I recently got a great report from Texan, Janet G., a long time CA Getaway attendee:
Gene, I finally got the photo of the completed rug I started at the last CA Getaway. . Thank you for all of your help. I love the colors!!!! Janet
Dear Janet – Once again, I think you get the prize for being the first person to finish a Getaway project, although Betty A got her project done a couple days after your’s came in. Unfortunately, many of us still haven’t unpacked from those Getaways. Your colors do work together wonderfully well and I especially like the way the Cobalt wool looks as a background. It’s just stunning all round. Thanks so much. GRS
And, from another Getaway … a few yeas ago:
Hello from Canada ❤️
I was just working on a proddy flower wreath pillow case and wanted to send a thank you for writing
your proddy book; I just love it!! And was trying to remember instructions from 4yrs ago when I came to one of your hook-ins. Time flies.
As I use up some of the wool I got from you then, I’m hoping I can order more from you?
My parents are in the US for 2 weeks so I could get it shipped to them if you had any ready to go? (I couldn’t find anything online for inventory though). Do you have photos of what’s available that you could send me?
I hope this finds you, Marsha and the family well,
Kathy V
Dear Kathy – Thanks so much for sending this photo in. We sure enjoyed having you here for that Getaway. Your proddy flowers certainly are award worthy too. I know, for at least that year, you got the prize for coming the furthest distance! Although I am winding down on my dyeing, I’ll see what I can do to get you whatever wool you need. Let me know ASAP GRS
*****
I’m currently getting ready for an upcoming workshop in St. Louis. This trip kicks off my new plan: I’ll come to teach hooking, as long as all the students will be working on one of my patterns. I’ll also tech dyeing as long as the host supplies all the wool, dye and equipment. I’ll be doing both kinds of classes in St. Louis.
A conversation I had with one student surprised me.
Gene – I want to do your sheep rug.
Would that be Ewelalia or Ulysses?
No, the other sheep
I have no other sheep … unless you mean the one with 3 sheep and one lamb?
Yes you do – its’ on your site but not listed in your store.
There is no other sheep …
Yes there is – the one with Morning Glories.
She meant this rug
#1 Sheep – My very first project.
I told her I had never draw it before because it is so primitive and I don’t have a pattern. You see, when I did it, nothing was drawn on the pattern except for the outline of the sheep. Everything else was free hand as I hooked. (I didn’t know you needed a pattern.)
She said: That’s fine – I do primitive.
So, I decided to give it a go since she asked.
First of all, since it’s a big rug, I decided to shrink it down to a 2’ by 3’ version.
Then, when I was drawing, the morning glory pentagon shape drove me crazy. That is a hard shape to wing.
So, here is what I did.
I used my circle template to draw the biggest circle I could.
I marked the center, cut it out and cut one line from the outside to that center point.
Working carefully, I fan folded the circle into 5 exact parts.
After taping the back together, I inked in the fold lines to delineate the 5 pieces, then connected the 5 pieces to get the pentagon.
Although I liked my template, I wanted another slightly bigger. To do that
I used a scrap piece of paper to first make a copy of my good pentagon, then extended the spokes. Measuring 3/8 an inch from the first point, I marked each one just that much bigger. Once done, those new lines were inked in. This gave me the option of a small and big morning glory in one template.
It came in very handy!
While on this morning glory roll, I acquiesced to the wishes of another student … who likes to hook very wide cuts. She wanted the Pumpkins without Borders in a big enough size to accommodate her very wide cuts.
I thought that was a reasonable request, so I increased my original design by 150%, turning that pattern into a 2 by 4 sized rug. My question, however, was Do you want it with leaves or without?
She pondered that for a while and finally decided on “without” as she was afraid all those leaves would be too hard to hook with a wide cut.
I did draw one that way for her but
I ended up simplifying this pattern with just a few, very big leaves. That will give her a choice.
I didn’t mind the extra work as I liked the new design … and I like to keep busy.