Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Ta-Dah!!!!!

One of my favorite bloggers (Lucy at Attic24) always says Ta-Dah! when she shows a finished item on her blog.  I like that!  So here's my Crazy Horse Quilt Runner Ta-Dah!

(click on it to see it bigger, then use back button to come back here)

 

If you've seen my blog before, you may know that I started this 30" x 91" runner on January 1 this year, posted my progress every Saturday morning, and was very close to being finished at the end of May.  My arm and shoulder had a Different Idea.  So my plan was to hook just a few minutes a day to keep things going - even though it would be Slow Going for sure.  Then all of a sudden it was hundreds of degrees here (well that is a slight exaggeration) and somehow my plan to help my arm by hooking "just a few minutes" a day didn't happen.  It was too darn hot to put a large heavy woolen item on my lap.

But after our vacation to Colorado and New Mexico in August, I came home ready to hook - more specifically ready to finish Crazy Horse - pain or no pain.  And now she's done.

The rug now lives on the floor in a walkway between my kitchen and family room.  It is a Treat to see it there and even more of a Treat to feel its soft scrunchiness underfoot.

Here are a couple of shots - one from each direction.

Looking toward the kitchen...

Looking toward the family room...

There are several "thank yous" I want to extend.  First, thank you to Susan Quicksall, Holly Hill Designs, for this wonderful design.  I have said this before, but the rug is a blast to work on - it never gets boring.  Each animal or motif is like hooking a little mini rug.  You finish one and you are off to the next.  Even the background is fun in a "mental agility required" sort of way.  If you decide to tackle this pattern, it is CRITICAL (see how that is all capitalized) to read and follow the short list of instructions provided by Susan.  Really... don't start without understanding everything in that list (not difficult... just important).

A big thanks to Anita White for providing almost all of this wool, including several pieces she dyed specifically for this rug (the dark eggplant and the turquoise).

Thanks to all you hookers at Anita's and here on the blog for saying Ooh! and Aah! and Other Nice Things as the rug has taken shape.

Thanks to my husband for standing on a kitchen chair and holding the camera WAY up in the air to get a photo of the rug from high above.  (I tried and it was terrifying.)

And last, I borrowed some space from Susan's design on the short edges of the border for my initials and the year.  With Susan in mind, I "beaded" my initials.  The "G" is from my maiden name - Green.  It's there because I want my Dad to see it.  He will really like that.

I have several unfinished and totally neglected hooking projects upstairs.  I hear you calling out to me and I'll be digging you out soon!  That would be a good blog post - not the digging out part - but the Ta-dah part!  So check back...

Happy Hooking and Happy Fall (well, almost, sort of, Fall).

The Best Weeks of Summer

Daylily time here in Kansas is in full swing - well maybe we are a little past "peak", but there is still much beauty to behold.  Most of these lilies were probably here on the blog last year, but many of you were not!

Here are a few of my favorites from this summer.  These shots were all taken in my garden, by me, with my little Canon camera.  I experimented more this summer with my "macro" setting (close-up).  I really really really like those shots!  Many of them have bugs... so if you don't like to look at bugs just skip over those!

I'll add the name of the daylily if I am sure of it (hybrid daylilies have registered names...).  There are a few other flowers and critters here too.

Take a few moments and enjoy.  My son says I put way too many photos on my blog - but this will probably be my only daylily post for the summer - so there are lots of photos.  These are in chronological order - as the garden progresses the lilies become prettier - so try to make it to the end!

Butterfly Weed... see the ant... the little blooms are tiny.

Lights of Detroit ( I think)

Thumbprint

Etosha

Thumbprint (again)

Classy Cast (this is my all-time favorite daylily)

 Classy Cast (again)

 and again.

Making Friends

 

This is Bun3zle... there is also a Bun2zle but he doesn't come around much.  3zle is so tiny - she would easily fit in the palm of your hand - like that would ever happen!!!  She is now fairly tame.  She sits on the patio and waits for me to come out and bring her carrots and kale.  I could sit out there for hours and watch her.  Apparently I am very easy to entertain!

 

Grandfather Time

Brand New Lover

 Classy Cast (again!)

 Mokan Gold

 Red Ribbons

 

 

Grape Adventure

Golliwog

School Mate

 Mynelle's Starfish

Commandment

Bun3zle... I think she is smiling...

Copper Summer (I think)

 Ladyfingers

Fruit Loops

Double Old Ivory

Hudson Valley

This is the largest of my garden areas.  We had 3-4 VERY hot days in a row and blooms were way down as you can see.  They recovered within a few days.

Moth on the outside of my kitchen window.

Pink Puff

Partial views of two smaller garden areas.  

 

Jan Marie

Ruffled Ruby

Beautiful Edges

 Eotsha (again).  I love the dark/light background here.

Vintage Wine

A fancy bug with lacy wings.

Ouachita Beauty

Spanish Glow

Atlanta Debutante

Baroody (with a little Lullaby Baby)

Ivory Edges

Making Friends (again)

Gentle Shepherd

I've lost the name of this one.  I took this very early one morning and she is only half awake!

Red Ribbons and spider web.

This is my favorite photo (so far) this summer of Bun3zle.  I wanted a picture of her from the back with her little white cottontail and her ears sticking up, but she kept turning her head to see what I was doing!  I guess it is asking a lot of a bunny to let a human sneak up behind to take a picture. 

If any other daylilies make a dazzling appearance, I'll put 'em on here.  Or if Bun3zle does something cute we might see her again!