Blizzard!

Sitting here at my desk, watching the snow fall. Luckily, I'm surrounded by fun projects. I am finishing up the border on my Seaside Village Rug (designed by Karla Gerard). I love the way this rug turned out. It's funny that you sometimes plan for a rug to look a certain way, and it winds up taking on a life of its own.

Here's a photo:

You can see several techniques used in this rug: quillies, a roof with a solid fabric (the olive green house) that has been sewn on and stuffed, French knots in the purple flowers, a roof woven with yarn (the rust-colored house), and an attempt at Waldeboro hooking near the bottom of the rug. I think using different hooking techniques is what made this rug so fun!

What are you hooking?

FEBRUARY favorites

Here's a new post I've been wanting to try: favorite things of the month!

Favorite Movie: Hands-down my favorite movie this month was Lion. Starring Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and Sunny Pawar as the young Saroo. This was an amazing story of survival. I wondered as I watched this how the little boy manages to stay alive in a 1980s big city in India. It was both heartbreaking and heart-warming. I loved the little boy who played Saroo, and Dev Patel's performance should have won him an Academy Award. Be prepared to shed a few tears.

Favorite Book: The best book I read in the month of February was The Keeper of Lost Causes: The First Department Q Novel (Department Q Series Book 1) by Jussi Adler-Olsen. A story set in Copenhagen and the first in the Department Q mysteries. I loved the characters and immediately ordered the 2nd book in this series after finishing this book. You will love the Head of Department Q, and his quirky assistant who set out to solve long-unsolved crimes. This was a real page-turner.

Favorite TV Show: Without a doubt, "Victoria" was my February fave. Airing on PBS, this period piece tells the story of the ascension of Victoria to the English Throne and her subsequent marriage to Prince Albert. Loved the history, which I didn't know enough about. Enjoying the learning aspect of this as well as the storytelling.

Favorite Song: The opening music to Victoria is my favorite this month. Available on iTunes, the music was composed by Martin Phipps and Ruth Barrett. Hauntingly beautiful and mournful at the same time.

Favorite Outing: Spent three days in Newburyport, MA this month with side trips to Gloucester and Rockport, and Woodman's Restaurant in Ipswich, MA. Parker Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island is a birder's paradise. Even with the still chilly temperatures, we saw a number of birds. Stood within 10 feet of a Barred Owl and got some wonderful pictures.

Favorite Bird: My favorite new bird this month has to be the Red-breasted Merganser Duck. I saw this duck in Gloucester along with other many other birds. The thrill of adding a new bird to my life list never gets old.

Favorite New Hooking Idea: My favorite new technique this month has to be creating quillies and caterpillars to add to a hooked piece. I love the depth of dimension this adds to the hooked piece and and brings the art of hooking to the level of fiber art.

What are your favorite things from February???