No hooking last week at all

So much for my commitment to hook 1/2 hour a day. Life got in the way. I still believe that consistent time at the frame is the fastest way to complete a project and I will get back to that as soon as I can. Like dieting, one bad day or a bad week should not keep you from the final goal. The likelihood of having this rug complete by August, however, looks doubtful.

Mom is doing somewhat better. We still don't know the source of the pain in her hip caused by a strain the week before and then falling last Tuesday. Her fever has been diagnosed as MRSA. They removed her chemo port as soon as the diagnosis was made. Today is day 8. Hopefully we have MRI results today.

I know this is not exciting rug hooking information, but many of my regular students and friends tune in. Thank you for your patience and kind words. Special thanks to Kim for reminding me that I will not be able to take care of anyone if I go down. I have the morning shift, Dad comes in to sit with her in the afternoon, and my husband pampers me when I get home.

In the meantime, the hospital is filled with graphics and great ideas for designs. I carry my tiny journal everywhere.

I'll be out of touch for a few days

Mom is in the hospital. Nothing to do with the breast cancer. Her last scans were still clear. Miracles do happen. This is some kind of infection and we just do not know enough yet. I spend the better part of the day with her, come home, put in a load of laundry, feed the dog and fall into bed.

Lesson: Hook a bit here, then a bit there

I'll be away from the rug hooking frame while I clear out some backlogged paperwork to get ready to do the dreaded taxes. It used to take a day or so to get things ready but with the business, it seems to take forever. I have decided to hit it hard and get it done.


While clearing off my hard drive, I found this photo. It is a bit dark, but it is a perfect example of how I hook all over the project. This helps me to get a feel for how the colors work and if I run into a problem, I just move on. My goal is to complete the background before I complete the motifs.

This is a footstool pattern available from Kim Nixon at www.undertherug.com called Square Pocketful. You can see it finished here. I designed a companion footstool.



This footstool was designed to work out some of the design ideas I had for my room-sized rug. For those of you following the blog you can see the resemblance. This pattern is called Annie's Square Flower Power and you can purchase it on Kim's site also. This is the only pattern of mine that is not available from www.spruceridgestudios.com

Use and Abuse of Hand Hooked Rug

I use my hand hooked rugs as rugs. It is remarkable how well they hold up. Wool is one of the very best fibers for rugs. It does not accumulate dirt and because I hook on rug warp, my rugs can take what my animals dish out. Watch the movie below to see what I mean.



Luckily, Jack has never damaged shoes. He prefers the shoe laces, but leaves the shoes alone. When he gets excited, nothing works like a tennis shoe. I think he is enjoying the rug shifting on the floor. When the rug is finished, it will have a rubber mat below it to hold it in place. This is mainly for safety, but I will need it to keep the rug from being plowed into the wall.

This was taken when I had the rug downstairs to mark the holidays (gaps in the hooking). I am finally done with that, but I still need to get the gaps hooked. The last few weeks were lost in holiday (Christmas and New Year) activities and my husband being home. For the last several days I have been getting my project for Teachers' Workshop finished. My report is due soon even though the class isn't until March. Here's what Jackson thinks about it: