Great Rug School

Hi Megs,

The "Rug School" was great. Had a grand week. But still would have like to have gone to Stitches. Grrrr!

We also had a second anniversary of the Knitting Guild. So it has been a busy week. We had a little celebration with "ice-cream cone cup cakes with candles".

I like the sock yarn you bought - great colour - and I agree that nice patterned socks are much nicer with solid or slightly mottled colour. I got a really great free sock pattern from Sandra Singh. I discovered Sandra when I was in Austin Texas last year. They are called Ann "Tilting at Windmills" socks designed by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I have the alpaca yarn I am going to use to make them - but I will make them longer.

I have heard of the Victorian Lace Today book - good marketing - but I bought Arctic Lace by Donna Druchunas. It has stories, lace patterns and knitting projects from the native knitters of Alaska. They knit with musk ox and the patterns are based on native designs - which are also on their baskets (I thought you would like that part). I would recommend this book.

My entrelac isn't doing what you describe. Don't know why unless we were sitting together but agree - DON'T fix it now! Block it out - it usually works. Water does wonders.

Now - what did I learn in school? I colour planned a rug I got with a giraffe on it! It was designed by a woman "up the shore", Sheila Leblanc-Joyce (carried by Highland Heart Hookery in Halifax) By the time I finished I had taken out some of the elements because felt it was too busy for the rug I wanted.

Then I dyed the wool (the natural Dorr wool you gave me) - a RAINBOW - for the boarder and I dyed yarn ( wool and mohair natural by Brock Farms in Campbellville Ontarion) for the binding. Then I am going to dye all the other colours in the same colourway using the my same dyes. I did it mostly myself after Barbie Baker-Dykens showed me how. It is a very interesting process. You mix the dyes, I use Chem Pro and using them you literally paint the wool. I used red, red/orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. All based on my red, yellow and blue dyes. (with vinegar or citric acid to set the colours). You then bake it in the oven, rinse it and there you have it!

The painting is a really neat project where you paint how you want it to come out (I wanted a rainbow) on a piece of wool 4 times the length and same width that you are going to hook. You can do this in sections (see picture) and then you cut the wool (I use #4) and hook with the long piece. If you do it right the piece of yarn fits (with some adjustments) the area because you are pulling loops - taking up the length.

I also found out that yarn is really easy to dye. You do the same thing except add the vinegar or acid just before you bake it. I am going to be doing more of this! I put in a picture of Ann Durkee painting 2, 52" pieces for a sky for her rug hooking of a ship on the ocean. It turned out really beautiful and when she hooked it, it did look like a stormy sky. Really neat - but takes some planning and some vision of what you will get at the end of it all.

So really feel energized by all this. Also feel good tonight because I finished the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia magazine for March, 07 (Volume 28, #2). I have 4 pages of colour on the cover, 24 pages inside and the mailing cover. Before our big storm - which we are having right now - I took it to Garth at Sunrise Printing. So - feeling very good!

But tonight I am sitting, listening to the wind (your brother said he sat on the beach all day) and knit! My only decision is to work on the entrelac or the brown shawls. Oh my - what to do!

I really like the pattern for the cable sweater - and the others as well. Great site. I also don't have any suggestions about the "big foot" at the end of your scarf - but do like your alterations to the patterns. Only comment is what your grandmother always says, "You won't see it on a flying horse". You will dazzle them with the colours on the scarf. You can see from my dyeing that I am not afraid of colour!

Have a nice weekend,

Love ya, Mom XOP