Heading for Spain!

Well I never been to Spain

But I kinda like the music

Say the ladies are insane there

And they sure know how to use it........   

This weekend during our Easter Celebration at my Mom's the words to this old Three Dog Night song entered into the conversation.  I'll tell you why in a minute!

That handsome young man in the photo up there with his ol' Auntie Cathy is my nephew Adam. 

He turned 20 years old on April 1st.  There has to be something special about a kid when they're born on April fools day wouldn't you agree?

Let me tell you a little about Adam.  

He is currently attending Concordia University in Moorhead MN.  He is studying nursing and carries a double major in that and Spanish. He speaks fluent Spanish. He just returned from his second trip to Costa Rica. In a couple of weeks he will be traveling to Spain to live for over a month to earn credits for the Spanish major. While there he will only be speaking Spanish so I hope he doesn't forget how to speak English!  LOL!

His Dad( my brother) and I were singing the words to I Never Been to Spain and Adam said he had never heard that song!  So there are parts to his journey in life that need to be filled in I guess! 

Any way Adam is the recipient of the Spiral hooked mat. I think the spiral is very fitting for him as he journeys through life and experiences all the colorful and exciting things along the way. 

He seemed very pleased to have something handmade and loved all the colors in the mat.  I have to tell you that Adam is also an accomplished musician and sings in the choir and performed in show choir when he was in high school. 

I think it's wonderful that he is going into the medical field and he has told us that he possibly might go into the Peace Corp.  What ever you do Adam may all the positive and good energies in the Universe continue to guide your path! 

Right after our Easter Dinner Adam hopped right up and did the dishes for Grandma and all of us!  Didn't I tell you he is one sweet kid!

( one word of advice for you Adam..... watch out for those insane ladies over in Spain.... they might not be rug hookers!!

Love,

Aunt Cathy G

Tis a Gift!

Happiness to a rug hooker is completely finishing a rug no matter what the size. Getting them bound and labels sewn on a labor of love.  Love for the rug and in this case love for someone special who is going to be receiving this little spiral mat as a gift.  I can't tell who at this point as this person reads my blog.

 While I hooked this mat and chose each color of wool strip I thought about this person. So you could say their spirit and life energy is hooked into this mat. The spiral represents the journey in life they are on.

I think I mentioned before how hard it is for me to part with my work. One of the things that helps is to keep my mind focused on the person whom the mat is being given,  hoping that in days and years ahead they will find enjoyment and think happy thoughts of me when the mat is being looked upon and used.

Of course this little mat had to look fabulous in every place I put it in my home! It could live here in comfort and grace the little tables and warm the hearth where a candle holder sits.

But it will be united with it's new owner shortly!  I'll let you know next week who the person is!

Here is the start of a new chair pad that I designed and am making into a kit for two of my students. It is a 14" round pad and has some really gorgeous primitive country colors.  It is half way hooked already and I'm counting the strips as I hook!

Happy Easter to all my faithful readers out there!  I see my followers are over 200 now!  That means I should be having a give-away to celebrate!  That may have to wait for a little while but before the sun sets on the last day of May maybe I can rustle up something sweet for you friends!  I appreciate all of you and your comments thrill me and keep my spirits high!  Your blogs inspire me!  

Blessings!

Cathy G

Spiraling into Control!

A couple of weeks ago Karen Kahle had a blog post on her new blog about hooking a spiral chair pad HERE.  Have you been reading her blog?  It is so full if inspiration and wool eye candy!  I eagerly await her new posts which are almost daily.  If you haven't checked it out do so today!   The creative energy there is flowing!


So today my desire to have some fun after a few weeks of "nose to the grindstone" work got the better of me!  I found some of those unruly wool strips some affectionately call worms that lurk about the studio and drew up a spiral on some linen.  It always makes me a little crazy that something like this huge pile of chaos...... 

......can actually be turned into something rather inspiring and organized.  

Taking care of all the matters in daily life, trying to start and run a business, teaching others the joys of rug hooking while staying inspired myself has been sort of like this spiral. Whirling around and around sometimes at break-neck speed!  Colorful and joyful.  A journey that starts as something small and twirls into something bigger.

Sometimes I have to admit it feels a bit like the spiral is twirling out of control.  Like being swept up in the tornado wondering where I will end up!  

Hooking  on this spiral today made my mind focus and helped me to look forward to what lies ahead. New students to inspire..... new designs and patterns to create..... a business with growing pains that needs lot of attention and time. 

The key is to find some balance. Much like picking the right blend of neutrals, dark and light values in my spiral.

I'm reminded that the spiral eventually ends with a border that contains the design.  Holding it all together.  My hope is that the border is gentle,  allowing me time for my own creative endeavors as well as keeping the business end of things going.

  

I'm glad I drew up this little design today. Thank-you Karen Kahle for the inspiration and for sharing your creative energy with all of us!  I feel like I may be spiraling a little more in control because of it!

Cathy G

The Fruits of my Labor

Thought you might like to meet the gals from my beginning rug hooking class at WITC which is now completed!  I had nine students so Teresa and Beth are missing from this photo as they couldn't attend the last class when this photo was taken. 

Everyone has continued on hooking in some fashion like Liz and Penny who are working on kits I prepared for them.  Heidi and Teresa have built their own frames and plan to start their own designs. Mary is thinking of chair pads she'd like to design and Pat has already dyed her own wool and is working on a mat for a grand daughter with her dyed wool!  Each and every student has been an inspiration to me and we had so much fun!  The seeds are being planted here in this neck of the Wisconsin northwoods to grow a large group of dedicated hookers.  

I am happy to announce that my next class for beginning rug hookers is starting tomorrow evening right here in my studio!  Yes.... I have SIX lovely ladies who are very anxious to begin pulling loops. There are two mother and daughter teams who will be in this class.  How exciting is that!  My heart flutters at the thought of a mother and daughter learning this craft together!  And I have TWO pairs in the same class!  

Please think of us tomorrow evening and send good vibes to this class!  I think I am ready but must go and make a few final preparations!  So enjoy a walk about the studio through some photos I took this morning before I flipped on the lights. All quiet and silent.  Well not for long..... hooks and loops and wool snippets will be a flyin'! 

(linen patterns stretched on frames waiting for the students)

(kits ready to go)

( they can fondle some wool for inspiration)

(Making a little more progress on my 17 circles rug)

(the flower mat kit I designed for Liz)

( the cupboard is full of wool in the entry to greet them)

I'll keep you posted on how the new class is going.......  My apologies for being away from the blog for so long...... I've had good intentions but I've putting in some late nights in the studio and other things have developed too.  I have a new student who I will tell you about soon. She is taking private lessons from me and has to squeeze it in between her two runs as a mail truck driver!  She's a real go getter and wait til you see the rug she is working on!!!!  ( her first ever attempt at  rug hooking....... oh..... later..... I promise!!!)

Go forth and create!!

Cathy G

Primitive Handmades Mercantile Update this Friday!

It's time again for our Primitive Handmades Mercantile March update on Friday!  Along with the new goodies everyone's working on ( can you see those little fingers just a flyin'?!!) to offer for sale, we have a fun scavenger hunt for you to play!  LOOK at the lovely items you can be entered to win if you hunt down the clues and get the phrase correct!  Such fun!  Like the good old fashioned Easter Egg hunt!  So mark your calendars for Friday March 16th!  There are some new members who have joined our group too that you'll want to check out!!  

I have two new items finished ( except for the labels sewn on....whew!)  I hope you will like them as I think they turned out pretty darn nice!  I feel a little sheepish and kind of chicky for bragging a little.  I hope you don't mind.   

See you Friday at the Merc!

Cathy G