Winter

Winter

Friday, July 6, 2012

Friday...Part Two?

This week has been all messed up for me. My husband was on vacation Monday and Tuesday. The Fourth was on Wednesday, which felt like Saturday, but then my husband went back to work on Thursday which felt like Monday and now today, Friday feels like well, not Friday, Tuesday???

I thought I would have some finished rugs to show you this week. I am going to go ahead and show you what I have. We are going into 100+ temps for the next week so I hope to be able to get some hooking done as I won't be outside as much.

My stacks of rugs are growing and I need to just pony up and get it done. I have been weeding so much that when I hook for long periods of time I can't do simple things like open doors or carry things. I have tried to rest my hand so that I can start hooking again.

Okay here are some of my projects, now that it is past Fourth of July, I can hook pumpkins again. :)

I love this little rug, but I stopped as I felt I didn't have enough skill to hook it the way it should be hooked. I had never used a size three piece of wool when I started hooking so I put this aside until I had hooked more rugs and I needed to teach myself to dye wool. I have done those things now, so I am ready to finish this. This pattern came from a very old issue of Rug Hooking magazine.

I was dreaming of fall things the other day and I thought to myself, I wonder if I could free hand some pumpkins, stars and a crow. I did so even though it looks a bit funky, I thought it looks okay so I will be working on this one too. Now that I know how to get orange for pumpkins out of  Kool aid.
My Whale-is-huge!! When I first started to look into rug hooking it was in the 1990s but my children were small and I had so much going on even though I dreamed of being a rug hooker life wasn't set up for me to do that. In 2006 I bought a magazine called Country Home and in it they had pictures of  Polly Minick's house and her rugs. I knew then I wanted to hook a whale rug. When they published the book American Summer and the pattern of the whale was in there I knew of course I would be hooking that.  Of course though, in 2006, my Dad had just died, and my two oldest children were getting married and I was planning weddings. No time for rugs.

By 2008 my husband had left his position and started on a new path and I was trying to keep life together the best way I knew how, and having grand children  and watching as my Mom's life drew to a close, I still had no time for rugs.

In 2009 a lovely lady gave me everything I would need to get started in rug hooking. She was making quilts and sent me a box filled with everything I had dreamed about through the years. Jacque is such a giver.

So I have read everything I could, I have yet to see anyone besides myself hook a rug. I have watched videos on You Tube on how to hook. I stare at blogs with rugs on them while I continue to teach myself by what I read.

I do love rug hooking because every time I pick up a hook I am reminded of how long it took to get here and how thankful I am that even though sometimes you have to wait, the more special things become when you are given the chance to live that dream.

The rug I am currently working on I love. I showed my daughter a pot holder I had and she drew this pattern out on the backing for me. It almost feels like a new baby to me as it is something that I have stared at and now to see it becoming a rug is wonderful.

I went to the library once and there was a lady who had passed away and left the library more books than you can imagine. The librarian took me back and let me browse the books. Stacks and stacks on everything you could possibly ever dream of doing. That day I picked up books on raising chickens, growing gardens,
hooking rugs. I came home and started reading and always in the back of my mind was, " I am tired of reading about life, I want to start living it." Life until that point in time had been too filled with grief and I was numb from life.
I started blogging at this time too, and bit by bit I have come back to life. I am thankful for all of it, because as the saying goes," without rain there is no rainbow."   
This will be my fourth year blogging soon, I don't think I would be so happy as I am now, because I have had someone to share it with, so thank you for reading and allowing me to learn to walk again, down this path we call life.
Have a wonderful weekend,
~Kim~


15 comments:

moosecraft said...

This is a great post, Kim! What a journey it has been! Your line-up of rugs looks great! Your hooking technique for the pumpkin rug is dreamy! Keep going on it! Jacque is definitely a giver! Without her in my cheering section I would never have gotten this far in my quilting... especially Snow Days! ;-) Do I see a Calendula Patterdrip In your future? hmmmmm? ;-)

TexWisGirl said...

you are such a gift. :) truly share from the heart.

i just LOVE your chicken rug! so darn cute!!!

Miss Debbie said...

Thank you for sharing your heat and your life with us!

Miss Debbie said...

Oops! I meant heart!

Beth said...

I think heat might apply too. lol

Your post was very interesting. I love your rugs.

Sue said...

Always a joy to stop by and visit with you. I am amazed at all you get done, and of your gifted hands! We have been in triple digits for days today is suppose to be 103, with heat index to 109, and even hotter tomorrow, And that is why I am able to visit. lol Next week will be back to better temps. maybe 80's. OH well it is summer. Dh and I have been a little mixed up on our days this week too!
Enjoy your weekend.
Hugs,
Sue

Empty Nester said...

I'm so glad you decided to start blogging! You are such a blessing to so many- particularly ME! I thank God for you daily! We're going to be HOT too- heat index around 110+. And, with the AC broken in my car, that means I will be going NO WHERE. My days are messed up too. I was thinking today was Tuesday or something but not Friday. Until the girls reminded me I was taking them to breakfast today! :) Have a wonderful weekend!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Your chickens have been such a big part of these chapters in your life, and of course you must have a rug that features them so nicely. The rug looks great, your projects put me to shame. I do have a few, but not on your scale. I'd feel proud to have herbs growing in a big white pottery bowl in the kitchen, and so far... all I have is the bowl!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I imagine it takes a lot of talent to hook- I think your rugs are going to be beautiful when finished! Have a great weekend!

Debbie said...

kim, i hooked rugs when i was first married, at age 19. the rugs are in my attic here, i have not seen them in years.

i purchased kits from a catalog, i remember the fibers were longer. i have done every craft known to man, now i mostly take pictures, scrapbook and blog.

my crafting interests have changed over the years!!

it's friday ;))) have a wonderful weekend!

Bonnie K said...

Congrats on your fourth year of blogging. I enjoy your posts. Your rugs are so cute. The chickens and the crow are my favorites.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

You taught yourself to hook? I didn't know that! How wonderful ... you are so talented! I am so glad that you found blogging ... and that I found your blog!

I was messed up on what day it was, too ... holidays in the middle of the week have always messed me up. ;-)

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Oh Kim...you are explaining my life from 2006 on also...different challenges, but still, it threw my life off for awhile..but with it taking the turns I didn't expect like yours..there was sadness and joy all at the same time...and a new depth of knowing my Lord.

You have expressed it so well here in this post as God restores some of your delights to enjoy...your rugs!!

These are beautiful and even mean more as you pick up your talents and enjoy them again...enjoy the fruit of your labor.

mary longmuir said...

This is problably my 10th visit as I read your blogs like a book stay up hours reading admiring your flowers and garden pictures, feeling like I know you are my secret friend as your writings inspire and spiritually touch me , you have a field of dreams and I live a tree of life. A weeping willow from my Moms farm how I drift back to a small child reliving those memories often while enjoying site. Your ability to write so tenderly takes me back there. You are a gift like a present or a holiday from the time I found your blog and saved it to my favorites ,I have had to many late nights while enjoying months days and pictures I drift asleep after with kind thoughts and a smile . Make a sunshine smile rug with a chicken on it you make many smile sweet dreams .

Farm Girl said...

Dear Mary, I don't know if you will be back to read this but I just want you to know how much you have touched my heart. You have given me such a gift to me that you think of me as your secret friend.
I thank you for reading my scribbles. I wish we could sit down over tea and I would love to hear your stories and your weeping willow tree.
Thank you so much, you have touched my heart as well,
Kim