The Old Deerfield Holiday Craft Fair is November 16 th & 17 th !!!

 A friend of mine just received a post card about the upcoming craft fair . We were so surprised to see a picture of our Lighted Winter Scene on the backside ! We had no idea they were going to use our photo . What an honor !!! We hope to see some of you at the fair !!! John has been working on these little scenes for months and I will have a few hooked items . 

I hope to be able to reply to your nice comments , if you don't hear from me , I am very sorry and love hearing from you . I will get this figured out !!! Fingers crossed ! 

I have been Hooking Snowmen !

 It has been a while since I have posted anything . I wanted to hook some smaller pieces and these Snowmen fit the bill perfectly ! 

This first Snowman is  called "Snowman With A Shovel " He is a brand new pattern from Woolen Memories.  I hooked it up quickly for Sandy to use it as her sample for the Salem Crofts Hook In , in West Brookfield, Mass next Wednesday . I had so much fun hooking this , I worked on it all day long last week ! Sandy has a lot of really great new patterns to take to the show . 

 

The second Snowman I hooked was a pattern by Payton Primitives , which Heavens To Betsy was selling . This was another fun one to hook . 

 

I have to start thinking of Christmas presents !!! 

Two Projects Finished !!!

 Good Morning  ! Finally nice cool refreshing air !!! Wearing long pants and a sweatshirt ! Even though it is still August , it feels cozy . 

I finished my Antique Rooster Weather Vane ....and am so happy with it , a very cute pattern ! It is by Wool'n Gardner. 

I received a special order for a Fall scene to put on a bench a woman purchased from us . She asked for Pumpkins , I included a Sun Flower and Bittersweet . I am excited to have her see it in person . This is my own design .

Will take a little break from hooking this week to attack my gardens . Lots of weeds need to be pulled and trimming needs to be take care of .  Thank you for visiting !!!

I needed a small project to hook

 I needed a small project to hook and this cute Rooster is perfect ! It is by Wool'n Gardener , Therese Shick is the designer.  It is called Antique Weathervane  2.   

I am having lots of fun hooking this ! When we first started to make wooden folk art , we made a Rooster very similar to this and had it on pedestal with a wooden base . That was about 39 years ago !!! Yikes !!! 

It is still very Hot and Humid here .....I am really done with this weather pattern . I can't wait to wear a sweater !!! 

This And That hooked rug !!!

 I finished pulling loops on "This And That " pattern by Woolen Memories ! Now I have it all steamed and ready to bind . I stopped to see Sandy recently and saw her version . I Love the colors she used for her background . They are beautiful old mustard colors. To see hers , you have to visit her on Face Book . 

Will be another Hot & Humid week , so will have to stay inside & hook something new !!!!

A Few New things !!!!

 I hooked this Sheep and my plan was to make it into a pillow . My husband had another idea for it ! 

What a great idea !!!! The Sheep actually look like they have wooly bodies !!! And you have to add one black sheep !!! LOL 

In the meantime I have been busy hooking this new pattern from Woolen Memories called "This And That "  It has been so Hot and Humid lately , I am staying in the house to hook . 

I might have to tweak a few colors that don't show up well . I'm not sure how to hook the border yet . I was hoping Sandy has finished her pattern to see what she did , She hasn't posted hers yet . I also changed my mind about the background color two times and decided a dark background shows off all the colors better . If this heat lasts all week , I might get it finished !!!! 

Happy 4th Of July !!!!

 Here are a few hooked pieces that I have hooked for the 4th of July ......

I made this hooked design about 20 years ago for a nice old picnic basket . It was my own design .

This is a pattern by Woolen Memories that I put on a bench that my husband makes . 

This is a pattern I designed for the small stools my husband makes . 

Hope everyone was a Fun and Safe 4th Of July !!!!!! 

My Hydrangeas and a New Shelf to Hang Hooked projects !!!

              My husband has made this great shelf to hang my hooked projects ! 

I glued on Velcro to the lower section of the shelf ....then I sewed the opposite piece of Velcro to the back of my hooked Hydrangeas.

 

It will be nice and easy to change my hooked pieces for the seasons ! 

Here is a side view of the shelf ....

My husband makes these tiny houses and creates this cute little scene ....he makes a winter scene too with snow on the houses & trees & has a tiny snowman next to a house .  Perfect for this nifty shelf !!! 

If anyone is interested in a shelf , my husband would be Happy to make them for you , we use nice authentic colors of paint and can make them the length you would like . We also sell the house rows he makes ! 

I found a Good Size Rug to Hook !!!! And a few small patterns to hook ......

 I have been busy hooking away .... I found a great " Big Girl " rug to hook a few weeks ago . It was at Heavens To Betsy's April Hook In .  It is By Red Barn Rugs , the name of it is called "Colleen" .  It is the largest rug I have hooked in years , it is 40 inches wide by 28 and one and a half inches tall.  Friends offered me some great worms to use, because I didn't have enough ...this was really fun hooking the background . .My dog and Grand Kids have all laid down on it , was so funny , they love how it feels . 

I also was given this cute little Sheep pattern by Heavens To Betsy . It was a nice break while doing the "Big" rug ..... It is only 16 inches wide by 13 inches tall. I pulled the loops up a little higher for his body.  I will make this into a pillow. 

Then a friend gave me this pattern of a Pitcher with Flowers paper pattern to hook . It was in an issue of Rug Hooking magazine . She knew I love yellow ware and thought it was something I would have fun hooking . Then after visiting Rug And Pugs recent blog where Lauren took a class from Ali Strebel ....my mind kept me awake for a few nights with an idea for flowers to hook. Our hydrangeas have so many flowers on them this year , we have never had so many wonderful flowers ....so this is what I

did !!! The flowers is a pattern by Susan Gonzales Designs . Making her flowers was really fun . I will hang this piece up on a wall . My husband has made a great new narrow shelf to hang it from ,. When it is completed I will post it . We will also be happy to make this neat new way to hang your hooked pieces ! 

It has been so Hot and Humid all week , so I am glad I had lots fun things to hook ! Hopefully our weather pattern changes and will be more comfortable . I miss being outside ! And will hundreds of weeds growing all over ! 

My Recent Hooking Projects

 I have been busy working in the yard on nice days .....cleaning the house ....and then Hooking !!! 

I got the idea for this project from Saundra ....it is an antique design drawn on linen for my coffee table . I tried to make it look old and faded. it is steamed and ready to bind. It is 25 & 1/2" wide by 17 " high . It should hide anything that should get spilled on it ! LOL

 Then this project was just so fun and a favorite . It is by Woolen Memories ....Sandy just has so many sweet patterns !!! This is called " Little Garden  ". My goal for this was to make the watering can look like it has some rusty spots. Then I tried to throw in bits of color thru the background to add interest . 

My friends are challenging me to hook a Big pattern  ! Since most of the rooms in my house have wall to wall carpet , my living room - dinning room is one big room that has wood floors , but big braided rugs. I am on the hunt that will be fun to hook . It could go in my kitchen in front of the sink or at the bottom of my stairs. It could take me a while though! 

Thank you for visiting !!!! 

A Sweet Hooking project !

      " A Tisket -A Tasket " by Lori from Not Forgotten Farm 

This was such a Fun small design to hook !  It is 8 & 1/2 " by 11 & 1/2 " .  Just Love the straw poking out from the basket ! 

Happy Valentines Day !!!!

 Tomorrow will be Valentines Day and I have this heart all hooked . Now to put a wool backing on it and hang it on the inside of my front door . Was fun to do , this was inspired by Lori from Not Forgotten Farm . Her hubby had given her a heart shaped candy box she saved . She posted a picture of it filled with her pretty Valdani threads & Saundra suggested someone should hook it .....well I jumped on it ! Thank you Lori & Saundra !!!! Was fun ...Hope you all have a nice day tomorrow and enjoy some chocolates

!!! 

A few hooking projects ....

 I was house bound for the past few weeks during the bitter cold , gloomy , dreary days , so I kept myself busy hooking away ! 

I always like the antique patterns with just one house , so I drew this out and it fits perfectly on an end table . I was trying to create a blotchy background , but that didn't come out as I had planned , I reverse hooked little sections and decided that was enough , it wasn't easy for me . 

Then the other day Saundra posted some great antique rugs with hearts ....so I drew out this design to hook .The antique was a square , but I made mine a rectangle to fit a coffee table . 

Lori Brechlin from Not Forgotten Farm posted a heart shaped candy box filled with her pretty Valdani threads . My heart went Pitter Patt again !!! I am a sucker for Hearts ! Saundra suggested it be great hooked ! So I traced out 3 different sized circles . Then yesterday started on the circles ....this is fun  ! I am only using worms . I was afraid I would get bored , but I am really enjoying it !

Hope you are having fun hooking some Heart designs too !!! 

My Latest Hooking Projects !

 Last Fall I bought this pattern from Woolen Memories . It is called Salt Box Pumpkin Garden . I had it all done except for binding it . With the bitter cold we had recently, it was a good project to finish .   We have lots of huge Oak trees in our yard , so was a perfect design  for me .  

A few weeks ago on Facebook Maria Barton offered a free pattern you could hook or punch . It is called  , " Home Is Where The Heart Is " This was a fun design to hook . I wanted to make it look old , but ended up tweaking it with some walnut spray . The colors were a little too bright . The heart I hooked next to it took just a few hours . I tend to hook designs with hearts , houses and baskets. I need to get into other designs !

Thank you for visiting. Now to figure out what to hook next !  

My First Project for 2024 !!!

 I received this cute pattern for Christmas from my daughter in law .  I hooked the dog to look like our boy . It was really fun to do ! 

It is  a Cammie Bruce pattern , Baskets Of Wool . The name of it is "Treats Please " One of my 4 year old twins who just adores dogs wants to come right over to pet it !!! LOL 

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas !!!

 A few of my favorite Christmas treasures .  A few childhood decorations and pieces my Mother made thru the years , Then my husbands lighted house row . My hooked Candy Cane matt , it is a Woolen Memories pattern . 

                      Hope you have a Very special Christmas with your family and friends . 

A Wonderful Class with Katie Hartner !

 A few weeks ago Katie Hartner came to Hudson , New York . Betsy Reed had her Wonderful Holiday Hook In . Before the Hook In Katie taught a fabulous class to a nice group of women . She asked us all to choose a design to hook a chair pad in a Magdelina style . She was going to teach about Values . We all brought in a one pound bag of assorted worms . We dumped them all on our table ....our whole table was   a wonderful mess of colors piled high , for all of us to share. 

She started out talking about how colors can change . She said warm colors advance , cool colors recede. She talked about making accents in your hooking . Use different widths of wool , small pieces , hook your strips sideways , add yarn and other fabrics. She told us to be careful with solids , they can stop the action of movement . Choose your background colors first , then the colors of your motif.  Learn to train your eye to see the values by squinting at your piece or take a black & white photo. It was fascinating . She had several of her own rugs we could examine and it was just amazing all the little bits of colors thru all of her pieces. They just blended together beautifully . 

This was my very first real class and I learned so much . Lots of great tips and different ways she binds her hooked pieces. We all learned a lot from her . She was so easy to talk to and had a great sense of humor. I felt as though I knew her forever. 

I chose the Dog pattern to hook . I have to say I did a lot of reverse hooking  ! I may still do more tweaking . I have been so busy lately I have not been able to pull a loop until today . 

I would highly recommend taking a class from her , she was so interesting . Her patterns and rugs she hooked were just beautiful . I wish I had more pictures to share . If you check out Betsy's Hook In  on Face Book she had great pictures of our class and her really fun Hook In . 

My Farkel Family is looking to move to there forever  homes !

They are all made of 100 percent wool and stuffed with wool snippets. Their eyes and mouths are old buttons or snaps  they have antique keys , square nails or shells for their noses. They each have a personality of their own . They range from 7 inches tall to 11inches tall. They are on a base that is an old spool , spindle or hog scraper. I had so much fun making these . They are $45.00 a piece , shipping is not included , but we prefer to ship using UPS . They are Labeled by a letter . If anyone is interested in adopting you can send me an email . 

 I forgot to post a pattern I hooked and finished ! Saundra wants to see it completed ! It is Chicken and Ducks adaptation of an antique. I loved hooking this and was really sad to finish. It is one of my favorites. I purchased it from Sandy at Woolen Memories . 

 Then I bought another really cute pattern from Sandy at Woolen Memories , called Salt Box Pumpkin. I wish I had it finished , but the Farkel Family was just too much fun . I did make a few changes to her design . 

 I have been busy making some wooly goods for a craft fair we always do in November . It is The Old Deerfield Holiday Sampler . 

I want to introduce you to The Farkel Family !!!! They are made from old bits & pieces ...I have had so much fun making these silly faces . 

 I recently visited Woolen Memories for a Wool Fix !!! I have always Loved this pattern that Sandy had called Chickens And Ducks . It is an adaptation of an antique. A friend hooked this a few years ago and I loved hers . I am having so much hooking this !!! It's more fun than cleaning

the house or trying to pull all the weeds that took over after all the rainy days we have had ! 

My latest hooking project ...

 A good friend asked me for a green colored bench with a hooked design for the top . She is an amazing gardener . She grows her vegetables from seeds , some saved by her Father every year . She has everything from lettace , tomatoes , corn and potatoes to pumpkins ! I knew to hook a design with those on the top of the bench would be another fine cut project ! I drew my design to show her what I was thinking and luckily she was so excited about it . 

I needed a little brake from hooking . I recently purchased the new Smart Punch Needle tool from NotForgotten Farm . It is great ! There is an indentation for your thumb , so you always have the needle in the correct position. 

Still hot & humid here in New England and today it is pouring rain .....a good day to play with my threads & think of a new design to hook ! 

 Happy July !!! It is Hot , Humid & very Hazy from the fires in Canada . Sounds like the fires could continue to burn for a while . 

Today I finished hooking the Hydrangeas for the top of one of the nice benches my husband makes.  My sister-in-law just Loves it ! My brother will give it to her for her Birthday . 

Hope everyone has a Happy & safe 4 Th of July !!!! 

 My Sister -In- Law asked me to make her a blue bench and hook Hydrangeas .for the top of the bench .  I could not say no to her , so went to Pinterest for ideas , then asked my rug hooking friends for suggestions .  

My first idea was to use linen that was dyed a nice blue color to hook on , so the blue linen could remain visible for the background . Then I bought a pretty Sari Ribbon with the colors of hydrangeas thinking I could hook pedals with that ....well that was not easy to do and I didn't care for it . 

Another friend suggested I use a # 6 cut for wool strips . but that just looked funny to me too ....so I went thru my very old worms that I first learned how to hook with ....#3's & #4's ......I never thought I would be using these again , but they really worked well . 

So here are my results .....

My plan is to hook a basket , the leaves and the background all in a # 9 cut .  This was very challenging and I hope she will Love it !!!  I can't wait to hook with my wide cuts again !!! LOL 

I will post this again when it is All Done !!!!

Stool , Benches and Frames to display your Hooked Pieces !!!!

 My husband has been busy designing these great items to put my rug hooking pieces in . I showed them to my friends and they ordered them for their hooking projects too ! This Saturday we are taking them to The Quiet Corner Rug Hooking event in Woodstock , Connecticut . They will be in Woolen Memories Booth !!! Sandy just Loved these too and asked me to bring them ! We will have a few at this show and will take orders . We are excited to see people's reactions. 

My design , for the large stool 

My Bee Skep design that fits inside this frame . We used double sided tape to adhere it to the frame & can be removed to put in a different design ! 

The large stool is Woolen Memories Neat Flag design , the small stools are my designs I created for each season of the year ! 

These are what the small stool and large bench look like without the insert for your hooked piece . You can purchase a board that you attach your hooked design too and fits inside the top . There is a lip around the edge of the stool and benches to hold it in place . We offer many colors to choose from . 

These are different frames we have to offer to insert your hooked design in ! These can be changed for other design you have hooked ! 

This is what the frames look like empty. Again we used double sided tape to adhere your hooked piece !!!