Wool (deal) of the Week

Wool, wool, wool, can anyone ever have too much wool?

I've been rummaging around in my wool closet...and maybe I have just a little more than I can store right now....so during the summer months, I will be posting a Wool Deal of the Week.

Here's how it works:  The Wool Deal prices will be good for one week only, from the time of my blog post.  I will post when the deal ends. The wool will be unwashed, off the bolt, and shipping is not included in the price.  Quantities are limited so first-come, first-served.  Just give me a call during normal business hours with your Visa, Master Card, or Discover numbers.

Here's the first Wool of the Week:

Green-on-green windowpane plaid!  Who couldn't use some more green?  Trees. Leaves. Frogs. Fish. Borders. This would also dye up wonderfully with a wash of golden yellow (making it a softer yellow-green).

$15.50 per yard

This deal expires Thursday June 7, 2012!

Learn To Rug Hook This Summer!

I love the Michigan Fiber Festival.  I have gone to it for many years as a shopper, being a knitter, spinner, and a plain old fiber nut.  I love visiting the sheep and seeing the Angora goat show and just being in the creative vibes with all of that wool and all those textures and colors.  Now it's equally as fun for me being a vendor because I get to immerse myself for 3 days in all that wooly happiness.  I get 3 glorious days to talk about rug hooking all day to anyone and everyone I meet.

Now I get to share my knowledge with you too!

Last year, I had many people visit my booth and I would hear :

"I've always wanted to do this"

"My mother (aunt, grandma) used to do this and I wish I knew how"

"I'd like to buy a kit but I need some lessons"

Well, now is your chance!

I will be teaching a beginning rug hooking class at the Michigan Fiber Festival on Friday, August 17, 2012.  It is an all-day class from 9 am to 4 pm.  You will have the opportunity to learn the art of rug hooking from me...and it's not only for beginners but if you need a refresher, this would be a great class for you!  And if you sign up for the workshop before July 1st, you will save $5.00 off the workshop fee.

Click here for the Festival Workshop Schedule.  You can register on-line or print off a mailable form. 

If you need anything more to tempt you...admission to the Festival is free on Friday with a limited amount of vendors open to sell their products...so you could shop during lunch or following my workshop and beat the crowds on Saturday!
Correction!  I just received my Fiberline magazine and it lists a $3.00 admission fee on Friday (includes parking)...however this is still less than the $5.00 admission fee for Saturday or Sunday!

Mark Your Calendar...We're Doing It Again!

Spruce Ridge Studios

Open House and Tent Sale

Saturday June 23, 2012

10 am to 2 pm

(sale starts at 10 am sharp-no early sales please!)

There will be clearance-priced wool and rug hooking patterns, and craft-related products at reduced prices.  Also vintage, one of a kind, and antique treasures!

All sale items will be under the tent in my back yard.

For your regular rug hooking shopping needs, my studio will be open during the sale.

Visa, Master Card, and Discover accepted.

Please contact me for directions.

 

Join Me For A Wooly Good Time

This is what I brought back from the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival last year!  She is a Finn sheep and her name is Sukka, which means "sock" in Finnish (you can see one of her little white "socks" in the photo).  She is the sweetest little thing you could ever meet.  She loves to be petted and hugged and I am so happy that she is part of my flock.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you buy a sheep there (!) but I do want to remind you that the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is coming up in one week...

Saturday May 5th  (9 am to 6 pm) and Sunday May 6th (9 am to 5 pm)

Admission is FREE!

The festival is held at the Howard County Fairground, W. Friendship, MD.

My booth will be located in Barn 5, Space 8.

Last year was the first year I attended and let me say WOWZA!  This is Wool Heaven, folks!   We enjoyed every minute we were there!  There is certainly something for everyone....visit the animals in the barns, shop the well-stocked vendors, and see demonstrations.  There are lots of great food vendors too...even though I would not eat lamb, they do serve it there...you will not be sorry you came!  Personally, I am going to try to stay out of the sheep barn this year.....

 

Rug of the Day-Hit and Miss

During my travels last week, I saw this little runner in an antique store.

It was in rough shape and a little pricey for the size, otherwise I would have bought it.  The more I looked at it, the more I realized that this little orphan was a wonderful example of hit and miss.  First of all, I love that there are bright colors mixed in with black, navy and dark gray.  There are also a fair amount of light values mixed in (note the off-white, light yellow, and ecru).  All together, they make this rug sing!  Secondly, this little mat seems to be hooked in fairly straight lines.  However, on closer inspection, you will see that some of the rows take a turn and run into another row.  It's just enough to break up the monotony of everything being straight.

 I took a close-up of the back of the rug to remind myself of how some of the rows were hooked.  In my mind, this is the perfect hit or miss!  A wonderful thing for using up left-over strips....I can't wait to try this myself!

Are You A Copy Cat?

By now, you have probably heard the turmoil going on in the needlework world about the illegal downloading of artwork and charts. If you haven't, I will refer you to Lori Brechlin's blog to read more about it, since she explains it so well.

I do not normally get up on my soap box on my blog, but I find this trend of copying quite disturbing.  So I'd like to address something that is going on in the rug hooking world as well.

Illegal pattern sharing.

Yes, that's right. Did you know that when you purchase a pattern that is already drawn out on foundation cloth, you CAN NOT copy or retrace another one of that pattern?  Not for your own use, not for your friend's use.  If you want to have two copies of a particular pattern, you need to BUY two patterns.  It is not my rule, it is COPYRIGHT LAW.  It has been brought to my attention that certain guilds, groups, and even individuals will purchase a pattern or catalog of patterns, and then redraw a pattern again and again to share.  This is illegal and it is stealing!  So many people say, "well, it won't matter, I'm just doing it for myself and no one will find out."

How would you feel if, on payday, part of your check was missing, or your paycheck was stolen?  Pretty outrageous, right?  That's exactly what happens when you copy another designer's work without paying for it.  Many designers (myself included) are self-employed and depend on the sale of patterns to help pay the bills and buy groceries.  When you copy a pattern, you are virtually denying them the sale of a pattern....another words, stealing from that person.

You wouldn't take $40.00 out of my purse, would you?  Then why would you copy my pattern?  In my eyes, it's the same thing.

You can make a difference by becoming the solution and not the problem!  If you know someone who is copying patterns, let them know it is wrong (or let me know!).  Do not involve yourself with guilds and groups who routinely copy other's works.  Educate and inform individuals who don't know the "rules."

Let's all make a difference!

PS:  for more information about copyright, go to the US Copyright Office website

Rug of the Day-April 12th

I can't promise a rug picture every day but I thought this was worthy of sharing today.  This is September Squirrel, one of my newer rug hooking patterns, adapted from Prairie Schooler Designs and hooked by Emily Leavitt.  Emily says that she made this mat for a squirrel-loving friend.  I love how she made the tail darker than the squirrel body...something I probably would not have thought of but it works beautifully and looks very natural.  I love acorns and oak leaves and Emily's colors are so perfect for creating a fall feeling.