Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 20-21

I won't post my usual shot of the full rug on the floor because, well, there has not been much progress.  Still have the arm issue so I have REALLY cut back.  20 minutes or so of hooking each day is about all I let myself do. 

I have moved my hooking operation out to the screened porch.  Here's Crazy Horse lounging on the porch, wondering what the heck happened to me!

The porch is one of my favorite places to be.  A wonderful craftsman from Bethany, MO built all this willow furniture for us.  I collected Saltillo blankets to upholster the cushions.

The rug is pretty much covering up the love seat (above).  Here are the two chairs...

and the chaise lounge...

and the tall table...

Mike made the "chandelier" over the table from an Osage Orange (Hedge) branch and 5 glass bottles he found somewhere on one of his travels.  Each bottle has a metal hanger with a place to put a tealight in the bottom.  After we broke one of the bottles we had to drink a whole bottle of Milagro and have the bottom cut off to replace the broken bottle (it's the blue one)!

The garden is super lush right now - with foliage!  We have had lots of moisture and everything is growing like a weed, including the weeds.  The hybrid daylilies are still a few weeks away - I can't wait!!!

Here's one of my cute bunny planters all decked out with mini petunias.

Here's the plant I nursed through the winter indoors because I love it...it survived and now that it is back outside it is flourishing again.  Today it is celebrating Memorial Day and remembering all those who Serve Our Country... hope you are too.

Crazy Horse will not make another appearance on the blog until it is FINISHED!  I really hope that will be soon.  I can't wait to see it in its place and walk on it everyday!

Happy Hooking.  Happy Gardening.

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 19 and Pain and Spring

Here's another weekly progress photo showing a pathetic amount of progress - just the last four corner tongues with dividers.  Explanation to follow.

I won't go into detail, but I have this hand, arm and shoulder "issue".  I believe I've mentioned it before.  Well, this week I decided to bite the bullet and have "deep tissue massage" - not to be confused with regular old relaxing massage with candlelight and soft music.  And I do mean that part about biting the bullet.  I've seen that in movies - like when they are cutting some poor guy's leg off with no drugs and they give him a bullet to bite on.  I survived the session - I never said "Uncle" although I came pretty close a few times.  I probably need four more sessions - interspersed with exercises done at home.  In the meantime, Do Not get between me and my Motrin.

And, rug progress will be slow...

Even though it is May 14th, the furnace actually came on this morning.  We have already had days in the 90's this May, but not today!  I put on my jacket and walked outside to see what's happening in the garden today.  It's Iris time here in Kansas...

 

 

 

I am trying Calla Lilies this summer in my two Talavera pots on the patio.  I really love the color.  I hope they are able to multiply quite a bit.  I probably should have put several in each pot.  Right now, each plant has about 5 or 6 blooms.

When you look inside, there is a great polka dot thing in there!  I'm sure it has a more technical name than "polka dot thing".

Have a great Spring week everyone!

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 18 and Cupboard Doors and Morels!

If you are following the progress of this rug, you will notice Right Away that little progress was made this week.  I have been trying to rest my arm and shoulder, but the other activity that calls out to me is the garden - and I don't think that's doing my arm any good either!  Somehow I was able to get 4 corner tongues and those little dividers next to them hooked this week - only a couple of hours of work.  So, just for the sake of keeping the weekly photo thing going, here's this week's photo:

Last Wednesday was the once-a-month meeting of the Woolhawks, a small group of rug hookers here in Lawrence.  We meet at the library - normally in a nice size gallery space with long tables and plenty of room.  Last week we could not have that room, but they would let us meet in a small conference room.  A tiny conference room would be a better description.  I decided not to take my big rug to the tiny room!  I have several of Anita White's "Cupboard Series" patterns in my stash, so I pulled out one of those and some wool to take to Woolhawks.  Tiny rug for tiny room!  Here's what I came up with.  The spot dye will be the background and the other colors will be the design. This design is called Tulip.  (Anita's post on February 27 has a photo showing lots of the different designs in the series.) 

The rugs in this series measure about 6.75" by 18.25".  She also provides the wonderful primitive frames shown below to fit the patterns.  On the left is a red one - I bought this one thinking I would use it for the Tulip design, but now I can see that it won't work with the colors I pulled. But it will work for lots of other things - maybe a Santa?  On the right is the only other Cupboard rug I have made so far - and I love it!  I didn't really start out trying to make a barkcloth look, but I think the finished rug has that look.

The pumpkin rug is removable (velcro dots) and it is completely finished.  I could use it just like any other piece - it does not have to be in the frame.  For seasonal pieces this is great - you can use the same frame for several different little rugs during the year. 

Here is the other Cupboard Series rug I have in my stash.  This will be a fun one!

And... one of the best things about this time of year...

We have absolutely gorged ourselves on these the past few days!  Just heavenly!  

Have a great week everyone!

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 17 and The Barn

After a fun weekend retreat at The Barn consisting of hooking, laughing, eating and imbibing, here's this week's update on Crazy Horse.  I am working my way around the border.

There is really not much to show or talk about with the border, so here are some shots from The Barn!  I tried to get a photo of all the rugs just before we left so that all the "progress" could be included.  I know I missed a few rugs that had already been put away.  I won't mention names of the rug hookers because I know some people don't like to have their names out in cyberspace, but I will try to tell you about the patterns.

Here are two versions of Flip Flop Bunny Hop from Dogwood Hooked Arts.  www.heartandharerugs.com.

 

I love this rug...  it is a pattern from goinggray called Painted Ponies.  The hooker told me that her color plan was inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt.  The incredible background was her idea and WOW!  This rug is fabulous in person.

Here is Elizabeth's Garden from Cabin Fever Rugs.  I got to watch all those darling little flower pots get colored in!

 Here they are being colored in...check out her organized wool strips!

... a close-up view!

This is Fountain of Eweth (get it?) from Primitive Grace.  That one bright pink flower will soon be joined by others in a variety of bright colors - this hooker always delivers when it comes to brights!  We got into hysterics several times trying to figure out how to make the sheep faces.  There were also many discussions about whether the sheep are flowing out of a fountain or hanging in a tree.  (Issue still unresolved.)

Primitive Fruit.  This is a beautiful pattern and one I would love to do someday because I collect old fruit prints.  Can't wait to see this one again!  Knowing this hooker, it will be finished soon!

 

This is Century of Shoes.  It will become the cover of a bench where this hooker sits to put on her shoes...  shoes that go on the same feet you see there in the photo!

This is a Deanna Fitzpatrick pattern - can't remember the name.  The whole pattern has 5 women in bright dresses - really cute!  The outlining technique is very unusual, and the overall effect is wonderful.

Fine hooking...  really incredible.  I left the feet in the photo to show the scale.  She is really closing in on finishing this!  I could never even dream of doing a rug like this! 

 Here's a close-up of the center...

This is a quilt block rug being produced by the State Line Rug Hookers Guild.  There is only one space left to fill!  I believe the plan is to auction it off for a worthy cause.  

This particular block was designed and hooked at the retreat.  I just love the design and the colors and everything about it!

This wonderful paisley design is being hooked by Anita White.  She made lots of progress on it.  The paisley in this rug is fabulous.  You should keep checking Anita's blog to see how this turns out... 

Anita designed and hooked this geometric as a "trial" before making a larger version of it.  It's fun to look at it both ways - see the pinwheels, then see the stars.  She plans to put another row of the brown around the outside edge.  It is 8 and 8.5 cut.

 

Chicks!  I love the chicken wire!

I am not sure of the name of this pattern, but it is by Rhonda Manley.  The hooker started on the border at the retreat.  This has a beautiful antique look...  really spectacular.

Here's the gift I chose in the gift exchange...  I will finish it with the materials you see there.  Quite a change of pace from plain wool strips!  I also got a great cookbook by the chef at Jasper's - a famous Kansas City landmark.  Can't wait to read it and pick out some things to try.

If you are a rug hooker, this scene is probably familiar to you.  It's nice to see it someplace other than in my house!

We had lots of fun watching the royal wedding reruns on BBC.  We all brought hats and gloves and tea cups/saucers in honor of the wedding.  Here are several of the hats...the green one is much more chartreuse than it appears here...

 

And here is our farewell shot... with our hats on!

Best Wishes to William and Kate!  Try to stay away from the Paparazzi!

Now back to my Crazy Horse border ...

Happy Hooking!