Tree Store for the needy in Saratoga County. The group that runs this store serves over 325 needy families in the county at Christmas time.
- Baby blankets for stillborn babies dispersed by the Angel Names Network;
- Knitted items for Operation Shoebox (Samaritan's Purse) that are distributed worldwide;
- Sweaters and other warm winter items for an area school district that serves a very impoverished area;
- and various other small projects that come up throughout the year.
As you can see, we are very busy! As it is with rug hooking groups, our knitters and crocheters have become close friends which makes this ministry such a worthwhile group to belong to. Anyway, here are a few of my latest contributions:
A prayer shawl crocheted in shades of green, cream and turquoise blue. 
A confirmation stole knit in the tradition prayer shawl pattern of K3 P3. Sorry the photo is so bad!
I had a question about how I hung my garden rug. Here's what I did: After the rug was finished and after I found a spot for it, I began to think about how I wanted to hang it. At first, I was going to sew a pocket along the top and use a wooden dowel to display it. But the rug is so heavy, I was afraid it wouldn't hang straight. I sent a message to Gene Shepard through his blog, and he suggested carpet tacking, something he had used to hang rugs. I decided that was the way to go. We went to our local hardware store and got a package of carpet tacking strips. There were three four-foot sections to a package for around $12.00. This would be enough, as I mainly wanted the full length on the top of the rug and the bottom. For the sides, I used a smaller piece and centered in the middle of the side length.
As you can see from the photo, there are small tacks sticking up with a larger screw spaced evenly along the strip. You first have to level the strip and then screw the strip to the wall. Be careful when hanging your rug as the nails are sharp. Luckily, the nails are not very long which means they won't pop through the rug. There are plenty of them to keep the rug adhered. My husband and I hung the rug, first hanging the top of the rug, then pulling the rug straight and fastening to the strip along the bottom. At this point, the rug was hanging securely, but the sides were showing some slight ripples. The side pieces took care of that.
Last week was my daughter's 27th birthday, so my husband and I decided to drive to Boston to take her to dinner. Our plan was to hit the MA turnpike early and attend the Brimfield Antique Show by 10:00. Brimfield is about a two-hour drive from our home in Saratoga Springs. Halfway there, my husband asked me if I packed the suitcase. We both looked in the back of the car, and that's right, no suitcase. Luckily a friend went to our house, got the suitcase, and met us halfway back on the thruway. So, we didn't get to Brimfield until a little after twelve.If you've ever been to a huge antique show, you know that this is not a one-day affair. We had decided to spend Thursday at the show and then head an hour further east to Boston to have dinner with Maggie and her fiancé and spend the night. That worked out great! They live in the Coolidge Corners area of Boston, and we had fun walking around that night.The next morning, we were off early and made it to Brimfield by 11:00. Here are some pics of some of the booths and things for sale.
A nice display. Note the hooked rug resting on the tree branch!
Lots of primitive items...
I loved this dealer's wares! Lots of mod furniture!
And if you like bakelite, there was plenty to choose from at this booth.
Another booth with wonderful primitive items.
Another group of vintage hooked rugs. The colors on this rug are still very bright.
A very pretty piece...
I loved finding this booth. These are new rugs, some of which were used to adorn old antique chairs. I thought I had a shot of an old chair with a hooked mat upholstered to it, but I can't find it.More photos tomorrow.
Where has the time gone? Summer seemed to fly by, and with the weather so hot, didn't take the time to blog. But now the weather is cooler, sleeping is easier at night, and hooking seems the thing to do.My angel rug is close to completion. I hope to have it finished in the next week or so as it is a gift for my new grandson (due November 28)! I think an angel watching over him will be perfect!!Here is the rug to date:
After the hooking, the boring part -- the binding! I plan on getting carpet tacking to hang the rug. I used these for hanging my garden rug (which is much larger), and it was very easy.Tomorrow, I'll post some photos of our trip to the Brimfield Antique show in Massachusetts.
A prayer shawl crocheted in shades of green, cream and turquoise blue.
A confirmation stole knit in the tradition prayer shawl pattern of K3 P3. Sorry the photo is so bad!
