International Rug Rave for rug-aid.org

We were a smaller group than hoped-for, but four Quoddy Loopers got together yesterday, November 21st, along with rughookers across the world, to hook on a pattern drawn especially for the Rug Rave event by UK rughooker & teacher Heather Ritchie, who has been helping blind and vision-impaired people and their families, in Gambia. She has taught them the craft of rughooking, helped to supply them with 'hessian' [burlap, to North American hookers], hooks and recycled T-shirts [wool being scarce there]. Sighted friends, family and caregivers hook outlines and the blind rughookers fill in spaces, or hook abstractly on their own. The resulting mats are sold to tourists. Begging has recently been outlawed in Gambia, so this is a far more satisfactory option for the participants to earn an income.

The aim of the fundraising effort is to help defray cost of materials and to eventually afford the group their own building, so they will not have to lug materials and mats back and forth to the community centre, where they now have occasional space and time for making their rugs.

Each of the Rug Rave participants in Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia have given a donation for the use of the pattern. There will be 3 or 4 of the Rug Aid Rave mats by our group raffled off and the funds raised will also be sent to Rug Aid. Ours are being hooked with wool, as usual - both cut strips of woven wool and woollen yarn. We will sell tickets on them all year and pull the winning names the first Saturday of November, at our 4th annual Hurricane Hook-in in St Andrews [NB, Canada], November 6/2010.

It was suggested that we hook blindfolded for 30 minutes to get a bit of an idea of the challenge the blind rughookers face, which we did. Not an easy task! Those who couldn't make it yesterday will hopefully still be on board for hooking a Rug Aid rug for the raffle, so our numbers could improve. It was a good day and a good feeling to be helping people with difficulties we can only imagine.

Hurricane Hook-in was a blast!

The 3rd Hurricane Hook-in was loads of fun! There were nearly 50 people and we could have managed several more. Many beautiful rugs were on display as well as all the wonderful work that was going on around the room. The parish hall is bright and spacious, and the buzz of friendly chat around the room was constant.

Sande Gunning was there all day with her wonderful wares from the River Gallery, and business seemed pretty brisk. Of course, the wools are fabulous, Joan Kay's patterns were in high demand, and then the tools of the trade, books and accessories were tempting, too.



Visitors came from Fredericton, Sussex, Saint John and Moncton. Hooking seems to be a secondary component of hook-ins, generally - there is a lot of looking and talking about hooking, but that's all part of the appeal. Hookers may use the very fine cuts or the wide chunky primitive style, but all appreciate each others' work.



Show and tell of Quoddy Loopers' mats and a few from our visitors.


Here are four of our Quoddy Loopers taking a break from hooking [and talking, eating, etc.], with two of the Church Guild members working on their quilting in the corner, inbetween feeding us yummy snacks and lunch. Nobody went hungry!

There were special visitors to the hook-in - three adorable kittens, looking for a good home. Susan W, one of our group, had a pregnant cat show up on her doorstep. She already has 3 of her own, but couldn't turn away a cat in need. So, she will keep the mother but would like good homes for the babies - with shots, neutred - a deal too good to miss!

last call for Nov 7 hook-in in St Andrews, NB

For any who were wavering, this is your last call for tomorrow's hook-in. We have approximately 55 now registered and there is room to squeeze a few more in--we'd love to have you join us. Do please call or email Mary -- mcjones(at)nb.sympatico.ca or call 506-529-3790 to let us know you're coming, so we don't run out of food! Lunch, snacks, door prizes, good company.... all free! There will be room for show and tell, so please bring your latest mat[s] as well as the one you are working on. The WELCOME mat, above, is one by Mary J. Hard to see the 'bling' bits in the photo, but it is lovely--the fairies do sparkle!

Vendor for the day is Sande Gunning of River Gallery, with her travelling shop, full of wool, patterns, hooking accessories, Cushing dyes and something for the quilters, as always. "Established in 2005, the River Gallery is a southern New Brunswick destination for fibre enthusiasts everywhere. A place where quilting, rug hooking and other fibre arts are celebrated."

So, Saturday, November 7th, 9:30 to 3pm [or thereabouts], please join us for a day of wonderful wools and inspiration, in the parish centre [side door] of the Catholic Church of St Andrew, in St Andrews, NB, corner of Parr and King Streets.
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Cindy's latest mat from Doris Norman's workshop & call for Hook-in Nov 7/09

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On September 26, many of the Quoddy Loopers took a one day workshop with Doris Norman, a Fredericton, New Brunswick rughooking marvel; she does beautiful work and is a patient and generous teacher. This latest session was 'Primitive Shaded Flowers & Leaves". Cindy N was the first one to finish her rose. Mine is nearly finished - hooked and ready to be bound, backed and stuffed as a pillow.
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Cindy N's pink rose and Maureen M's blue/yellow version.

As more Loopers finish theirs, I'll post them.

Next on the agenda, our 3rd annual Hurricane Hook-in, November 7th at the Catholic Church of St Andrew [in St Andrews, NB]. All rughookers welcome, but please do let us know you are coming so we can be sure not to run out of food - and door prizes! Lunch & snacks provided; 9:30 to approx 3pm. RSVP to Mary at "mcjones at nb.sympatico.ca". [remove spaces and replace at with @]. Vendor will be Sande Gunning with a full display of River Gallery wools, patterns, quilt cottons and tools.
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Aqanu-te, a Malecite welcome

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Aqanu-te is a Malecite (or Maliseet) welcoming word. Mary J made it for her sister's best friend, in celebration of her 60th birthday. It is an original design.

The wallhanging is done in 4 & 5 cut, spot dyed and as-is textured wools on cotton rug warp. The feather seems ready to lift off the mat, or perhaps it just recently landed. It is bound with woollen yarn and then a teal yarn is overlaid to bring the central background colour to the edges. The Dream Catcher is done with novelty yarn, beads and feathers.
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Floral message board

I know Verel is a dirty word to many rughookers, but I thought it would have some practical applications, so have made a few tote bags with small hooked motif and a message board with a hooked padula floral border.

The pushpins are a serendipitous dollar store find. There are loads of interesting options now available, at various price points.

Verel has been used for office dividers and the like before, and while it is a synthetic fabric and not suitable for rugs or mats on the floor, it works fine for smaller decorative items and wallhangings. The 'board' part of the floral message board is 3/8" styrofoam and 1/4" cork, so that the pushpins will stay and not degrade the styrofoam. I hooked the edges, leaving the corners unhooked so I could 'mitre' it and reduce bulk at the corners. The padulas [fantasy flowers in the rughooking world] are done with hit-or-miss like colours, as are the stems and leaves, in various greens.

Once I sewed the verel around the backing material, I connected the opposing sides along their length to make it taut, then lined it and affixed a label with name, date etc.

I haven't 'road tested' the willow tree tote bag, but I am fairly certain it will hold up - the question is not if the Verel will last, but whether, over time, it will abrade the wool strips. I have used a light fabric 'lining', adhered with fabric adhesive over the hooked area only. The other thing I like about Verel is that it comes in several colours, not to mention being economical.

While the weave is rather tight, I find it easy, with a large-shafted hook, to hook up to an 8-cut wool strip, in primitive style. It will take a wider cut, but does buckle a bit. The close weave makes it suitable for a tote bag. Knitting needles would likely pierce the fabric, but they will do that to most textiles.

My other plan for the message board is to make one to display our grandson Ruben's latest art project. He's just coming up to two, and is enjoying daycare in Toronto [too far from New Brunswick, but that's life--thank goodness for webcams!]. I haven't settled on a border pattern to hook, but maybe will use a variation on the Noah's Ark rug I made him.
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Vincent Van Gogh

.Vincent Van Gogh not only made wonderful art, but this quote from him speaks to those of us who love to create:

"Happiness... it lies in the joy of achievement,
in the thrill of creative effort"

.Room at Arles, 1888, Vincent Van Gogh

Absolutely! Not that I am comparing my creations to his... but the feeling is there, and I would imagine for most rughookers, fibre artists and artists in every field. It feels good to be sharing an emotion with a great man. He put it so well, that feeling of well-being and satisfaction when our hands make something that we love.