Very Productive Day

Saturday, August 21, 2010: 

First of all, this is a photo of Renee's latch hook rug she is working on. She only has a little white and blue remaining to do.  Renee' is getting really good with the camera!  She received the 3 kits in the mail yesterday, a horse, a puppy, and a dragonfly (for Bunch - my other blog motto).  Also Renee taught me to latch hook. She was very patient because I just couldn't quite get it, but finally after about five tries, I got it. 

I thought about naming this post "wrestling with a bear" - but as it turned out, the day was very productive.  This morning when I was outside having my coffee and cigarette, the temperature was not as hot as usual and the humidity seemed a little lower as well.  I haven't done yard work all summer and, being afraid the neighbors were going to petition to evict me from the neighborhood, I decided I better do my chores. So I put on my jeans and went to Lowe's to get weed killer. While there I also picked up a 3-bin cabinet for my wool stash.  When I got home I tackled the yard.  I don't have grass to mow, as my yard is totally natural, but I have bushes to trim, weeds to get rid of, and pine straw to rake. So I sprayed the weeds, used the weed eater in the back yard, trimmed most of the bushes and it became too hot to continue. I truly felt like I had wrestled a bear.  So about 11:00 I came inside, took a shower.

The next bear was the cabinet.  I looked everywhere, finally found the screwdriver. After putting one board on backwards, the another one the wrong direction, then thinking I was missing a shelf peg - etc - you get the picture - I got the cabinet together, put it on top of my homemade bookcase (cinderblocks and boards), and began putting my wool in it.  My goodness, I had no idea I had accumulated to much wool. So, I went back to Lowe's to get more cabinets, this time one with 9 sections (3 x 3 slots).  I'll tackle that tomorow.  

The mailman came earlier than usual and to my surprise, my locker hooking canvas arrived!  I thought this is my present for doing my chores like a good girl!  I got my fabric that I had purchased yesterday, opened the 30x60 canvas (3.5), and started tearing cloth.  I remembered the secret to making cloth strips from long ago when I made crochet rag rugs. You cut a slit in the selvage edge, tear down to about 1/4" to the next edge (but do not tear all the way through). Then you turn the fabric, make a slit from that end the distance needed and tear the fabric in the other direction. Instead of knots, you have continuous fabric strips. This works nicely if you are using a large amount of one fabric as I am doing in this rug. I've tried to show this in the picture.

Tear to edge, the clip the needed distance and tear in the other direction.

The is the color scheme for my rug with the orange started in the center.   

Also you can work across the rug, changing colors by keeping them waiting until you come to that section and pick them back up.  Also less ends. 

Another bear wrestling was how this canvas felt, turning 60" around every time I started a new row, keeping my strips and strings from getting caught and twisted. Then I thought about rolling up the ends and temporarily tying it with a cotton thread - much better. I guess you could say I conquered another bear! I even enjoy the seemingly frustrating things, like strings getting caught and tangled, it's all part of the process to get the finished piece. 

Later in the afternoon, my daughter Sharon and my grandaughter Jessica came over. Sharon is in school to become a certified medical assistant, so she brought her books to study.  Jessica always likes learning new crafts, so I fixed her a sit-on quilting hoop, some burlap, a hook and a basket full of yarn. She immediately took to it. She is very fast at learning everything I have ever shown her, quite a creative genius.

We went out to have NY Pizza for supper.  

Another super day with so much to be thankful for.

/Deb