Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a time to remember everyone who has served our country and fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. Lots of people just enjoy a day off from work to cook out or shop the sales or spend time with family and friends. How many people actually remember to thank God and our service men and women for laying their life on the line every day to protect our liberty. What about the veterans and those who have fought on foreign soil and died fighting for our freedom.

I also give thanks to our police and firemen - they fight the fight in every city, town and village in the US every day - protecting us from what seems like a war right here in our midst. The city where I live seems to have murders every day - children being hit by stray bullets - teens killing teens in street wars - So I give all the praise and credit in the world to police officers who step out of their cars into danger every single day.

Wow - need to lighten up a bit but I just needed to say that!!!!!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day!

Now on to the fun stuff - I have been having a little fun lately - earlier in May - I took a class with the Blackbird Design gals at a local quilt shop. They taught 3 classes but I only took the cross stitch class which was a paper covered box which had a little pin pillow in it and a scissor fob. It was great being with Barb and Alma - they are so creative - I would definitely take a class from them again.

The following day I went down to Treasure Island Fl with a guild friend and took the Sampler Huswif class from Ellen Chester of With My Needle. I have had a class with Ellen before and she is always a pleasure to take a class from. I had the good fortune to be invited to stay with a friend on Treasure Island and her lovely home was filled with antique and reproduction samplers. She hosted a small group including Ellen and Tom Chester for dinner on Fri night and what a great time we all had. Saturday after class Beth opened her home to the class participants if they wanted to come and see her sampler collection. It was a great weekend and a most memorable time on Treasure Island.


Not much rug hooking going on but that is pretty typical of me in the summer - I cut way back on my hooking when hot weather arrives. Our rug guild had it annual hook in the end of April at the TPC Senior Center in Ponte Vedra Beach Fl and that was a great day - Got quite a bit of hooking done that day on the Antique Blue Basket - An older WIP of mine - something that needs to be finished up but probably won't get finished this year - it is a very large rug - about 3' X 5' - I took a round of classes from our local rug hooking teacher earlier this year and continued to work on my Adam & Eve cube stool cover - it is completely done now - revision wise and Katie did an awesome job mimicing the elements of an antique sampler that I love called Jane Atkinson. I'll try to show a WIP photo of that piece soon.

Knitting - oh my - I am so dysfunctional - I hop from this to that and just don't get much done. I took a class in May at a LNS - actually she called it a Knit A Long and the pattern was for the cover of the spring/summer Vogue Knitting. Mine is in a lovely chocolate brown and I have not knitted a lick on it since the weekend I started it. Last weekend we were at St Augustine beach and I visited the local shop down there - she had some lovely summer yarn from Filatura called Dusk and I started a cute summer top - it is easy 12 row pattern and I am having a great time with it. Already have about 10 in. done in 8 days.

Needlepoint has been slow too - however I do want to show photos of a lovely needlecase from a class I took last year with Carole Lake and our local ANG guild. I have to admit that my friend Nancy did most of the stitching on this case - All I did was the double fan double stitch on the back of the case and the border around it - Nancy did the rest - it was her generous and wonderful suggestion that we give this to my mom for mothers day as a joint gift. I had the case professionally finished and bought a lovely pair of Dovo scissors to compliment the case.






So - have a great Memorial Day friends! Hope you are spending the day doing whatever you love to do!

Shakespeare the marmoset

Here is my big finish for 2007!

This rug is about 24" X 30" - it is done in a mix of cuts 3,4,5 and 6. I have to give credit to 3 teachers who helped with the color plan and dyeing of the wool for this rug. Vivily Powers did the copper compote and the fruit, Diane Stoffel was the creative genius on the monkey and provided the border and Katie Puckett was the designer of the rug and also provided the backround and the awesome addition of the carpet mat which was not in the original design.

This rug was awarded 3rd place at the Ocean rug exhibit in Jan 08 in the fine cut division. I was very pleased with this recognition.

I don't know why I even have a blog - I promised myself I would learn to use my digital camera and make WIP photos and keep my blog updated more often. Ha - if anything I am worse than I was before not better!

I like to read my friends blogs and see their projects in progress - It is a way to keep up with them when you are not able to see or talk to them that frequently. It is also a good way to show your finishes to friends and acquaintances that may not live in your area of the country or world for that matter. I hope to do better.

2008 has been very busy for me - I'll recap the highlights so far

January was "off the Ocean" rug camp - I took Diane Stoffel again and started a very unique canvas that I purchased at the ATHA national in New Orleans in the fall from a well known Texas designer Bea Brock. It is her Angel Sampler and is full of 6 angels and all sorts of motifs - it is a very busy canvas with very little backround. Diane did a spectacular job on the color plan altho' initially I thought there was too much blue/purple in there for me - My goal was to get all the angel faces done in camp and I accomplished that goal and more. I have worked on it a time or 2 and have 1 large angel complete and a 2nd large angel almost complete.

Also in January was our ANG chapter workshop with David McCaskill - I was smart on this one - I worked on an existing WIP - a design called "Bottles" - several others in our group took this class and others worked on his halloween house and his patrotic candle. He was a very good teacher with a relaxed attitude and fun to be around. I understand he had some health issues just after our class so I hope he is doing well.

February was the long awaited ANG chapter retreat that I chaired for the group. The retreat was attended by 9 members including myself and it was held at the Azalea House B&B in Palatka Fl - owned by a good friend Jill de Leeuw. Jill has a small needlework shop in the inn and specializes in repro samplers. She stocks wonderful linens, threads, kits and charts but she also has needlepoint canvases from Melissa Shirley Designs. Jill was kind enough to arrange for several trunk shows for our shopping pleasure. MSD sent in a great show along with Drawn Thread and Holly Hill which are primarily sampler makers who have released their designs to canvas. She also had a wonderful trunk show from Gloriana Threads showcasing her new line of hand dyed wool Lorikeet. A wonderful time was had by all - we spent hours stitching on the porch - staying up late, laughing , eating and oh - SHOPPING - SHOPPING AND MORE SHOPPING!

March was another rug camp - this time Scrub Hooking in Sebring - this is a camp that I have attended every spring for about 7 years. My mom started rug hooking a few years ago and now the March rug hooking camp is something we enjoy doing together and look forward to. Our good friend and certified teacher Katie Puckett was invited to teach this year in March and we really enjoyed being in her class. Mother continued on her fish rug that she started with Diane Stoffel in January but I started an Adam & Eve cube stool that Katie and I had been collaborating on - it is loosely based on an antique sampler that I have a chart for. The designer was Kim Nixon but we pretty much threw out everything in her design except Eve - the tree and the snake. So . . . . . that project is really coming together very well - I used some wool I had on hand and got some lovely additions to the color plan from Katie. She is doing a round of classes in her studio and I will continue to work on that this spring.

Easter weekend Mom and I always go and visit our ancestral home in Eastman Ga - we clean and put fresh spring flowers out on my grand and great grand parents and g aunt/uncles graves. It is a bittersweet journey - as I have traveled those highways all my life - now it is just mom and I to make the journey and one day there will be just one and then none. That seems so sad to me that one day no one will care about my dear loved ones graves. Oh well - I guess that's life. Wonder why one always starts thinking of these things when a birthday rolls around - another year older and what have we done - I think that was a song!

Signing out now and hoping I come back sooner to show more photos and updates on what is going on in my life.

2007 WHERE DID IT GO?

Is the world spinning faster? Do the weeks and months just fly by for everyone or am I the only one spinning out of control?

2007 in some ways was a very good year. No major illnesses, injuries or accidents in my immediate family for which I am so thankful for.

I remember being so lost and upset last year at this time because of the announcement that my boss was leaving. He was my work rock and I remember feeling lost and desperate however a year has passed and the building is still standing and I am still functioning very well in my position so I guess time does heal all wounds.

Wish I had some progress photos to show but I am happy to say I finished my monkey rug a week ago. What a relief to have another fairly large rug completed. Something to show in the upcoming Ocean rug exhibit. With another camp in just a little over 2 weeks - I am thankful to be starting a rather smallish runner that I picked up from a Texas designer this fall at the ATHA national seminar. The Angel Sampler is by Bea Brock and it is very folk art-y - antique-y and primitive. It should be a challenge to hook all those faces and get the effect I am hoping for and I am excited to be taking Diane Stoffel again this year. She is the teacher who color planned and dyed the wool for my beloved mermaid rug. My next big focus rug to finish is the Antique Blue Basket by Edyth O'Neill also in Texas. The interior motif is complete and about 2/3 of the interior backround is complete but I have the entire border to hook on this 3 X 5 beauty. I expect it will take me most of the coming year to get it completed.

I don't make new years resolutions because I never keep them and then I am disappointed in myself. Much better for me to just say I will try to do something or hope to get something accomplished.

My knitting world is all aglow right now with some recent new starts. A beautiful shawl from the Winter 07 VK is already in progress on the needles in the lovely Colinette Cadenza colorway Mist. I know - it is not a "melody" color but it is very pretty and I needed a change. I have many other knitting projects in various stages of completion. I just finished my first magic loop sock - toe up which I liked doing very much -I thought the short row heel was a bear but I am game to get that 2nd sock cast on as the 1st one fits me so well. Thanks to my mentor Corrina for sticking by me and encouraging me on the magic loop technique.

My stitching world is filled with many WIP's and even more UFOs - I hope to get into organizing my stash in early 2008 and seeing what I can sell,give or throw away. Some of my friends are organizing and downsizing their stash like crazy women so it makes me feel like I am missing something - there must be some hidden pleasure in ditching this stuff -

Also have a needlepoint workshop in early 2008 with a national teacher from California. David McCaskill is coming to teach a 2 day workshop for our local ANG guild - I am working on an existing McCaskill project that I started several years ago at a fave shop downstate but of course never finished. Instead of starting a new project - I am very proud of myself that I resisted the urge and decided to work on a UFO instead.

Well that about wraps up my thoughts on 2007 and my plans for early 2008.

Happy New Year all ~ ~ ~

SWEET NOVEMBER

I LOVE FALL!





This is about as close as we get in North Florida to fall - I travel a lot to Auburn Alabama and last week when I was there I actually saw fall leaves on the trees. It was beautiful! Usually in mid October it starts cooling down here and gone are the oppressively hot humid summer days.





What have I been doing since I posted in June - Wasn't that just a month or two ago????? EGADS! NOT - I can't believe how fast the time is flying by.





My blog is predominately about my love and pursuit of needlework bliss. I fully intended to write a trip blog about my September visit to the ATHA rug hooking national in New Orleans with 3 of my friends. Well - Sept came and went and no trip log - oh well - we did have a nice time at the national - took 2 classes and bought 2 cool new rug canvases and a few toys from the Spruce Ridge booth in the boutique. They had some awesome rug hooks made from exotic woods along with scissor point protectors and magnets to hold your scissors on the hooking surface. I believe everything I bought was burled cedar or some exotic beautiful cedar. Love the new hook and YES I am able to hook with it! Got a great canvas from a Texas designer named Bea Brock - I had met Bea two years prior on a trip to Texas with my friend Karen. She does interesting designs and I bought her Angel Sampler in a runner size along with a 2 X 2 rug for my mom which is adapted from an antique quilt pattern. New Orleans was still somewhat deserted - lots of businesses and restaurants are still closed down. We ate several meals out - Emeril's NOLA, brunch at Brennans', a cajun place which was just a block from the Marriott and very good. Had a great class with Susan Quicksall of Holly Hill designs and a class with Judy Quintman from NC. All in all we had a very nice trip.





I am still trying to finish up my monkey rug - maybe I can put up a WIP photo sometime soon. It is coming along nicely - just have a small amount of back round left and 2 sides of the border.





In my stitching world - I have been focusing for the past several months on a class piece that I was doing with the Dixie EGA chapter in Columbus Ga - Jane Timmers of Fancy Work was down to teach her Charleston Sewing Box class - awesome project - just lovely work from Jane. I did attend one day of the two day class - I got my drawstring (twisted cord) and 2 tassels made - and that was with Jane sitting right by my side helping me! YEP - I am "finishing" challenged - I am well aware now that I need to leave the fine finishing to someone who can do it well. I am going to finish up the blasted little necessary bag on my own but the actual box insert and scissor case and pinkeep - I am sending to a pro!





My other stitching focuses are Faith Hope and Love by Workbasket - my DF Teresa took some WIP photos for me but I have not been able to get them from my home PC to my work PC so I can upload to my blog and the stitching boards I belong to - one day I'll get it done!





In my needlepoint world - I am mainly focusing on a Lee canvas which is to be an insert for one of the Lee tote bags. Very nice little piece done in silks and metallics. Hope to have that finished in the next few months so I can actually use this tote bag to tote my WIP's in!!!!





And the knitting project update - lions and tigers and bears OH MY! ( yep I watched the Wizard of OZ over the weekend) that is the usual state of my knitting world focus - Fall is the worst time of the year for me and my knitting - I get so excited about new yarns - new patterns - I just can't focus too much. I have gone back to my Blue Sky cardi and am finishing up the first front on that one. Also just became reacquainted with my Colinette Cadenza cardi and am also finishing one front. Our LYS (Knit Witz) has 2 knit nights every week and an occasional midnight knitting. I chose the Cadenza cardi for my focus piece for those nights in recent weeks. Kathe just received a lovely shipment of Cadenza and I'm sure it has flown off the shelves. I would love to have more Cadenza but instead bought more Jitterbug from the same shipment and the accompanying book for which I am in love with the cover Swing jacket. I am doing the Copperbeach colorway of which my friend Corrina said "it's a Melody color for sure" My other main knitting focuses are a lovely pullover in Rowan 4ply tweed called Lava by Brandon Mably - it was in a winter mag from last season. Colorwork is very tedious but I do try to devote at least one night a week on this project. Also in the bag are a simple shawl using the new lace weight Malibrigo in a lucious color called Hummingbird and a wonderful shawl in Sea Silk - can't remember the name of the pattern but I got it at my fave LYS Knit Witz.





Well - turkey day is upon us - my mom and I have finalized our menu. The bird is bought so we just need to tweek things and we'll be ready! I am hoping for a 4 day that weekend but haven't gotten the word from my boss yet.





Hope well all have a sweet november with many happy memories!

ARIZONA BOUND

WHOOO HOOO I can't wait till tomorrow when I board the plane for Arizona. I am attending ASG (A Stitchers Gathering) in Scottsdale. Rae Iverson of Moss Creek Designs puts on these events 2 times a year. I will have a class with 3 national teachers one of which is Rae. The others are Ann Pettit from Brightneedle and Betsy Morgan Willing Hands. I am also going on an excursion to Sedona that was arranged by the Iverson's. While I have been to this area of the country before it was 15 years ago and I am anxious to return there. Friday morning we have plans to visit a great local shop called the Attic in Mesa. Now I don't need a thing - if I never bought another piece of linen, chart, canvas or ball of yarn in MY LIFE - I would never use up what I have stashed. Oh well - what difference does that make???? I wouldn't miss the Attic for the world! I have also snooped out a great yarn shop in Mesa - Fiber Factory purported to be "the best in the west" - we'll see if I make it there.

Quick run down of my current WIP's -

Stitching: Just started Martina Dey's Quaker Sal - beautiful contemporary sampler using traditional quaker motifs. I am using 36ct antique white edinborough with two colors Crescent Colors Belle Soie Silks - elegant eggplant and plush plum - ooh la la - it is beautiful - finished my first motif in eggplant and am dying to get the plum in the linen!

Elizabeth McMachen - repro from a sampler in the collection of the Maryland Historical Society - I did this class with Kathy Staples and Kathy Lesieur in Baltimore in April when I attended the Maryland Sampler Symposium. It is lovely in AVAS silks and 30ct Legacy linen. It has a huge rose and rosebud border and a funky folky basket with eccentric flowers in the middle. It has taken a back seat to my new quaker but I will probably haul it to Arizona with me.

Martha Brady an Ackworth Quaker by Needleprints is now in the works. It was my Memorial Day start. It is worked on 34ct Legacy linen overdyed by Lakeside in vintage bisque with the called for AVAS. We'll see how that goes - I love stitching with AVAS but i'm afraid Miss Martha may take a back seat to the new quaker lovely.

Knitting projects - oh my!

I spent some time this weekend preparing my plane projects - I simply could not fly that far without plane(plain) knitting. I have a beautiful Rowan garment - the Wraparound Jacket worked in the colors suggested in Rowan #40 in 4ply wool. I have passed the first armhole and am about at the 55cm point. This jacket is an unusual construction in that it is worked sideways so it will be straight stockinette for eons. Perfect for plane(plain) knitting.

I have a cool and brightly colored Colinette jacket in Prism Jamboree that I may also take - It is from an Interweave Mag earlier this year. It is not appropriate plane knitting b/c it is worked on huge 10.5 needles - straights not circulars and I always fear dropping my needle and having it roll down the aisle and being stuck not able to knit for the duration of the flight - EGAD - not acceptable - so all plane (plain) projects are on circulars! The colors remind of the mexico - so I might drag it along -

Rug hooking projects - and there are many - but my main focus is to finish the monkey/fruit rug. You can see a WIP photo elsewhere on the blog. it is coming along and I need to get another WIP photo soon.

Better sign off here - I have a long night of haggling over what to take to a place where it was 107 degrees today! EEEEKKKK - I sure wasn't prepared for that!

Spring has sprung!

March already?? - It is already unseasonably warm here in North Florida and all the spring flowers, trees and bushes are in bloom. Pollen is so heavy you have to rake it off your car. This is the first year of my life that I have had trouble with my eyes - oh well - middle age has struck I guess!

Had a rug hooking workshop the first of March with Bev Conway from Vermont. Started a canvas out of her repertoire - A fall scene called Pumpkin Patch which has a scarecrow as the focal point. I enjoyed spending time with my friends but the weather was crummy - rained the entire weekend until it was time to go home. Have another rug hooking workshop next weekend in Sebring FL - quite far south where all the foliage is very tropical. I go to this location 3 times a year for 3 day camps and it is glorious. Hook as late as you want - sleep as late as you want - it is just a great time to be had at an old family owned hotel called Inn on the Lakes. I am starting a minature oriental rug with Vivily Powers. I am trying to get a grip on the concept of oriental rugs so that I can return to my huge oriental and do a nice job on it. Hoping Vivily, a long term teacher and someone I have taken before and respect very much can help me drill home that concept.

Am knitting a lot too - Have almost finished one sock out of the new Colinette Jitterbug and close to finishing the back of my colinette cadenza cardigan. Gorgeous yarn - Another midnight knitting at our LYS to look forward to next month.

Stitching - hummm - I am working on a new Long Dog design called St Reatham - gorgeous gigantic sampler - am using Gloriana silk floss in a color called Victorian Garden - hope to get a WIP photo soon. Needlepoint update - am just starting a lovely canvas that I got in the fall at my fave needlepoint shop The Black Sheep in Winter Park Fl - Sadly the owner wanted to retire and has sold the shop but at least it will remain open on the avenue and I hope to visit it soon to see what changes the new owner makes. I plan to keep in touch with the former owner - we have become good friends over the 15+ years I have shopped and taken classes with her. I have an exciting workshop this month with the local ANG guild and a national teacher Carole Lake. 4 of us are also doing a more advanced correspondence course with Carole which we will kick off with an informal meet and greet and dinner during the time she will be in north florida. Lots of exciting things planned for the next several months before the 2nd phase of my project starts up again in Auburn Alabama. Have to have all the fun I can before that gets going and draining the life out of me. Speaking of work - I have just about adjusted to my former boss being gone. My new boss is really kind and has been making some positive changes around here and bless his heart he is getting me a really expensive and ergonomically correct executive chair from Relax the Back store. YIPPEE - I am sooooo excited about that!

MERMAID AWARDED BEST IN SHOW!

Well at long last the Mermaid rug is finished!!!!!!!

I am very proud of the end result and was also very pleased she was awarded Best in the Wide cut category at the "Off the Ocean" rug hooking conference. There were people there from all over the US so I was very pleased at her recognition among all these great rug hookers. I am plotting which rug (s) will be my focus for 2007 and hopefully I will have another big finish for this year. My Edyth O Niell "antique blue basket" is probably at least 1/2 completed as well as the "fruit compote and monkey" - those will probably be my focus rugs for 2007. I started a big oriental in January and have picked out a fall themed rug for an upcoming March workshop. Just a fun piece with a scarecrow and pumpkin patch - nothing as taxing as the oriental!

I finished a lovely knitted hat made out of Blue Sky Hand Dyed Bulky - neat yarn but much too heavy for Florida - I don't prefer to knit on large needles so I would not select that for a garment however I am making a lovely cardigan out of the Blue Sky Hand Dyed Worsted weight and it is just yummy.

Our LYS had midnight knitting this past weekend - fun for all who attended. Our shop owner has ordered some neat sock yarn from Colinette called Jitterbug - I am just a collector of sock yarn - never finished but one pair in my life and they were so huge my SO (significant other) inherited them. The Jitterbug was SOOOO cool - it even enticed me to take out the size 2 DP's and cast on the "simple sock" which was included on the ball band. I purchased "Bright Charcoal" which is one of my fave Colinette colorways - YEP - I am a bonfide Colinette junkie from way back -

Not much to report on my sampler and needlepoint projects. I have a needlepoint workshop next month with Carole Lake sponsored by the local ANG chapter and we are also starting a correspondence course with Carole on a more difficult charted design. I am itching to start a new Quaker sampler called Ann Trump from the Ackworth collection but I am using extreme restraint in the matter as I am just not getting much stitching done these days.

Took advantage of only one Super Bowl sale yesterday and ordered a lovely new Rowan sweater from Whippletree in Vermont - I have been participating in their Super bowl sales for many years now - Can't wait to see what this yummy selection of yarns looks like.

HOLIDAY TIME - CAN IT BE TRUE???

I am sitting here at my desk at work listening to christmas music trying to get "in the mood". I am totally NOT in the mood for the holidays. My job has sucked for so long I can't remember what a normal life is like and now I was informed earlier this week that my boss is resigning. He is my lifeline - my mentor - my ally and mostly my friend - I am just truly devastated over this news. If my work life was not difficult enough - this is going to make things 10 times worse in the coming months. The other distressing thing for this week is that one of my dearest friends had to endure two really horrible surgeries on her back - spinal fusion - thankfully she has made it thru the 2 operations and will now just have to go thru the long healing process.

My mermaid rug is NOT finished - should be but is not - I have so little left to go - I would say about 10 hours of hooking. It simply must rise up and be more important in my life so I can get it done for our local rug exhibit in January.

I have not been stitching at all except a little needlepoint. Every time I try to work on a sampler I just end up making stupid mistakes and screwing up and having to pull out all my progress. I started a lovely new Quaker sampler ( Martha Brady) and had finished the first motif when I realized I had stitched the darn thing in the WRONG color - WOW - can I not do anything right these days???

In my knitting world - all things are right - I am doing a ton of knitting which is not unusual for this time of year. I always go crazy in the fall and winter buying new yarns and knitting like crazy. On my business commute to Alabama - I have 1 1/2 hours in the plane one way and I always knit knit knit - I am very pleased with my knitting projects - guess when things are bad - I always fall back to my first love of knitting - hence my board/blog name Woolwoman - I truly love all things wool.

Here's hoping my next entry will show some completions or at least a better mood for the holidays! Cheers!

Can it be Fall????????

How can it be October already???????? Time certainly flys by. I would say when you are having fun but with my work project consuming most of my time for the past couple of months - I can't say I have been having a lot of stitching fun. I have gotten a lot of knitting done while traveling on the company plane and while I am out of town. It is just easier to focus on knitting than taxing my eyes even further working on tiny linen and a chart. However I do have an update photo to show on my Permin Celle 1826 repro sampler. I discovered a mistake in the motif I am currently working on and had to pull out the whole motif and start over - DRAT - Do I have to be a perfectionist - I figured it was something that might haunt me later so I'd better do the right thing.

I have a neat hooked rug WIP to share. It is a design from my friend Katie Puckett's design catalog. It is called Fruit Vase with Monkey - I started it at a rug camp in March with a national teacher Vivily Power - she did a marvelous job with the wool for the vase and fruit. Katie has dyed the backround wool and a few other colors that I needed to fill in here and there. I plan to tackle the monkey with another national teacher Diane Stoffel at a rug camp in January.
I think he looks like a Marmoset monkey - I'm sure it will be a challenge to get the coloration and markings correct but Diane is super with animals so I think it will be just great. I hope to have a lot more done by January but then there is the MERMAID - OMG - I simply must finish her this year! I won't be able to hold my head up in public if I don't have a rug to display this year at the show in January. I don't have that much more to complete - just about 1/2 of the outer border is it. I must press on. Hope the fall is a great one! My favorite time of the year - Enjoy! Melody

Mermaid sighting!

Wanted to update my blog with a couple of photos taken by my friend Jill at the rug hooking workshop last weekend in Sebring FL. The mermaid is almost finished. WOW - doesn't she look good in these photos!

I am now about 1/2 done with the outer and final border. I won't say how long I have been working on this mermaid but it has been delightful to hook. The colors are so pleasing and the subject matter is interesting. Thanks for looking!

HAPPY 4TH ON THE 3RD

I have some exciting things coming up this week. Off tomorrow for the 4th of July holiday. - YIPPEE !! Always great to have a day off. I am also off Friday this week and heading down to Sebring for the summer Scrub Hooking workshop. I am going to do a giant zinnia pattern and learn to use a dip dye. I chose a pretty rose pink for my main color so the dip will go from practically white to a deep rose pink. Zinnia's were one of my grand mothers favorite flowers and she had them growing in her garden every summer when I was a child. Occasionally she would let me cut some for a little vase on the dining room table. Funny how we recall those fond memories of the little things in our past.

I am starting several stitching SAL's - today a board friend in England is starting a SAL on the Blackbird design Quaker Garden - I have everything kitted up and assembled - ready to go so I will start that tonight. Tomorrow I am doing a tiny little patriotic SAL called "Liberty for You" which is a cute little sheepy holding a flag. Even got my mom involved on that one. Later this week the Mystery Stole SAL starts - clues are to be issued one a week for 6 weeks. I have to get my swatch made up - am hoping to use some stashed 4ply wool instead of going out and buying MORE yarn. Need to check the yardage and see how the swatch looks. The stole was meant to be worked on a lace weight yarn and I do have a lovely skein of Helen's Lace on hand that I was hoarding for just the right project. My friend bought some lovely 50%wool 50% silk lace weight yarn from the LYS on Saturday - she has already completed her swatch and says it is lovely. I did very good to resist buying any more yarn on Saturday.

I am planning a pretty quiet 4th this year. I have the option of going to my folks place at the lake and cooking out and so forth but there are a million visitors on the lake and in the adjoining houses. I am pretty tired and it is a 50mile drive so I think I am just going to chill out at home and get some extra rest in the morning. We might cook a burger or we might go out and get BBQ if there is any BBQ joints open tomorrow. Thankfully we are off from work - the rest of the plan is just whatever comes up.

My mermaid rug is coming along very well - I hope to show a progress photo after this weekend. I only have about 2/3 of the outer (final) border left to go. I will have a BIG finish for this year at least in rug hooking. Actually I have a summer sweater that is nearing completion - I think about 10 more hours will wrap up that project as well. I have beautiful buttons from my trip to NYC last summer - I am anxious to affix them to my hand dyed cotton sweater.

Wishing all my friends and my folks a very happy 4th of July - relax - have fun and take a few stitches!!!!!!!!

ALBERTO

Thought I'd post a little something about our first named storm of the 2006 season - ALBERTO - I work in a historic home on the St Johns River and the waves are crashing the sea wall and splashing over into the road in front of the house. Sea spray is covering all the front windows and the wind whistling down the fireplace sounds so eerie! We have not had much rain with this storm and we are terribly dry here in NE FL. I wish I was at home just curled up in my chair knitting or stitching with a great cup of coffee!

Happy Memorial Day!

Another month has passed since I wrote in my blog. I can't believe how the time just flies by. I have not really accomplished much in May but I did attend a super needlepoint workshop last weekend sponsored by The Sampler Guild of Ga of which I am a member. They had Carole Lake in for her Mary Queen of Scots lecture and to teach a canvas piece that she designed in honor of Mary's insignia. It is a fabulous piece which includes the four symbols that were most special to Mary aka Marie Stuart - the thistle for Scotland, the Tudor Rose to symbolize her joining (trying to join Elizabeth I), the Lily for her love and remembrance of France and the crown to show her reign as Queen of Scotland. It also includes her unique cypher in the center which spells Marie Stuart. We were in Marietta GA and visited Abcedarius a stitching shop while there. One afternoon after class we visited the old square in Marietta and some unique shops and had dinner at a great restaurant on the square called Sympatico. Got my thistle completed in class but had a real hard time with the buttonhole stitch used on the tudor rose. Didn't even attempt the long and short stitch for the lily but will get help from the local shop owner in the future on that one. I regretted that I was unable to visit the local yarn shop in Marietta and I understand they have a great needlepoint shop too - just not enough time to do everything I wanted to do.

In samplers - I am still working mainly on my Celle 1826 and my Long Dog design called Sarabande. Am dying to start a new design by Mariska, a belgium designer - it is called Nine Alphabets and is sorta a french alphabet type design. Still have not started my online class with Joanne Harvey - Hannah Prescott - need to get that underway - I think the colors are beautiful but would have been much more tempting to me if silk was included in the kit instead of cotton.

In rug hooking - man am I stagnant - In the beginning of May our local rug guild had our annual hook-in and I worked on the mermaid. I hope to spend some time on the mermaid again this weekend. If she never gets out she will never be finished. But she MUST be finished this year - must must must!

In knitting - I have had a lot of fun knitting in May. I picked up some lovely yarn while in Charleston in April along with a great simple jacket. After knitting along for about 4 inches I realized that the pattern stitch did not show up at ALL with this particular yarn. YIKES - So now I have purchased MORE yarn to go with my FREE pattern! I have restarted the jacket and am about at the same point I was at when I ripped out the first attempt. Need to get my Noro Silver Thaw jacket finished up so it will be ready for fall. Just need to do side seams on my ROwan Soft Tweed vest and it will be completed. Have several summer tops in progress or planned - better get busy on them. A leftover project from last year is a great looking summer cardi out of a hand dyed cotton from Peru with great buttons from the button shop in NYC I purchased while on a trip there in June last year. Better pull that to the top of the stack - it is close to completion and could possibly be used this summer or late fall.

Don't forget the moment of silence at 3pm on Monday to honor those who have served our country. Happy Memorial Day to all !!!!

CELLE WIP

I am participating in a SAL (stitch a long) on a world wide internet board of sampler enthusiasts called Legacy. Actually I am participating in many SAL's - some are getting more attention than others! Currently I am really enjoying working on a large sampler from the Celle Museum collection in Germany. It is a motif sampler - reminscent of a quaker sampler however I do not think they feel the stitcher was Quaker. Here is my current WIP - There are several north florida sampler enthusiasts and friends who are working on this SAL. Mine is stitched with Gloriana Charcoal silk and is worked on 36ct Vintage Lt Examplar linen from Lakeside. I have many sampler charts in my stash and a lot of them started or in various stages of completion. I have done cross stitch since the early 80's expanding my interest in decorative stitches in the 90's and for about the last 7 years I have mainly focused on samplers and the history that goes along with sampler making in the US along with the other countries in the world where sampler making was practiced. The historical aspect is almost more interesting than the actual stitching. Many samplers are reproduced and released as charts or kits to be stitched in the likeness of the original. I find it a fascinating interest and wish I had more time to devote to travel and study. My previous post covers what it is like to go to a sampler symposium. I am very excited to be planning a trip to the Ackworth Quaker School in Leeds England in the winter. This is a long planned event and will attract participants from around the world. Our studies will be focusing on the Quaker schools samplers and their makers. We will actually be staying in the Ackworth School - which has been in continuous operation as a school since the 1700's - Better quit watching Ghost Hunters or I'll be in BIG trouble in that spooky place! First Friday in May - so hard to believe how fast the time just flies by. Tomorrow is our annual Hook-In - our local rug hooking guild sponsors a hook in around the first weekend in May every year. We have 24 participants so far. It is a always a great day of hooking , food and fun. Maybe I'll get another WIP photo of another of my rugs to post on the blog. Until next time . . . . . . . .

CHARLESTON SAMPLER SYMPOSIUM

I wanted to write a short report on the Charleston Schoolgirl Sampler Symposium while it was still fresh on my mind. Rachel Chesser reported that there was about 70% participation on their target number. It was small enough to be intimate and visit with everyone and large enough to be exciting and see a number of "sampler celebrities". My personal excursion was with two fellow Azalea Sampler Guild members and friends. We left Jacksonville FL in the late afternoon on Wednesday heading to Savannah. Our idea was to stay at an inexpensive hotel up on I-95 and go into the historic district to eat at Paula Deen's "Lady & Sons" restaurant - NOT - There were about 50 people on the sidewalk and the hostess said "No Ma'am we are sold out for this evening" RATS - She said people stop by the restaurant early in the day to book a seat for dinner. I had previously eaten at a wonderful locally owned restaurant on one of the historic squares called "the Pink House" built in the late 1700's - I was just as happy eating a wonderful dinner there with my two friends and we managed to dodge the rain all evening. Thursday morning we were up like a shot and off to Charleston. We had lunch near our hotel at Jestine's Kitchen. Good southern fare and the BEST fried green tomatoes I had all weekend. Carol and I were taking the sampler class in the afternoon and Karen was planning to go antiquing and exploring with Ellen. Taking a class from Kathy Staples is like being in a time capsule. She talks about the old south like it was a familiar scene to her. She just rolls off such interesting information like it was yesterdays news and not centuries old practices. Our class even included a guided tour thru the exhibit by Kathy - it was spectacular and the adaptation of the antique sampler is just so neat and of course the supplies in the kit were all top quality and wonderfully presented by the Sampler Dames. After the class we rushed down to the Meeting St Inn in the heart of the historic district to check into our room. It was lovely and just as nice as I remembered when I stayed there previously for a museum class. We even had a few minutes to check out the simply marvelous new yarn shop in town KNIT. I had to be dragged out of there because as my blog name suggests (woolwoman) I love yarn and knitting. We vowed to return at our first opportunity. The reception was just wonderful. Shrimp and grits along with finger sandwiches, fresh veggies, dips and libations made it just a fabulous experience. We had to drag our exhausted bodies back to the inn but were so excited about the coming events we didn't even quit talking when we hit the beds and I think it was midnight or after before I drifted into sampler dreamland. Friday was another super day - we had 4 lectures - 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon - I won't name the speakers because I don't have my notes handy and don't want to slight anyone by misspelling their names or leaving someone out. Suffice to say that they were all wonderful speakers and had the most interesting research to report on. We all walked down to lunch at Rue de Jean - I was very shocked that we had a choice of soup or salad and entrees and even a choice of dessert. It was a great food memory and I was soooo glad I had my knitting with me - no matter how interesting the speaker - it was really hard to stay focused after such a rich and filling meal. Friday night we had dinner reservations at Carolina's - one of my very fav local restaurants - We had a large party - about 20 of us - it was very nice to meet a few women from England and some other sampler nuts from near and far. It is always wonderful to visit with old friends and make some new friends. Saturday morning Kathy Staples wrapped up the lectures and then if you signed up for optional tours they commenced at 11am. I was lucky enough to be in the morning group of the walking tour. The afternoon tour got rained out but got a very cool private tour of the exhibit with Kathy - I don't think anyone was disappointed and everyone was dry and safe. The walking tour was fascinating - we saw so many lovely historic homes and buildings and even saw some of the homes and sites of the girls schools from that era. Saying that I was exhausted after that walk is a total understatement. I was BEAT - I am not used to doing a lot of walking and the stormy weather had brought in the humid heavy feeling in the air. We stopped for lunch again at Rue de Jean and it was very good. I was signed up for the archival tour in the afternoon and saw many more samplers and interesting items from behind the scenes. Upon leaving the museum Carol dropped Karen and I at KNIT - WHOO HOO finally able to peruse that yarn shop. Honestly there was so much stuff in there I was hard pressed to make a decision - I say hard pressed but not impossible. I came home with a bag of wonderful swirled merino wool to make a neat jacket - how appropriate it is called Argyle - better get knitting if it will be ready for Ackworth! Saturday night we met another group at COAST - a restaurant near the museum - not my personal fav but I think everyone enjoyed the evening. Sunday morning we decided to get on the road and catch lunch at the Cracker Barrel on the way. We finished up our last meal together and what a wonderful way to end 4 glorious days of total sampler saturation. I hope others will write about their experiences and views on this sampler event. I was at the one in 2001 and this one was equal if not better than before. If you missed it this year - be ready for the next one and do come and visit America's First Museum!

FINALLY FRIDAY!

I am excited to make this post - I finally have a WIP photo of my mermaid rug. It is adapted from a folk art painting by M Shaw. For the rug hookers it is a Spruce Ridge design and has now been retired and is no longer available. WHEW - I feel lucky to have gotten it. Ooddles of people are now trying to get it and can't. I have now almost finished with the middle border which is a dark blue. The seaweed is almost all finished and YAHOO - I see a finish in sight for 2006 on this rather large rug. I will warn you that my rug is anatomically correct. This photo was taken in early December by a friend and fellow guild member. I am making this my focus project in hooking for this year until it is completed. Diane Stoffel was my teacher on this rug and she had complete creative license on the color plan. However I certainly do love the colors even though they are not typically colors that I am drawn to.

March Highlights

Seems like these months are just flying by. March was a fun month for me. I hosted our ANG chapter combined meeting and stitch-in at the historic home where I work on March 11th. I think a wonderful time was had by all. Next wonderful day was March 18th with Ellen Chester designer of the wonderful With My Needle items. She was visiting her in-laws and decided it was a good time to spend the day with our Azalea Sampler Guild. We met at the lovely Azalea House B&B in Palatka FL and we had a huge turnout. Jill also had a house full of bicyclists that were touring this area so needless to say it was CRAZY at the inn. I had a business trip to Albany GA just before Ellen arrived and decided to take a spin thru Thomasville GA on my way home. A lovely little town where I used to go on business. They have a new (1 yr old) yarn shop and I wanted to see how they were progressing and if they had anything new. I was able to pass by everything she had until I got to the Colinette - That hand-dyed yarn from Wales is something that I covet more than gold! I added one of the Limited Edition Ab Fab of the Month afghans to my stash collection. I had seen the Enigma yarn but WOW WOW WOW was it gorgeous in the Easter egg colors and she also had a nice pattern book with that yarn so I was hooked. My drive home from T-ville was a happy one - plotting my next Colinette project!
March 24th I was off to Sebring FL with my mom and 2 good friends for the spring rug hooking retreat. Mom Jill and I were in Vivily Powers class - past president of the National McGown Rug Guild - she is a sweetheart and what wonderful wool. I started ANOTHER new rug - yes my 3rd for 2006! This one is relatively small and is from my friend katie's design catalog - it is a footed compote filled with fruit and sitting next to the compote is a little monkey stealing a piece of fruit! I love the way it is turning out and I made wonderful progress. Hope to show a WIP photo of it soon. Just can't believe it is the last day of March. It has been beautiful weather here in North Florida. Still very pleasant and some cool nights. I love it and hope it continues as long as mother nature will allow it! My stitching highlights were few - altho I did add some great stash to the collection from the Feb needlework market. I am doing an on line class with the Legacy board - Joanne Harvey from the Exemplery is teaching her Hannah Prescott - I have looked at the kit but not started it yet - I am excited about that. Well - that is about it for the last day of March! I am happy to say it was a very good month!

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!

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!

Happy New Year!

Well - here we are - made it thru the first week of January!

It is going to be a real busy month for me. One week from today we start our long awaited rug camp Off the Ocean here in Jacksonville Florida. Lots of my friends including my mom are attending the camp this year. I am soooooo excited because I am starting a bed rug. It is a commercial design but new on the market. It was designed by Joyce Krueger from Texas and is called Essne's bed rug. If I can locate any info for Joyce I plan to contact her and ask what her inspiration was for this beauty. My teacher is Dianne Kelly of the Woolen Cottage in Hiram Ohio. I had Dianne some years ago at Castle in the Clouds in Lookout Mountain Tenn and altho' I have not yet finished the rug she color planned for me it is one of my very favorites. One day I will learn how to upload photos on this blog and then my descriptions will be more meaningful. Anyway - I am so excited - the bed rug is 45 X 56 so that is quite large - my largest rug to date. The backround is a dark chocolate brown so if I decide to put it on the floor in the future I won't have any inhibition about that.

Right on the heels of Ocean I will make my annual pilgrimage to Sebring Fl for another rug camp. This time I will be doing my first oriental style rug with a dear friend and director of Off the Ocean rug camp - Judy Colley from Wyoming Michigan. Her daugher Katie lives in Jacksonville and is a dear friend also. The three of us always go to Sebring after Ocean - it is a nice way for Judy to relax and wind down after the rigors of Ocean. This year will be a little more taxing as she is teaching at Sebring. Telemark is the oriental I will be doing. It is smallish for an oriental - about 24 X 48 and the color plan is gorgeous. I chose a dark eggplant color for the backround and Judy did a wonderful job incorporating my beloved colonial colors in this rug. Two big scrolls are the focal point of this rug. I am happy to be able to learn from Judy - she is a master colorist in my opinion and has over 30 years of rug hooking experience. She has the coveted cover of Celebrations rug hooking magazine this year. I am really looking forward to being in Judy's class.

This sunday my sampler guild is meeting at the Azalea House. Always a great time to get together with my friends who love samplers. A lot of them are dual members of the rug hooking guild also. I am not sure what sampler I will stitch on Sunday - I have started 3 new HUGE samplers over the recent holidays. The French Alphabet Sampler is my New Years weekend start. It was especially personalized for me and includes names and initials of my ancestors. Working this beauty on 36ct cream Edinborough using Gloriana CHerry Tart silk. It is a lovely muted mix of pinks and creams ranging from deep pink to pale pink and cream to deep tan. It really gives an antique - victorian feel to the stitching. Progress is slow working on a 1/2 yrd piece of linen in hand.

My Christmas weekend start was Mouline Rouge by Long Dog. It has been in my *really want to do* pile for about 2 years. I have had Gloriana Elizabethan Green stashed for this for about that long. I finally have selected a complimentary linen that really looks great with the silk. 35ct R&R Sheeps Straw is the color.

Better wrap this up. My goal for this blog is to learn how to upload photos. A fellow sampler guild member has a blog here and I'm sure she can help me get it accomplished. What would we do without friends???? Cherish them - I sure do!