~ I'm a Punchy Hooker ~

 Happy Tuesday Friends & Folk!

~ another grey day here at the farm....but who's complaining?

the temps are in the 40's today, so hopefully that will kill off SOME of the blasted beetles

 we have here in the farmhouse & shop!!

anyhoo, moving forward:

I have finished hooking all of the Tombstone Sheep rug's motifs

using 1/4" wool strips.

and now I have flipped the rug over on my Floor Frame

and am punching the background with an Oxford #10 rug punch needle

and beautiful hand dyed wool yarn from Ali Strebel Designs in "Sky Blue"

If you don't own an Oxford Rug Punch Needle, 

... you can still use the yarn by simply hooking with it ~ 

 depending on my mood, and how fast I want my project to be finished ~

I'll switch between my punch & trusty hook!

{punching goes waaaaay quicker ~ fyi }

~ the basket on my sheep's back is blue.

and now I'm using blue for the background.

although not the exact shade of blue, and the basket is hooked with a textured wool strip...

so, three guesses as to what I might do next?

  I may leave it, or I may reverse-hook.

one never knows....

I have an idea for a funky finish to the edges of this project,

once it is steamed and bound.

we'll see.

Next time I post,

I should be finished with this ~

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Happy Hookers... {and stitchers and crochet-ers...}

 Hey Howdy Friends & Folk ~

we are sopping wet here at the farm!

pouring rain since yesterday...the ground is super-saturated...a mud-bog mostly.

we need the water tho, for our well and gardens come spring, 

so I'll use this day again to my advantage 

and do a little housecleaning {perfect day to wash windows}, 

put on a nice big pot of sauce & meatballs and maybe even bake a loaf of bread :)

Then I'll head back to hooking my Tombstone Sheep:

I like his fleece, but it looks too harsh for me ~ the front half of his body, from the neck down

is too stripe-y, like he's wearing a sweater and I'm not a fan.

SO, I'll reverse-hook {which means to rip out my wool strips} and re-hook

to more resemble his back half & tail.

~ what do you think?

As I mentioned in my previous posting,

I want to use my #10 Oxford punch and fill in the entire background 

with a beautiful wool/blend yarn that I found... 

as I was finished hooking the sheep, I just had to flip it over on my big floor stand frame

 and punch in just one row around him to see how it looks ~ it may not look like anything now, but the yarn is variegated and will look great!

 

All of the motifs {sheep, flowers, vines, leaves & basket } 

are hooked with wool strips ~

just a couple more leaves to fill in now...

my happy place.

 

Yesterday we had a great time in the Shop!!

We enjoyed the company of new friends and old...

and each one talented in their own way ~

Just look at the beautiful project Sharon was working on:

I would love to be able to crochet like that....

 

Dee was working on her beautifully designed rug of her happy place:
the wool she is hooking the water with is sparkle wool that she hand-dyed

and it is just gorgeous!

Barb was working on a rug by Going Gray Rugs:

her wool choices are super!

 

Becky was rug punching!

you all may know Becky as the crazy talented designer behind 

Lucy Beam - Love In  Stitches 

I can't wait to see what her new designs for rug punch will be ~

Miss Joan was here with us too, and she was cross stitching!

So we had a nice variety of folks doing their thing ~

Well I am off to start the sauce...

Hoping your day is full of peace and creativity!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ A Wee Bit Punchy ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

So with all of the needle-punching going on here,

I have decided that I  must rug punch...or, punch a rug.

I have my Oxford #10 & #14 rug punch needles

{my very favorite sizes, small for detail & larger for backgrounds}

I have also {of course} been perusing auction sites and Pinterest

for inspiration as to what to draw up...

I'm thinking a floral/geometric will be my choice!

I will be using both wool strips and heavy wool yarns for the rug, 

and will show you my progress as I go ~ 

{first I have to draw it up!}

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here are a few snaps of some I have found on-line 

~ that may whet your appetite to begin a punched rug too:

Simple and Bold

ok, not so 'floral-y', but I love him...

those hearts & stripes!

I love everything about this one ~

Just plain Gorgeous & I love the Urn & Willow!

a very Happy rug indeed ~ :)

the background on this one....

Soft, soft soft....

a great Scrappy rug!

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Our little shop here at the Farm will be OPEN TODAY 10:00 - 4:00

despite the torrential rain predicted today! 

if you're in the neighborhood stop in and warm up by the woodstove ~

bring your work in progress and come create with me ~

I'll be working on my Tombstone Sheep rug today! {already in progress} 

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ This & That ~

Each Winter,

I bring in a small cutting from our forsythia bush...

and place it in water in my favorite hobnail milk glass vase 

set in the sunniest window here in the farmhouse ~

there is just something about watching it come back to life

with all the hopes & promises of Spring.

 

After the yellow blooms fade, they will be ready to be planted again, 

~ having been in the warm sun and water, 

they will have nice roots shooting from their bottoms ;)

 

I will also do the same with our black pussywillows 

when these have passed on ~ 

Previously I had mentioned that I started a new sheep rug, "Tombstone Sheep' ~

and of course I pulled out every last loop and re-hooked it. 

I am still not happy with the eye, but it will stay until the rest of the body is hooked.

and little Katrina Whiskertwitch's head & fish is done, {almost}

now on to her dress, and the rest of her!

 

Rain is in the forecast for us for the next 4 or-so days, 

and the pinched nerve in my back is letting me know all about that ~

so, while my butt is on the heating pad,

my hands will be busy!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ A New Rug ~

I sketched out a little design I had in my brain ~

for another sheep, of course...

and named it Tombstone Sheep for the arched shape along the top of the design.

at the moment, she looks a little wide-eyed & bewildered ~

but I'm hoping that will change once I get more of her fleece hooked around her face & ear!

last night we enjoyed the company of friends at our monthly Needle Night ~

always a pleasure to eat, laugh & work together...

hoping to get more progress made on this today, after orders have been packed & shipped :)

tomorrow is calling for rain, so it will be a perfect day to hook ~

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori