Saturday, January 28, 2012

Got It Whipped!

The table to the left is an antique table that belonged to a long time neighbor.  So as not to harm it's charm we added a hand rail ball to the legs to make it more comfortable for our long legged friends to sit.  The casters can be replaced at any time. 

When I finish a rug by whipping with wool I lay it flat so I can see that it remains so.







 Machine hem of three rounds at 1 1/4 inches...one of straight stitching, and two of ziz zag.









 Small cording is used, and rolled tight towards the rug, then I baste it with upholstery thread.  I do use cording...it aids me in keeping my whipping even.  My preference is keeping the whipped edge even with the rug. This is a low hooked rug; normally my 6 to 8 cut works well with the cording I utilized.  I have to admit that in this case I used what I had.




Placing the needle as near my loops as possible and lifting the rug edge a bit to see where the needle will come out on the other side is the method that seems the neatest for me.
My preference would be for 100% wool 3 ply yarn because of the 4 cut wool rug height, but in this case I found a perfect match with a 4 ply and decided that since this will be an on the wall only rug I would go with it.



The corner should be done completely with the same length of yarn, and not end there and begin another.  I work to an 90 degree angle and then work my wool yarn backwards to do the corner...using the same hole to round the corner.  I have done square corners but I enjoy doing the rounded.






Jump right in with a discussion, your preferences, suggestions, your way!

Now to bid you good day....happy rug hooking...and woo hoo, I'm off to work on another rug.




The Ohio Buck

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

the kitchen table

The cat's out of the bag......
 Letting the cat out of the bag comes to mind when I think of my husband's surgery :)

First and most important, surgery went very well TBTG.

Years ago I was told that one of my Great Grandmother's had her appendix removed on her kitchen table.  Successfully I might add.  That was not an unusual occurrence for the times.

The present has seen such advancement in medicine.  My husband had major back surgery and was released to go home (3 hours away) in less than 48 hours.  From a caregiver's and wife's point of view I feel that was too soon, especially since I was driving on icy roads for part of that trip.  In fairness we could have stayed at a hotel but my dh was determined to go home and his driver complied. 

I wonder if the future will resemble the past in that soon surgical med teams will come to you ...though perhaps not by horseback. : ) ?????

Long time friends arrived with wood ...cut it ....stacked it.  I can now keep the home fires burning until dh can do so.  Heartfelt thanks to friends and family who made this experience easier.

This week one of my Williamson/Waggoner cousins sent me hours of her research files on the Waggoner line.  I've saved and will share...as she has done so with me.  The research must continue on this line as there is a missing link....as always!  If you enjoy mysteries, delve in to genealogy.

#rughooking....I finished the hooking on the border of my rug.  I also found that I did not have the dark wool yarn that I thought, so a quick query to Ali at Kindred Spirits and found my match.  I will use a very small cord so that it doesn't extend above the thickness of the rug height , wrap it with foundation towards the top side of the rug and then will use heavy duty thread to hold it rather than pins.  (Pins and I don't work well together).  I always lay the rug on a flat surface to whip it.  Always.  You are able to see how well the rug is laying when you do it that way...if you pull the yarn too tight you have waves, too loose...well is just too loose :)
There are pros and cons on cording but when used it enables me to keep the whipping uniform.  Ummmm like Frank S, ...I do it my way.

I hope your winter is going well.  Yesterday it was near 50 degrees on this WV ridge and this morning it was spitting snow.  There is always something waiting for me to do here, a book to read, meal to fix, genealogy mysteries, and rugs to hook!

How is your winter going?  Please let me know!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Well, it has been colder!

1 January 2012 Day break
It has been colder here, but it has been awhile.  The New Year is underway and I hope that you switch your year date to 2012 easily enough. 





Pip says it is not June!    


The fireplace is going and outside just looks like it would be cold!
The Old Corn-crib

January will see me knee deep in genealogy research to assist others.  It will be no chore for me as I dig a little deeper in to the past. 

I'm nearing the completion of the Ohio Buck rug.  A few more rounds of the border and I'll be doing my "finished" dance.  I do a bit of a jig for each one....and I imagine I'm not the only rug hooker who completes her rug with that move :)  You see, we already have the next one lined up, if not started, and several in our mind's eye!

This rug is done on rug warp foundation and size 4 cut so I am finding that I have packed it more than I usually do.  The steaming at the completion will take care of this. 

Have you noticed that as you hook different parts of your rug with different methods it pulls it differently?  Once again the steaming should deal with this and straighten out the border.  Keeping in the ditch of the foundation material when drawing the outside line is a must....for me anyway.  If that isn't done you will never have a straight rug.  Handmade is handmade.....and that is what is so wonderful about it!

My dh has back surgery this month.  Keep him in your thoughts and prayers please. 

Hook on happily in 2012!