Wool holders

Have you ever seen the plastic sheaths that are used to transport flowers?.  We were introduced to them as wool holders at our recent oriental class. They're a great way to sort out your wool strips, especially if you're doing any sort of shading. One of the ladies at the class brought in a huge whack of them to share.  She got them from a family member in the floral business.

Christine spoke to Holden's Flowers in Port Hope  and received a bunch of them....and they will continue to save them for her. Come to a Thursday or Monday meeting to pick up a few for your next project.

Not Just For Men

We're fortunate to have a number of gentlemen in our rug hooking group - they produce many fine works.

In Ohio recently there was an exhibit of rugs hooked by men, at the Sauder Village Rug Hooking Show and it was featured in several rug hooking blogs.  

Here is a link to one of the posts, containing many lovely photos.  Enjoy!

Items from the OHCG

The Ontario Hooking Craft Guild has a Facebook page, and they often feature interesting tidbits on rug hooking.  Here are 2 items from this past week:

This is an interesting slide show about someone who hooks with mostly yarn:

The Wool Genie from Kay LeFevre on Vimeo.

The next item is about a rug hooker in Guatemala!  I can't embed the info into our page, but here's a link to the original post.

If you are a Facebook user, I highly recommend favouriting the OHCG's page.

Creative Process

Greg always has something interesting on the go.  Listen here as he tells us a bit about the creative process for this rug.  Pardon the sound quality - it was a most lively group today, so lots of chit chat going on!

September at Lang

this photo comes from Lang's Facebook page!

We have been invited to demonstrate rug hooking at 2 different September events at Lang Pioneer Village.  Please let us know if you're available to join in the fun - email us at nrhookers@gmail.com.

Applefest - Sunday September 10 from 10 am to 4 pm.  This is a wonderful day, focussed on the harvest season.  It will feature:

• Horse & wagon rides
• Threshing demonstrations
• Cider Mill demonstrations
• Live music
• Antique clock and timepiece display by the Quinte Timekeepers
• Shingle mill demonstrations
• Schoolyard games

We will be demonstrating rug hooking, and....will be dressed in victorian costume (supplied by Lang).  It's a fun day!

Traditional Fall Fair - Sunday September 24 from 10 am to 4 pm.  This is a big event, celebrating Canada 150:

The County of Peterborough, our eight townships and our two First Nation communities will come together to celebrate Canada 150+ and the 50th Anniversary of Lang Pioneer Village Museum with a traditional county fair with a modern twist! 

• View the Village and surrounding countryside from your seat at the top of a giant Ferris Wheel!
• Bouncy castles
• Obstacle course
• Contests and games for everyone (three-legged races, sack races, etc.)
• Live entertainment provided by each township on the Village stage throughout the day
• First Nations activities in Aabnaabin Camp
• Official Ceremonies to open the County of Peterborough Agricultural Building, Celebrate Canada 150+ and the 50th Anniversary of Lang Pioneer Village Museum
• Horse and wagon rides
• Village will be “dressed up” for the occasion

As with the Applefest day, we will be demonstrating, in costume!  More info on the Fair can be found here.

For more info on Lang Pioneer Village, check out their website.

Repurposing Old Clothing at Wesleyville

There's an exciting opportunity for us on August 27:  the Friends of Wesleyville are holding a workshop on Repurposing Old Clothing, to be held at the at the Wesleyville Church from 12-4pm.

This is right up our alley!  We will be on hand to demonstrate rug hooking and explain how clothing can be repurposed into beautiful rugs.

Please let us know if you can attend via nrhookers@gmail.com.

The church is located at 2082 Lakeshore Road.  Check out their website by clicking here.

Singing Heart Studios

If you weren't able to get into our shading class, maybe we can tempt you with a few other classes????

Singing HeART Studios is offering rug hooking workshops this coming September, and another one way into 2018.  Charlene, who owns Singing HeART in Orillia, was one of the vendors at the annual and had lots of interesting wares!

There are 2 slots for the September workshop, and it does look like a good one:

Diane Cox Workshop "Artful Women" 
Sept 11-13 or Sept 14-17
The blurb on their website says:
This is a 3 day workshop based around the female figure, in which you will create your own artwork, and then translate it into a rug.We will use collage to create our designs, and learn how to incorporate other elements, such as stitch and applique, into our rugs to give them more depth, meaning, and originality.You do not have to be able to draw, and no art experience is necessary! That is the beauty of it!It will be a relaxed and creative few days, with the emphasis on exploration, fun and a free approach.

Click here to read more.

Another one that's a loong way off, but no less interesting is:

Design Process Workshop with Rachelle LeBlanc October 11-14 2018 (yes, 2018!!)

As an artist distinctly attuned to surface, and whose process explores in the possibilities of rug hooking medium, it comes to no surprise that Rachelle LeBlanc has developed her own techniques for designing patterns and carrying out processes. Rachelle is renowned for her individual artistic style and her ability to capture meaning and mood in her pieces. 

Students will learn to translate a photograph to a design, color plan, and begin to develop their own style as an artist.  Rachelle will walk you through her process from beginning to end so that students leave with the ability to design and create an atmosphere full of reflective leaning and quiet encouragement so that students can find their inner voice and translate it into their own art.

Click here to read more.

Shading Class Pretty Well Full

Christine has been organizing a class with Jayne Nevins on shading.  It's scheduled for Thur Nov 9 from 9:30-3:30.  Initially we weren't sure if folks would want to attend, but we've already reached our maximum capacity (16 attendees)!!

If you are interested in attending, we can add you to a waiting list.  There are usually a few folks who can't make it on the day.  Please contact us at nrhookers (at) gmail (dot) com if you would like to put your name on the list.

Costs have not yet been nailed down, but attendees have provided a $20 deposit.  The cost for the class, plus materials will likely be less than $50.  We'll get back to you with all the details once we have everything confirmed.

Note that there are already plots afoot to host another class some time next year, topic to be determined.  Watch this space for more details in the coming months.