Tuesday, February 28, 2006

WHERE DID FEBRUARY GO?

It is unbelievable to me how fast the days fly by. To mark time in stitches or loops pulled in a rug is good on one hand and bad on another. Bad for me because another month has passed that I have not pulled a single loop in one of my many hooked rug WIPs. I have been stitching some on various samplers and did attend a wonderful needlepoint workshop with our local ANG chapter this month. One of our LYS has knitting on Friday nights and I do try to go out there several Fridays a month. It is just a nice time to unwind and shake off the stresses of the work week along with enjoying friends and a Starbucks.

I just enrolled in an online sampler class with Joanne Harvey on the Legacy board. I am very excited about this because I have always wanted to take a class from her. Not in the cards for this year - that is for sure so this will have to suffice. Hannah Prescott is the repro - should be a little challenging without quickly moving to the UFO pile.

I suppose this is a bad time of the year to be contemplating how much one is accomplishing. Two big needlework markets have just passed and lots of new things are arriving at the local shops - some have made their way into my stash already.

Am still knitting a lot also which bites into my hooking/stitching time. Knitting is probably the most relaxing of my addictions except for mindless basketweave in needlepoint. I just started a lovely jacket called Winter Star from the Winter Interweave Knits mag - very pretty scottish tweed wool is used - very rustic - LOVE IT!

Just wanted to make one final entry in February - just to bid farewell to February 2006 - it was a good month!

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Hey there - Thanks to Quilting Fitzy for helping me post my first photo to my blog! YEAH - this little rug was my only rug finished in 2005. It is by Sunnybrook Designs and the wool was hand dyed by my friend Katie Puckett. (daughter of Judy Colley - see below) I have a rather large mermaid rug based on the M Shaw folk art design that is near completion. Also had lots of rug hooking fun in January as I attended two different rug camps. Off the Ocean is held annually in Jax FL and I had a great teacher from Ohio. Dianne Kelly color planned a bed rug for me and it is spectacular! Brilliant fushia - greens against a chocolate brown backround - Now that I know how to post photos - YAHOO - I can post some WIP's of my rugs and needlework. The second camp I attended was also in FL - way down in orange grove country - Sebring - home of the 24 hours of Sebring car race - I am fortunate enough to go down there 3 times a year for 3 day workshops. I started a great oriental crewel type design in a fine cut. Telemark is the name of the design and it was beautifully color planned by Judy Colley from Michigan. It is typical colonial colors - yellow greens, teals, mossy greens, brilliant golds on a dark eggplant backround. The last weekend in Janaury was spent with my good friends in the Azalea Sampler Guild doing a workshop/lecture with Lori Mootz from the Celle Museum in Germany. Our project was a little needlebook that Lori repro'd from one in her personal collection. Her lecture was on Pinkeeps and Needlecases and their history. Fascinating material and it is always a great pleasure to see Lori. She has done 2 other events for our sampler guild. Tomorrow I am leaving for a needlepoint workshop in Winter Park FL. I was the chairman of this workshop and our project is the Christmas Door by Tony Minieri - It was organized for our 8 Flags Needlepointers guild in Fernandina Beach Fl - this is an ANG chapter. I have been needlepointing since I was a small child but in recent years - rug hooking and repro samplers have consumed most of my free time. Throw my love of knitting in there and I am one busy girl! I'll try to report in on our excursion to Winter Park very soon - Until then - keep doing what you love to do!