Eat, Read, Sleep

That’s what I did all weekend. Lots of all of the above. With surprisingly little hooking.

Mother Nature didn’t give us a great weekend weather-wise, but you really can’t blame her. After all, someone decided to have the May 24th weekend a week early. This time of year, a week makes a big difference. Just watch - next weekend will be amazing, because it is the REAL May 24.

There are always bonuses to a bad-weather weekend, long or otherwise. Case in point, the bugs were too cold to come out. They were all rifling through their closets looking for their winter coats. (See what happens when you switch over your wardrobe too early?) I don’t think they’ll come out again till next weekend.

The traffic going north was significantly lighter. I heard on the radio that the statistic was 30% lighter. That makes a BIG difference to the time spent in the car. I wasn’t unhappy about that.

I was secretly rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of how much hooking I would get done, between eating and sleeping. Big surprise - I hooked less than I generally do on a no-weather-restrictions weekend. Instead, I buried my nose in two very good books.

Both were Mothers’ Day presents. Since I read far more at the cottage than I do at home, they were packed into the cottage bag. “Shoe Addicts Anonymous” came out first. It was a very quick and light read - a perfect cottage choice. I totally ignored my hooking until it was done.

For some reason, even after finishing the first book, the hooking wasn’t holding me. So out came “Eat, Pray, Love”. To those of you who said I would love it, you were right. It was recommended by at least four people, including Laura, who gave it to me rather than lend me her copy. I guess I am a third done - having finished the “eat” part.

A couple of people said it made them think of me. Not because I am a traveller - in fact, I seldom go anywhere other than Parry Sound every weekend (which I think doesn’t count as travelling). But one said the writing made them think of me - I now know enough to feel extremely flattered. Another told me that the writer reminded them of me - I feel a tad anxious about that (just kidding). But I am loving the book. For those of you who haven’t read it yet, this is a hearty recommendation.

Looking back, I think the new rhythm of this past weekend was a nice respite from my usual “Eat, Sleep, Hook”. I think I'll try to keep some time for reading. But I also know that just around the corner, after the real May 2-4, there's gardening, staining, landscaping.......etc. etc. etc.

Gorillas in my Midst.

There is something about gorillas and their chimpanzee cousins that have always held a special fascination for me. In a weekend conversation about the first teddy bears or stuffed animals we could remember, mine was a stuffed chimpanzee with a rubber face. It had a rubber banana you could put in its mouth. I have no idea what happened to it, but it stands out above all the rest.

An unforgettable primate encounter happened years later when Rick and I took Laura to the zoo. She was in a stroller and was wearing a pink fuzzy snow suit. I think she was just over a year old. When I stopped her stroller in front of the gorilla compound, a mother holding a baby (much like the one in this piece) stared at us for a long time and then brought her baby over to show it to me. My husband and I couldn’t believe it.

So I fell in love with this piece that Patti Armstrong created. It was the winner in the Wide Cut category at last weekend’s OHCG Annual. I, like others, was drawn to the tenderness captured in this piece.

Yesterday, on Mothers’ Day, my family gave me a new charm for my Pandora bracelet, which is called “Gorilla Family”. I love it, and it was uncanny that I should receive it a week after seeing this rug in the show. So I knew what today’s post would be about - gorillas and babies and tenderness.

My babies are now 25 and nearly 22, and on days like yesterday they can still melt my heart as easily as they did when I first held them. I’m sure over the years there have been lots of ways that I looked at them that weren’t quite so tender, but there is no argument that they are my very best masterpieces. And on Mothers’ Day, all those not-so-tender memories fall away.

Hope you all had a great one, with your mom or your kids - gorillas included.

Hooked on Midland.

This past weekend the OHCG Annual was held in Midland, Ontario. It was an incredible weekend and it's always hard to decide what was the best part.

Is it the show?
Hundreds of this past year's amazing creations by some incredibly talented artists. For me, one of the highlights was seeing the fruit of the labour of the START committee of 2007. We had 25 faces to put in the display and they were quite a conversation piece and photographed by nearly every visitor.

Is it catching up with folks you haven't seen in a while?
The hugs, the laughter, the quick conversations, the re connections. That wonderful reminder of the importance of community.

Is it the selection of goodies to purchase from all the vendors?
It's a shopping mall of hooking suppliers, with everything a hooker dreams of - and then some. Every year there are colours and textures and so many choices to add to your stash. Books to inspire. New patterns to ponder. The perfect counterpoint to the inspiration in the show.

Is it the program created by the hardworking committee?
Excellent venue, fun-filled activities, great food, inspirational speakers and general silliness. Midland committee - you rock! The drumming circle on Friday night had even the biggest skeptics joining into the Zen. Suzanne Conrod's talk about The Rug Museum of North America was a rallying cry for us all to pitch in to protect the heritage of our art form. Rhonda Kellet's impassioned plea on behalf of the Women of the Congo reminded us that we all have the power in our hooks to further a cause that touches our souls.

Is it getting away for a weekend of no cooking, no laundry, no children, no work?
Yes, it's pretty nice not having to do any chores for three days. Food appears when you sit down. Delicious meals and goodies. Laundry and grocery shopping are not on the agenda. It's like Mothers' Day a week early.

Is it having time to poke around cafes and shops in a new Ontario town?
Yes. Starting with a beautiful harbour, lovely decor shops and lunch in an amazing tea room, there was lots to see. But this year's bonus was a stay at an unbelievable B&B (The Victorian Inn) with amazing hosts Carol and John who made Elaine and me feel like family. Please check out their website (see in favourites) and if you ever have a chance to go to Midland, please stay there and give them a hug for me.

I think the real answer is that it's all of the above. And every year it's a weekend that I look forward to knowing that it will be the same, but different, each time. Since we are all scattered around the province and since we only get together for schools and hook-ins and weekends like this, it's a celebration of people and our passion for this incredible art form.

And I loved every minute of it.

What a little sunlight can do.

It's amazing what happens when the sun comes out. All of a sudden, people are smiling. Everything is starting to bloom. Spring is not only in the air, but in everyone's step as well.

If you live in Ontario you know we have abruptly gone from 20 below to 25 above and people are delirious with the change. In one weekend, I watched the ice go out of the lake at my cottage. And it seemed like 10 minutes later, our two loons landed. They must have been circling waiting for the last bit to go. It was magical.

Up and down my street in the city, the colours of spring are everywhere. The yellow of forsythia. The pink, white and fuscia of magnolias - always the first to bloom and then drop their petals on newly-green lawns. Everyone's urns are filled with tulips and hydrangea in gorgeous vibrant hues. Palettes are changing. Textures too. It's like coming out from underneath all the heavy winter fabric and snow and grey skies. Spring gives us all permission to go a little bit brighter - celebrate and be a bit more daring.

For me, the same shift in colour and texture happens in my hooking each spring too. All winter I have used comfort colours and patterns that are cozy and plaid and warm and wonderful. Spring demands a colour change.

The purse front in this picture is the perfect example of that change. These colours are fantastic for spring and summer. They remind me of sherbet and ice cream, beach towels and umbrellas. They feel different when you work with them. And in this case, they feel very different because I switched from wool to panty hose.

If you haven't worked with pantyhose, give it a try. The results are amazing. You can ask friends to donate old ones and overdye them. You use all parts - the legs and the control top (which gives that little sparkle you can see - from the lycra, I guess). The other bonus is that it is cooler to work with than wool, especially if you use a rug warp backing. Even the hottest summer day doesn't keep me from picking up my hook.

I know that the weather is supposed to get cold again in the middle of the week. Someone even said that there may be flurries tomorrow. This is Ontario after all. And it's still April.

But in the meantime, I've enjoyed the sunshine, the smiles, the flowers and the switch in my hooking. Spring and summer don't last nearly long enough, so I'll enjoy every loop of it.

Speaking of Jewellery

I reconnected this week, via email, with a friend who has an amazing line of jewellery. Please visit her site at www.lisaridoutjewllery.ca (I’ve added her to my favourites).

Our lives have criss-crossed over the last 30 years, and through a few re-inventions. We originally worked for the same advertising agency. About the time I left to stay home with my kids, Lisa headed off to George Brown College to study jewellery design. As her bio will attest, she had an epiphany when studying chain mail and this became the inspiration for her creations.

We ran into one another several years later at the Toronto Outdoor Art Show at City Hall. She was growing her jewellery business at many different craft show venues. I was there, selling hand made button covers with a friend. Debbie and I were doing this to make a little pocket money. Lisa was well past pocket money already.

Over the years, her designs have continually evolved. What started as mostly links and amazing intricacies in silver has expanded to include amazing crystals and semi-precious stones. Her relatively new line of watches causes intense drooling.

I have followed her around the area since then, and am the proud owner of many beautiful pairs of earrings and a couple of amazing bracelets. My husband knows that if there is an occasion, anything that Lisa designs is sure to please.

Lisa’s big news is that she now has a studio that is not in the basement of her home. She has a huge space that’s all her own and, like every other artist I know, can’t figure out why she waited so long to make the big leap. She loves it. She’ll be having an open house in the next little while to show it off. I can hardly wait to see it.

She is incorporating other forms of art into her studio space, which will make it even more of a destination. She is thinking that she needs a bit of textile art to grace the space. I would be honoured to have a creation of mine reside in her studio space. Hmmm. The wheels are turning with design ideas already…..

More bragging rights.

It's so wonderful to find an email waiting for me from a student who has finished a project they started with me. And I think every teacher, pattern designer and supplier feels the same way. Seeing the finished work of art keeps the people who love this craft connected. So, when I arrived home from the cottage last nite to find Pam Watkin's email attaching her runner, I was thrilled to see it done.

This is an original design, which Pam said incorporates all her favourite colours. My only input was helping a bit with the placement in the clamshells. Other than that, she was off to the races. It was easy to see by the end of the weekend that this primitive design was going to "sing". The blue that she chose is like an extra twinkle in the antique colour palette. And it looks amazing finished.

This rug will be going to the OHCG Annual in Midland, and I feel quite certain it will have its picture taken a number of times. I hope everyone reading this entry, who is within a reasonable driving distance, can make it to the show. For more information, please visit the OHCG website (see in my links) click on the Annual link.

Congratulations Pam. This is a timeless beauty.

A Jewel of a Tool

In my last entry, I mentioned a hook with interchangeable heads. I want to share the story of the fabulous one I own, pictured here.

I purchased this hook a couple of years ago at the OHCG Annual. One of the vendors had a few for sale, each one a different wood, a different stone. Like a display of hand-crafted pens, these hooks were waiting for their future owners to find them. And I chose mine easily amid the bunch. From the moment I held it in my hand, I knew it was the ONE. The bonus was that it came with two heads which could easily be interchanged depending on the project needs. They simply screwed in and out.

This hook is the work of art of a gifted artisan - a couple actually. The handle is hand-turned. The beautiful bead on the top is hand blown. And the hooks are crafted by hand as well. The woman who turns the handles and blows the beads for these beauties is Molly Colegrove. Her husband creates the hooks and metal receptacles. What an evolution from the pioneers’ horse shoe nail in a piece of broom handle.

When I mentioned at a workshop at Rittermere that I wasn’t using my hook because I found the shank (I hope that’s the right term) a bit too short to pick up the wool, both Bea and Andrea told me to get in touch with Molly. They said that she would want to know about my dilemma. And that she would do whatever it took to help me. They were right.

She offered to exchange the tips for whatever length I would like. All I had to do was send the originals back, figure out what length I wanted instead, and she would send me new ones. So, I settled on a length and put my originals in a padded envelope and sent them on their merry way.

Molly and I exchanged several emails, since I wasn’t sure that with all the postage scrutiny they would arrive safely. I told her when I was sending them from my end. She told me when they arrived. She sent a note when the replacements were in the mail and they made their way back - passing through two postal systems again.

There was just one hurdle to overcome in this whole exchange. I had to figure out how to give Molly $1 for return postage. I couldn’t send a loonie. She wouldn’t want that. She couldn’t use Canadian stamps and I couldn’t buy US stamps. A money order for a dollar seemed a rather silly notion. So, I did exactly what you aren’t supposed to do and folded a US dollar bill into the envelope. It survived the journey as well.

So I now have a fabulous hook where function has met form. This beauty now “hooks as good as it looks”. (Excuse the bad grammar, I couldn’t resist.)

And I have a new e-pal in Molly. I hope we get to meet each other someday. If not, I’ll continue to sing her praises and show off my hook whenever possible.