Snack Time

saltine crackers

rug-hooking continues

waiting for my rug-hook frame to arrive so I can finish this one

so I started the Appalachian Mountains

Frame tilts to any position.

Frame rotates a full 360°.

Approx. 12" x 14" work area inside frame.

Stainless steel gripper-strips allow for easy positioning or repositioning of pattern.

Ball and wing nuts mechanism allows for ease of adjustment.

Quality workmanship.

Choice Red Oak with durable urethane satin finish.

goats and rug hooking

Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats

SweetPea, Cherry, Tulip, Marigold

Last year, we sold Gabbi (black, SweetPea's daughter) and Pansy (black and white, Tulip's daughter) to a family but the family had health issues to arise, and in the best interests of the goats, the family felt the 4 goats (including Pappy and Beau) should come back to us.  Also, they said that Gabbi never seemed to adjust there. She never was content to go out and just "pick" at her new home.  She's back to her ole self here. 

See the front width on Tulip? Dairy goat judges love it.
The last 2 years, Tulip has kidded with quads,
she is due approx April 1st.

Haven't bred Cali this year yet. She produces beautiful bucks but has never given us a doeling. We'll breed her approx April 1st for Fall Fairs, of course, I want a red girl just like her.

BarbaraJean had to get in the picture.

Did I tell ya I knitted myself a scarf? WaLa! very warm.

Haven't finished this hook rug yet because it has outgrown the hoop, and very thick, I need one of those expensive stands.

Started a new one.
I've found out that I don't like to rug hook heads or letters.
This head is awful, I spent hours on it, but will
have to tear it out and try again.
One good thing about rug hooking,

you can rip out a section you don't

like and start over.

Below are idea's for future hooked rugs.
I want to do the layered mountain look.
We live in the Blue Ridge Mountains,

and this is our visual around here.
Think I need different shades of blue.
Stay tuned.

Rug-Hooked Goat, Taco Soup, Snow

It's interesting what my vision was for my first hook-rug effort and now what I seeing. She was supposed to look like a superb show-quality Nigerian Dwarf doe, but yet she's turning out to look more like one of my Irish Terrier's.

Taco Soup recipe
1 pound ground meat (I use turkey and chuck)
1 large onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
... 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
1 (16 ounce) can dark-red kidney beans
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (16 ounce) can Zesty-Chili-Style tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Brown meat and onions. Add taco seasoning mix into meat. Add all other ingredients without draining into the large pot. Top with tortilla chips, sour cream, and zesty cheese. Makes a big pot, good stuff on a winter's day.

This is the top of our driveway/goat path before descending down a slope to the road. BarbaraJean and Jack think they hear something.

looking down on the inlaws house

Friday the 13th

cold, windy, and snowy

and the Pyreenes love it

the girls in the barn

the bucks all huddled together

Franklin went to bed before dark.

I've started on my hook rug.

Rug Hooking Class

At the Western Watauga Community Center on Mondays from 10AM-2PM, a rug hooking class is offered. Although Sandy couldn't go, we have been very interested in learning this tradition perfected and adopted on its own, by the North Americans. I practiced with the ladies for a bit, learned what supplies I needed, and took some photo's of their work. Of course, I want to get started on a goat pattern, so stay tuned.

"Hooking" was a craft of poverty, rugmakers put to use whatever materials were available. Antique hooked rugs were created on burlap after 1850 because burlap was free as long as one used OLD GRAIN AND FEED BAGS. Every and any scrap of fiber that was no longer usable as clothing was put into rugs. In the United States, yarn was not a fiber of choice if one did not have access to thrums. Yarn was too precious, and had to be saved for knitting and weaving. Instead the tradition of using scraps of fabric evolved.

Traditional Rug Hooking is a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp.  The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage.

The rug hooker, with her right hand above the pattern, and the material scraps in her left hand underneath, pushed the hook down through the burlap, catching it on the cloth strip and drawing it back up to form a loop on the top of the burlap.

Traditional Styles
Fine Hooked Rugs with thinner strips of material and a variety of shading techniques are used.
Primitive Hooked Rugs use wider strips of material and generally little shading is involved.
Tools for Traditional Styles

The tools are the same in either of these forms. 

Here is a list of the basic equipment needed:

1.  A hand hook - to form a loop pile on the surface of the backing material

2.  A Frame -  to hold the base material in place for hooking, there are many different types of frames from very simple needlepoint frames to large floor frames

3.  Scissors - These are normally small scissors with a bent handle that allow the "hooker" to cut the material very cleanly

4.  Cutter and Blades - Used to make strips of wool (or other material) from larger pieces.  The thinner the strip of wool the finer the finished product will be.

5.  Rug Pattern - The pattern is drawn on the Backing Material and is used as a guideline for hooking.  The backing material is usually either burlap, monk's cloth or Linen.

6.  Wool Material - Wool can normally be purchased by the yard of the piece and can be purchased in many different colors.  You can also use old wool clothing for this and more experienced "hookers" will often custom dye their wool for a specific project. 

Latch Hooking

Latch hooking is what most people think of when someone mentions rug hooking, but it is very different than the other methods of making rugs.  Latch Hooking is a newer style of rug making than Traditionally hooked rugs. It uses pre-cut yarn strips, one strip per knot, and forms an open, knotted pile on the surface of the rug. The backing material weave is typically larger than that of Traditional or Punch hooked backing material.  

retreads, PDGA meeting

Talk about recycling, aren't they pretty? I saw this photo posted on FaceBook. I'm also thinking old tires could make good chicken nests, put  some cedar shavings in there and...

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Mike disbudded ButterCup over at ButterMilk Acres.
Don and Sandy are still working on building their cabin.

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We drove to Weaverville today,
for a Piedmont Dairy Goat Association meeting,
2 big items
2012 Spring Show and
2013 ADGA Convention in Asheville