back on track

after 2 weeks of illness i'm finally feeling well again. still coughing at night but good energy during the day. spent all day hooking and i'm liking what's happening with the mat again. sold 2 scarves on etsy yesterday - the "rapunzal" and one that i spun all the yarn for on my spindle. so life seems to be going forward again...

stalled

i took a break from my large mat this weekend. not knowing what direction to take it in next. it's so large that i don't want to make mistakes that will take a long time to correct. so instead i finished off my small "trade" mat that's heading to alabama and worked on my knitted baby sweater that's going to california and eventually to a baby in siberia. it was a cold, snowy weekend, so, aside from abigail's walks, i stayed in... i think winter has stalled too.

easter

and still so much snow...

i started filling in the "florets" on the mat yesterday. i thought i knew what i wanted but it isn't working. so i set it aside where i could glance at it during the day, and worked on something else. today i'll rip it out and try something new. some days are like that...

trade ya'

because most of the sellers on etsy are craftspeople (some sell vintage or craft supplies), we appreciate each other's work. there's a lot of trading going on. i initiate or agree to trades for supplies that go back into my work and items that i would normally be buying . right now i have a couple of lovely trades happening. beth at http://www.whorlingtides.etsy.com/ is trading me a selection of handspun yarn (i love her colours) for 1 of my hooked mats.

i'm also trading http://www.sweetpetula.etsy.com/ a baby hat or sweater for some handmade soap and dog shampoo.

secret spring

my favourite childhood story was frances burnett's the secret garden. i loved the mystery of a secret private place. the idea of digging down and discovering new growth, new life.

growing up as first generation canadians (my mother was from scotland) in toronto in the 1950's, with virtually no canadian children's books, we children grew up with british notions of the seasons. it didn't really matter that we lived in canada and canada was different. in our minds, early spring came in february.march meant crocuses and easter meant tulips and daffodils.

i've had to rethink spring again since moving to newfoundland in 1975. easter meant maybe, if the winter hadn't been severe (as it has been this year), that there would be pussy willows in a jar to hang the painted easter eggs on.

spring comes very slowly and quietly to newfoundland. there are signs, but they are subtle. the new call of the blue jay (it's mating call). the break up of the ice in the bay. the strength of the sun. it's actually a season i've learned to love here because it is quiet. and slow.

self-taught

although i received a lot of education and training as far as "fine art" goes (i hold a bfa, a b.ed in art eduction, and an mfa in painting) , as far as "craft" goes, i'm basically self taught. my mother taught me how to knit and sew when i was 6. my aunt nellie taught me how to use a sewing machine the summer i was 11. i picked up a rug hooking kit at a craft fair about 6 years ago and followed the instructions that were included. because of this, i tend to do things differently than the "professionals". i don't use a frame when i hook (i didn't know i was supposed to), and i don't know any other rug hooked who doesn't. because of this, rug hooking for me is very portable. even the largest mats can me carted around. i hook on my lap.

what's taking so long?

rug hooking - like most fibre processes - takes a long time. from experience, i know a mat this size (finished 36"x36")will take 3 weeks to complete . yesterday i finished the outline of the "florets". each floret takes an hour and on this mat there are 11.

for my mats i use good quality (ie even weave) scottish burlap. by hand, i cut 1/4" strips of recycled t-shirts or jersey fabric. holding a strip of fabric in your left hand underneath the burlap, and with the hook in your right hand, you hook down through a hole in the burlap and grab the fabric strip, pull it up to make a loop. you hook into approx. 2 out of every 3 holes. that's what takes the time. as work on this mat progresses, i'll post a photo each day to show you how it's coming along.