Working from a Photo

Are you familiar with Cindi Gay?  She is a rug hooker from Ohio who has an online shop, and hosts online courses, videos, etc.  Her website is at:  cindigayrughooking.com.

I found the following series with some interesting tips that I suspect we could all benefit from.  We've all encountered a photo that would make an interesting subject for a hooking project, but where to start???

She has 4 videos spread across 2 series:

• Rug Hooking Pattern from Photo, and
• Rug Hooking a Dog

Here's the first video, where she gets the pattern on to red-dot, but note that she re-does much of this work in the 2nd video as she wasn't happy with the result.  




At the end of the video above she explains how she enlarges the photo.  I've used some slightly different methods to her, and I'll do a separate blog post on that in the not-too-distant future.

Once she gets the image transferred, she then starts to work on the eye.  It's a bit hard to see what she's doing, but the end result is lovely:



From there she starts to tackle the fur:




I couldn't find the completed rug or any further videos addressing this rug, so i sent her an email.  She replied to say that she hadn't completed the rug yet, and must get back to it (don't we all have a rug or 2 in this category??).  stay tuned for future videos on this topic!

Oriental Class at Karen Kaiser's

Several folks from our group took a class at Karen Kaiser's last week, learning all about oriental rugs.  There were rug hookers in attendance from Oakville to Brockville and points in between.

We were greeted on arrival by Bernie, a (very) large Bouvier de Flandres - he was very sweet and gentle, and seemed to really enjoy hanging out with us for the 2 days.

Karen has completed several prize-winning oriental rugs and had them on display in her work room.  She also managed to borrow several rugs from notable hookers in the area, including Dorothy Haight and Pam Duncan.

We chose our patterns ahead of time, and worked with Karen via email to determine our colour plans.  She dyed fabric for many of us and had packages of gorgeous colours waiting for our arrival.

We learned about shading and dyeing (dip and swatch), and made a stab at working on our rugs.  This gave us an opportunity to make changes to the cut size used as well as a few changes to the colours.

During the class we spent time checking out what everyone was working on, and Karen did a show & tell at the end to showcase everyone's work. (my apologies that some of the photos are a tad dark & blurry!)

It was a great group of folks and we had a wonderful time!  Thanks, Karen!

Thank You Letters

We posted a few photos last week of John, Judy and Dianne teaching rug hooking at St Anthony's Public School in Port Hope.  The students have now sent thank you letters, and clearly the session was a hit.  Here's a small sampling of letters for your enjoyment:

The letter above contains an interesting poem:

rugs are nice,

like skating on ice.

you pull and make a loop,

just like jumping through a hoop.

It's very easy.

but not when it's breezy.

Busker & Art Festival 2017

We were invited to participate in Cobourg's Busker and Art Festival this year.  We had a lovely tent (provided by Laurie - thx), and several shifts of volunteers to demonstrate and greet passersby.

There were lots of visitors to the area, especially given that there were several events underway on the same day in Cobourg:
- Highland Games
- Farmer's Market
- Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
- Ball Hockey (at the Mall)

The weather generally cooperated, with a few showers early in the morning, but the threat of a significant rain storm late in the day caused us to take down our tent early.  The afternoon rain did materialize but wasn't as significant as we had been led to believe.

John Draper's blog has a great article on the festival, and here's the video he took, showcasing mostly the buskers.  Our tent makes a brief nano-second appearance at about 8:55.

Lunch at Joyce's

Joyce graciously invited us to her home for lunch this past Thursday.  The weather didn't cooperate, but we had a great time.  There were many yummy treats on offer, and we drank a LOT of tea!

Check out the photo tab above to see more photos.

Campbellford Hook-In on the Canal

The folks of the Campbellford - Seymour Rug Hookers are hosting a Hook-In, September 11, 2017, at Old Mill Park in Campbellford.

It's from 10-4, and they ask that you bring your lunch, a chair, some hooking to work on and a completed project for display.  Admission is $3, and there will be prizes and a 50/50 draw!

Here's the poster they created for the event, and it has now been added to our calendar!

HOOK-IN!

Yessiree, the Northumberland Rug Hookers are hosting a hook-in at the end of October.  Here are the details:

Date:  October 30, 10am-2pm

Place: Grace Church, 440 King Street East, Cobourg

Admission: $5 per person

Theme: “The Art of Rug Hooking”

Guest Speaker: Stu Sprague, retired Art Teacher 

Vendors will be on site

Bring a completed rug for display  (“Canadiana” theme or your latest rug), your present hooking, and a sandwich. Delicious snacks, sweets and beverages will be provided.

Voting for favourites in 3 Categories: 

• Fine cut (5 and under); 
• Wide Cut (6 and above); 
• “Canadiana” (any rug Canadian in context)

Contact:  nrhookers@gmail.com

(The photo above is an original design (“Begonia Leaves”) by Iris Vermuelen.)

2018 Annual

....and you thought we were just getting over the 2017 Annual, right?  Well the planning is on for the 2018 Annual in Ottawa next year. You've already seen the note about booking accommodation, and now there's more:  the Old Forge group (hosts for 2018) have set up a whole website just for the Annual.   Check it out here.

While you're at it, check out their regular website. It contains great info and links to lots of other interesting sites (including ours!).

Hook In, Classes and Demos

Pictured above is Anne Murray's completed wall hanging - a great use of textured yarns!

At yesterday's Thursday gathering there was lots to talk about:

- planning for our October 30 hook-in continues.  If anyone wants to volunteer to help out, please let Dianne know.  We have Stu Sprague confirmed as the guest speaker.  A promo flyer will be available shortly.

- planning for the November 9 class with Jayne Nevins.  Christine is working on this one.  We're aiming for a class on a Thursday, from approx 10-2, to learn about shading.  Jayne is working out the finer details on what the class will entail, but it promises to be interesting.  It will be suitable for beginner as well as advanced hookers looking to refresh their knowledge.  The price will depend on how many folks sign up - we're aiming for a class of 10-15.  The cost will be a very reasonable rate.  Christine asked that those interested in the class pay a deposit to hold their spot.

- gearing up for demonstrating at the BuskerFest on June 17

....and while we were preparing for our potluck, Francine was on a wonderful vacation in Newfoundland.  Here's a photo she sent to us - definitely something for the bucket list!