Sunday stuff ~

 

It boggles my mind to think that Christmas was a month ago and we are approaching the end of January.  I do wish time would slow down but we all know that's not going to happen, and the older we get the faster it goes 😱

As I said in my previous post, there was no rug throw down at camp so don't have too many pictures to share.  Previously completed rugs that were brought to camp were hung in the hooking room.  Sue shared them on her blog, so I will just share a few of my favorites.

I love seeing the same pattern hooked in various colorways.

The bottom rug is Sue's.  (So Sue, what surnames do WR represent?)

One of Lucille Festa's rugs.  A couple hookers in the class chose this as their pattern.

Not started at this camp.  I believe this is the cover picture from the Rug Hooking in Maine book.

I have this pattern.  I should really put it near the top of my hooking list.

Melody, a blogger from years ago, was hooking this sweet Teresa Kogut angel.  She had started it in a previous class.  Isn't she beautiful?  Being hooked in 3's and 4's . . . why there is such amazing detail and color.  (Picture stolen from her FB page because the color was so much better than my picture.)

I met Melody when I attended this camp years ago.  I did not tell her I was coming once and surprised her for sure!!!

If you don't live in an area that gets snow, this is truly how people park when they can't see the lines in a parking lot.

As in a good part of the country, the winter storm has arrived.  we are not as bad as some areas.  I am guessing we have gotten 4-5" and it is supposed to continue snowing until late this evening.  Thankfully we don't have to worry about ice and freezing rain here in northern Ohio.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Back Home Again ~

It was a fun get away to Off the Ocean rug camp in Jacksonville, Florida, but it's always good to be back home again.  (Remind you of a song?)  The drive to and from Jacksonville was mostly uneventful, but there were moments.  I am a fair weather driver since crashing on ice on a highway 14 (?) years ago.  Well, guess who was driving when there were white out conditions in West Virginia?  Thankfully it only lasted about 20 minutes!  Coming home we left the hotel in northern South Carolina at 6:21 am to beat the rush hour traffic in Charlotte.  It was dark and the traffic was heavy, but thankfully not stop and go.  Did I mention Ohio to Florida is a loooong drive?  But we did it 😁

The weather the day we arrived was gorgeous, then some rain and chilly temps and when leaving once again beautiful.  Here we are home to frigid temps with possibly large accumulations of snow this weekend and it will be in the low 70's in Jacksonville while we are freezing our butts off in Ohio.  At least we are not alone.  I heard something like 35+ states may be affected by the storm.

Anywho, back to camp.  My class was with Lucille Festa of Vermont.  Of course I didn't make nearly as much progress as I had hoped, but I never do.  Here is my progress at the end of camp.

Sue is speed hooker and nearly finished her rug!  If it hadn't been for her reverse hooking, she may have had it done.  Isn't he just the sweetest little pooch?

 

Sue has shared many pictures from camp (since she can blog from her phone!).  Check it out here.

I have a bit more to share in another post.  There was supposed to be a throw down for each class so we could see what others were working on, but it did not happen 😞

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Road trip time ~

 

This procrastinator is breathing easy!  Everything is packed that can be done ahead of time.  Tomorrow morning I need to stop at a hooking get together that I scheduled for the guild.  It is the first time we are meeting and it would be pretty rude if I did not show up!

I am not heading to Sue's until mid afternoon so I will have a few hours for all the last minute stuff.  Sue lives and hour and a half south of me and we will leave bright and early Thursday morning for the two day drive.

I still haven't figured out how to blog from the iPad . . . but if I do will pop in to say hi.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

The best laid plans ~

Any of you who have been reading my blog for a while, know that I have my doctorate in procrastination.  This time was going to be different.  HA!!!  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Maybe if I hadn't decided to dye a few pots of wool???  This is one of my favorite dye recipes and had not dyed it in years.  I dyed three pots of varying strength.  A little more drab in person.  Not sure if it will work in my camp rug, but I am loving it.

Speaking of my camp rug . . . choosing a pattern is one of the hardest parts of going to camp.  I finally decided on this antique rug.  

You may recall that Saundra also hooked this back in 2022.  Here is her finish.  I hope mine is half that wonderful.

Instead of packing for camp, I decided I need to make some paisley hook pouches for the camp consignment store.  They don't look like much, but I am just incredibly slow and they are taking forever.  I am hoping to defray as much of the rug camp costs as I can!

Yesterday the weather in Jacksonville was scheduled for a high of 81*.  While we are there, it will be 25*-35* colder.  I know that's better than Ohio weather will be, but I am still a bit bummed.

I was supposed to have a hooking play day on Tuesday which would have me gone most of the day.  A selvedge project was planned and I was providing the selvedges, so thought I couldn't cancel.  Thankfully the hooker closest to me (about 40 minutes) is going and will take them for me.  That takes some of the pressure off!!!

Ok. Time to work some more on the pouches.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Life's mysteries ~

This blowmold was found in a black garbage bag by my little pile of wood next to the garage.  It is in a protected area and could NOT have blown there.  The first suspect was my sister-in-law who vehemently denies leaving it.  You see, for the last year plus, almost every time I was in her house, I hid a Santa 😁.  I checked with anyone who I remotely thought would have left it and everyone denies having anything to do with it!

It even changes color!

Then I had a few people over last week, and this tiny snow globe was found.  You guessed it.  No one will fess up to it.

Speaking of my sil, she found the perfect gift for me!  I love it.  Will be a great addition to my yard junk.

Another friend who knows I love red licorice, found this.  Have you ever seen 16 1/2" licorice before?  How funny.

My house is 99% put back together.  I have made myself near crazy in the process, but I have no one to blame but myself.  Now it is really crunch time to finish consignment items for the rug camp store, put my pattern on linen, pull wool, pack, etc., and be ready to leave next Wednesday.  Still have my oil change, hooking day away, and doctor appointment before then.  Once again, no one to blame but myself.  I am a slow learner and perhaps will never learn . . . sigh.

I have errands to run so I'd better get busy.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Hook-y stuff ~

Head on over to Sue's blog to see all the fun rugs from today's Hook & Thread Society get together.  So much talent in just a few hookers.

I finally finished my Classic Santa, a pattern by Donna Hrkman color planned in her class last July.  I am happy to say I finished the hooking in 2025 ~ just barely.

I had the hardest time deciding what color to use on the top left light section.  The wool that was chosen when I took it to the hooking shop to ask for help just seemed too bright.

I wasn't sure what wool to change it to, but thought I would take the easiest route first and coffee stain it.  I made a small amount of instant coffee and painted it on.  Much better.

I needed a narrow rug to hang next to an antique cupboard in the dining room.  I had hooked this in 2018 and given it to a friend.  

It was the perfect size, I already had it on screen ready to transfer to linen, and needing a no brainer hooking project, got busy.  It is Maple Sugar Hearts by Barb Carroll found in one of her books.  The one heart near the bottom may need to be hooked with a lighter red.

Even though it's almost 9pm, back to un-decorating!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Crunch Time ~

 

New Year's Day we woke up to 3-4" of snow.  'Tis the season 😛

I really don't make New Year's resolutions.  I prefer to call them goals.  My 2026 goal is to continue purging things I don't love or just can't use.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  

Let all my self inflicted insanity begin.  I leave for rug camp in Florida on the 14th.  Before then, I need to . . . 

• un-decorate or is it de-decorate?  These boxes were hauled down from the attic yesterday.  It will take me days to pack everything up and haul it back up two flights of stairs.  There are many more boxes to haul down.

• re-decorate the house
• enlarge my rug pattern and put it on linen
• choose wools for the rug.  The more wool I take, the less I have to buy.
• making items for the camp store to help defray expenses related to camp
• In addition, I committed myself to hooking this Sunday, an hour and a half away and the following week another hooking day with friends, also an hour and a half away.
• a doctor appointment
• an oil change
• a haircut
• ??? and I'm sure there is more I haven't even thought about 😁

Am I going to make myself crazy (crazier?) in the process?  Absolutely.  Will it all get done?  I sure hope so.  I do not want to get home from camp and see Christmas decorations!!!

Wish me luck.  Too bad I have to sleep.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊

Lauren