RUG HOOKING BLOG

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I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

IT'S HERE... NOT THE GRANDSON, THE BOLT OF DORR MILL WOOL

First of all, I was very surprised this morning to see that I had 2 new followers on my blog. And you know my reaction, my mouth opened wide and my jaw dropped.  The words that came out were " Oh my gosh, two new followers! " It feels like a ray of sunshine when I get new followers, I get a warm feeling inside. Welcome  The Paisley Studio and  Donna of Starkey Hollow blog. I intend to read your blog as soon as I finish this post. I just didn't had enough time this morning.

I was just back from the barn this morning having a cup of fresh brewed coffee when the door bell rang.  The kind petite letter carrier was delivering my big bolt of Dorr Mill wool right to my door. She had a big smile on her face as she put down my big package. I think that she went the extra mile for me and I'm so grateful for the excellent service this letter carrier gave.

I anxiously opened the package which was extremely well wrapped and I tell you even if this package would have ended up in the river, it would have floated, it was so air-tightly wrapped. I also got a #5 cutter wheel but the price went up quite a bit from last February. Last year I paid $23.95 + tax for each cutter  and this time I paid $38.50 for it plus tax of course.  I received a small black wool swatch speckled white as a freebee. It cost around $12.00 for shipping the whole package  which was not bad at all.

To keep on with my new motto, Just Do It, I ordered my air line ticket online this morning for the first time. I didn't know what to expect and I was reading everything and I had to keep extending my alloted time to do the buying on line.   I'll be leaving on  January 18, and come back whenever. It's a direct flight and I'm glad that I'm leaving a day ahead of schedule because the 19th is full moon and we know that more babies are delivered on the full moon. Well, actually not on the full moon but during the full moon. lol...I just hope he waits for me to get there.


For those of you who saw this before, please bear with me. I'm just trying to show Donna what goes into making my Childhood Memories rug. I just roughly drew my memories on a page and then I cut them out and I taped the drawings on a large piece of flip board paper. I had more memories but I couldn't fit everything on.


Then, I placed my burlap backing on top and traced the best I could with a Sharpie.  It's amazing that we can see through the burlap.  Notice that all there is here are ideas.


I hooked the figures first and added fillers like trees and clouds and tracks in the snow. I'm not pleased of my ribbon on top but I'm leaving it for now and the cow udder is too big in the back and there are several other details that bothers me.

When I first started hooking I used a home made frame until I bought this one My rug hooks on the gripper bars tightly but I think that a rectangular frame would work better for me as my rugs are rectangular.


 This is my Bliss model A cutter and as long as I keep it clean, it works well. I now have  #3, #4, #5, #6 cutter wheel to make four width strips of wool for hooking.  I use a Medium hook most of the time but I also have a fine and a large hook. The wrench is to take the brass nut off to change the cutter. The sharp snipper scissors is to snip my wool ends so it looks neat.


This is my work station in the sun room. I keep my wool swatches rolled up so I can see at a glance colors that I need to work with. My snippets goes in the little basket most of the time and the rest goes on the floor. I have three baskets of wool worms in small snack size Ziplolock baggies so they don't get mixed up.  I've clipped the corners a tiny bit to allow air in the baggies. The baskets with covers hold some clean recycled wool and I have three big drawers full upstairs.
What I'm not showing here is me hooking. Maybe some day, I'll get my husband George to take a picture of me. Oh my, that's scary. 

Thanks for your visit and leaving a comment.  JB

24 comments:

  1. oh Julia such a great day for you. I love to see the new followers and appreciate the long time followers. The bold of wool and the ticket to see that grand baby! Every time I see your rug I fall in love with it. I can not wait to see more.
    cathy

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  2. Wow Julia!
    I'm impressed... You do fabulous work! I'm also excited for your trip. It sounds fun!
    I sure wish my craft area was that sunny!
    Tisha

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  3. That bolt of brand new possibilities looks great but the beautiful roll top desk it is sitting on is a treasure too.
    I wish my hooking supplies were organized so well - mine are tucked all over the house in canvas shopping bags and ziplocs.
    I'm so excited about your trip. I can't wait for your new grandson to arrive!

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  4. Your talent is surpassed only by your amazing imagination! To draw it, then cut it and put it all togethere is truly a work of art! You should not worry about the slight imperfections because that is really what gives it flavor and character. I can't wait to see the whole thing!
    Your work space is incredibly organized and that is a joy to see also!
    How exciting that you have your ticket...(as a nurse I know that)you are sooo right when you say that more babies are born during the full moon! I bet you are having yours the 19th...but whenever he is ready is right! have fun and thanks for the lesson Julia!!!!

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  5. Julia ~
    Your rug is so awesome and I am so impressed with the cuts you are using. You can get such detail with the finer cuts. I am currently hooking a hit and miss with a #8 and I feel like I am hooking with thin spagetti :)
    Your journey to meet your soon to be grandson is so exciting!
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  6. Oh, the beautiful bolt of wool! All the possibilities!!!
    Your rug is looking wonderful! Good Job!!!
    And what an attractive well-organized work area you have.
    Julia, you are ready for serious hooking.

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  7. Do you know how I wish I had seen that before I started hooking? I have never seen this only me trying to act like I know what I am doing. This is the first time I have ever seen a picture of wool being cut on a wool cutter. When Jacque sent me mine I had never seen it done so I fooled with it until I got it right. This is great, and that whole bolt of material. That is incredible. Man, I could learn so much from you. This is really great Julia.
    So glad you even got your ticket. You are doing so good and it is barely the first week in January.

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  8. Wow...beautiful wool and I love your work station, nice and bright. Congrats on your new followers. I don't get them very often but when I do, I too get very excited!
    Karen

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  9. Hi Julia, I can imagine how excited you are with your first bolt of wool! I had that feeling many years ago and still get it when new bolts arrive. So much fun to dye and anticipate the results. So glad you have your ticket and will be off to greet your new grandson. That is the best thrill of all!

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  10. Your post title today cracked me up!! What a treasure~a WHOLE bolt of wool ready to dye!!!!
    Thanks for taking thru your process for your beautiful rug~ it is very inspiring....you have a very special eye to be able to integrate the drawings so well with your background choices~ You are smart to keep hooking and leave behind, for now, those little "mishooks". they may not even bother you in the end! have fun today!
    ♥ Eileen

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  11. Ooooh, I would want to unwrap that bolt and wrap it around me. lol. I was so excited when I got my little sample pack of 90 colors of wool felt, I can just imagine how excited you were with a whole bolt of 100% wool! That first cut is going to be hard. :)

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  12. Thanks for the welcome, Julia. Your rug is beautiful. There's so much magic in the background you add as you go . . . And your hooking spot is so neat and tidy . . . wish mine was!

    Enjoy the day,
    Sarah

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  13. Dear Julia,
    If you were coming over for a visit you would have to bring your rug and your hook and I would feed you lots of Lemon Meringue pie if you made the meringue. I don't make good meringue. We could have tea and have a hooking good time.
    Have a lovely day, you made me laugh. I have a fire and my candles are burning and it is dark outside so I am going to hook a bit before I put on my track shoes and start running out the door.
    Blessings today,
    Kim

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  14. Julia,

    I can't thank you enough for posting pictures of your childhood memory rug!! Sounds dumb but I was so intimidated by the thought of drawing one out on linen. It's really rather simple afterall.

    Happy New Year! At some point I plan to start a blog of my own. Better than a journal.

    Be well.

    Cheers,
    Kathleen in NJ

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  15. Wow a whole bolt of wool. I have dealt with that at the shop, but never owned one of my own .
    Your rug is looking great, I love the memory idea.
    I have never hooked with anything smaller than an 8 so you know all my rugs are pretty primitive.
    I am excited for you taking your first flight alone. At least you don't have to transfer any place. Can't have grandma getting lost and missing the birth. Best wishes to you on the voyage.

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  16. Thanks so much for your comments everyone. It had brightened my day on this snowy and gray day. Today I welcome Kathleen of RNNJ. and I'm so glad that my post has help you to see that it's not all that complicated to put your design on a backing.

    I'm not sure if you can see the design through the linen but you can always tape your design paper on a widow and trace it that way. let me know how you make out if you decide to try it.

    Sarah, you are welcome. JB

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  17. Julia,
    Thanks for sharing how you went about getting the drawings on your rug. I know that will be really helpful to a lot of folks out there. Don't you just want to hug that bolt when you take it out of the package...yummy!
    ....and yes, I think you could use wine in place of the beer in the pie I made....I think it actually might make it taste even better!

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  18. Julia, how fun to return on the day of such a lovely post! First of all, congratulations on booking your airline ticket online. The first time we did, I almost had kittens, worrying that I'd get some crazy plan set up or forget something.

    Don't forget to wash your wool before the dyeing starts warm wash and warm rinse. Study the lesson in April's palette group for preparing the wool. She has a simple method for tearing the wool. I usually measure it one yard at a time, and then follow her directions.

    Can't wait to see the palette you design. Like everyone else, loving the childhood memories rug. The way you've done it, will seem like a pictorial scene. And I didn't even notice at first look,(in a disturbed way) that you have children swimming next to those sledding down the hill. Your color blending between the two areas makes it seem as natural as can be! Kudos!

    My, My, I'll never have my supplies as neatly organized as yours, but they look so accessible and lovely! Enjoy your trip to see the new grandson, we'll be waiting to read all about him and your visit with your daughter! Jo

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  19. Tammy, I'll definitely will make your recipe. I have some left over pie crust in the freezer. Sounds like a nice Sunday meal to me. I'll let you know how it turns out.

    Jo, I'm so glad to read your comment this morning. Yeah, I agree with you the kids look like they will end up in the water.lol... I'm quite safety minded though, but when we were kids we used to slide down my grandfather's hill and there was a brook right at the end of our slide. Somehow we never ended up in the brook. I too would have kittens if I saw my grandkids sliding near a brook. I see my rug as a collage of memories.

    Thanks for all your interest and encouragement and your tips Jo. I appreciate all the help I can get. I still don't have my measuring spoons. I have a tiny set of spoons with measurements like a smidgen, a pinch and a dash but I put them somewhere and when our basement flooded this winter things got moved around to put things out of harm's way and now I can't find them. I have used them for dyeing so I never kept them in my kitchen drawer. If I was smart, I would have kept them in my bag of dye. duh... Have a great weekend everyone. JB

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  20. Oh Julia! This is the most wonderful post! I know I'm always saying this...but.... your memory rug is absolutely the best!!! The way you're hooking it is so detailed and gorgeous. You must have great patience to do such fine hooking. Also, love taking a peek into your workspace. You appear to be very organized, guess what? I also have a rooster perched at my work table (well, actually by the sewing machine today, she likes to move around). Have a fabulous trip!
    dulcy

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  21. It is fabulous to have new followers and exciting to know that there are more friends to get to know. What a true blessing too.
    Donna is a sweetheart to have as a follower u will enjoy her site too.
    I love the way you showed us how you do this. I am like Donna so interested in every step.
    Glad you got your ticket lined up. Way to go.
    Yes the sweet baby will just have to wait on you.
    Have a wonderful week
    Love
    Maggie

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  22. Hello, I am a new reader to your blog. It is so nice to "read" you :) I love the idea of your memory rug, and think it is beautiful. I am also a new hooker, and so enjoy seeing other people's work. Congrats!

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  23. Welcome to my blog Candy and thanks for your comment. I so appreciate it. I hope that you will find something to interest you in my past and future posts.
    I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

    Dulcy and Maggie, thank you for your rays of sunshine in my life. You always brighten my days with your visit. JB

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  24. Well I wrote a long, long piece and it said it contained an illegal url or words to that effect and I don't know what that means. It has also disappeared and I am not going start over as it's 12:30 a.m. Don't you just hate it when that happens? Maybe another time. Diana

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