What to Wear at Peace, Love & Rug ‘n Roll

In anticipation of our grand event:  Peace, Love & Rug ‘n Roll, May 10, 2025 in Cobourg, we’re starting to think about 60’s fashion.  There were some very iconic looks back in the day.

Here’s a sampling of screenshots from a quick google search.  Some of these are back in style (tho some clearly aren’t!) and wouldn’t look out of place today.

Remember paper dresses??

Macrame for the win!

These images can all help you to determine what your theme project might be….hmmmmm…..inspiration????

They can also, however, help to determine what you wear when you attend our gala event on May 10.  Do you have anything like the above still in your closet?  Maybe you could wear it, with a few quick alterations?

Maybe you could create something?  Granny squares are easy to work with.   Ravelry.com is a wonderful source of patterns, both free and paid - and many are wearable by today’s standards.  

#Yarnitcobourg recommends a pattern called “Jethro” by Tanis Fiber Arts - photo from Tanis Fiber Arts, Ravelry.com

I’m currently attempting “Floral Diamonds Jumper” - time will tell whether I’m successful.  Photo from Fran Morgan, Ravelry.com.

Another current but colourful item is “Lanesplitter skirt”.  Photo by Tina Whitmore, Ravelry.com

Here’s one from instagram.

If knitting/crocheting aren’t your thing (or you don’t want to cut into your rug hooking time), how’s about crafting something from an old afghan?  I don’t recommend sacrificing an heirloom, but thrift stores abound with unloved (some for good reason) hand made items.  These can be redrafted into garments with a bit of ingenuity.  Google is your friend once again to find how-to videos for inspiration.  Our Sandra pointed out that a recent episode of The Great British Sewing Bee featured a challenge to remake afghans into high fashion garments.  Here’s an article with the full episode - the segment on the afghan remake starts around 31:00.

There’s lots of inspiration out there!  It’s not too early to start planning!

Edited to add:  this just in (July 24):  how’s about this fabric?  Fits our logo perfectly!  Only 10 yards left, so act now!

#Onthookingcraftguild

#yarnitcobourg

#greatbritishsewingbee

#peacelove&rug’nroll

Save the Date!

                             

Breaking News! 

We have an important announcement! 

The 2025 OHCG Annual will be held in Cobourg at the historic Victoria Hall! Mark your calendars for a one-day event on Saturday, May 10, 2025. 

It will be hosted by the Northumberland Rug Hookers with assistance from area branches*. Attendees will gather in the renowned Concert Hall, where the future King of England, Edward VII, danced the night away in 1860.   

The theme for the event is “Peace, Love, & Rug ‘n Roll”. We’re looking back at the organization’s roots formed in 1966. Remember flower-power, go-go boots, Twiggy, man-on-the-moon, and tie dye? 

Stay tuned for details about an exciting program, great vendors, and a display of judged rugs in the Art Gallery of Northumberland (also located in Victoria Hall). 

Cobourg is known as “the feel-good town” and is located on the lakeshore between Toronto and Kingston. It’s a short drive (or train ride) from urban centres where you can enjoy unique architectural landmarks and great shopping, dining, galleries and theatre, a spectacular white sand beach and beautiful waterfront.

* We’re still in the figuring-things-out stage, but if you want to help out (aka: Tune In, Turn on, and Get Groovy) with this fun project, let us know! Your help would be most appreciated - simply send an email to OHCG2025Annual@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you!

Gather in the County

Well!  That was quite the day!  Yesterday we participated with other guilds in Gather at the County, billed as a modern textile market.

There were 80 vendors!  All with something pertaining to textiles:  weaving, knitting, embroidery, sewing, dyeing, printing, spinning, rug hooking, and soooo much more.  Eco printing is a really big thing right now.

Sensory overload was the name of the game….in a very good way.  There was so much to see that it was hard to know where to turn.

Our tent (courtesy of our Lynda) was very busy - lots of folks stopped by to check out our wares, pick up a card, or a Save The Date flyer.   Folks were interested in what we do, how we do it, why we do it, etc.  [Helloooo to anyone new checking us out!]. 

The difference with this event, over other things we usually do, is that EVERYONE was interested in textiles.  Usually we get a small percentage of visitors who understand/know what it’s like to create stuff, but in this case the vast majority of the folks were makers themselves, in a wide variety of media, and the few that weren’t were there to buy textiles.

Our booth was womaned by Dianne and I in the morning, and then Lynn came by, followed by Judy & her sister, and then Lynda and Mike.  Christine and Harry stopped by, and Christine started chatting up vendors for our event next year!

The venue itself was lovely.  Organizer Bear said she wanted a pretty place, and she certainly picked a good one!  The building dates from the 1880’s and was a lovely light-filled space.  We were outside and so lucky the weather was good - maybe a titch on the cool side, but definitely not too hot.  

I took several spins through the building but only had my camera with me once, so i only have a few photos to share.  

This event is not to be missed next year!  It’s worth the drive to Picton!

[edited to add:  here’s a link to an even better reel, produced by the Gather folks….

https://fb.watch/sMssICYReM/?]

#gather_inthecounty #rughooking #hookedrugs #rughookersofinstagram

Overdyeing Project

I started this blog post way back in the fall and held on to it as Iris was going to show this rug at the OHCG Annual - well that’s now done/over, and we can finally show the project and explain a bit about the process to design it. 

+++++++

See what our Iris is working on!  It’s a pretty nice project, intended to use up mostly leftovers and/or unloved colours.

Iris realized she had a whole whack of colours in her stash that she wasn’t sure she had a use for…..so she overdyed them to create this fabulous rug, destined for her kitchen floor.  It’s big-ish:  3x5?

Here’s the initial buzz she created at thursday hooking when she brought it in to work on.  When she explained her process we asked her to bring in the original inspiration rug, as well as some of her undyed wool.

This is the design she first used in a zoom class with Laura Salamy (Build a Baby Boucherouite).

Iris started with a bunch of beige, gray and plaid wool, and then overdyed it with Magic Carpet Bottle Green.  She didn’t worry too much about consistency of colour for each batch - in fact she used those differences to her advantage by hooking mostly dark colours at the start of the project and then gradually moving to more of the lighter colours towards the bottom.  

Other than the diamond outlines, the whole thing is horizontal line hooking.  As it’s intended for fairly heavy use in the kitchen, Iris ensured even wear by stopping/starting her rows at the diamond outlines.  

The diamonds themselves look like white wool, but they’re actually a very pale version of the bottle green.  Those hits of lighter colour throughout?  They’re simply from a plaid that dyed up with both lighter and darker areas.

Here’s a photo of the wools waiting to be used, along with a few of the original colours.

This has got some folks looking over their own stashes to see what they can cook up with this approach!

And here’s the final result:

While Iris didn’t win a prize at the OHCG Annual, this rug certainly generated a fair bit of buzz!

Busy Times!

 It’s been a busy few weeks, what with the OHCG Annual in London, and the Hook-In with Judy at the AGN, and our regular monthly Monday meeting, and a few other things thrown in.  Here are a few photos we haven’t posted yet:

First up is Yvonne and her first ever hooked project - completed and made into a pillow.  Well done.  She is right to be very proud of this accomplishment!

On Tuesday, Dianne and Audrey attended a coffee break meeting at the church.  This is a group of folks who gather regular as a sort of discussion group, and they wanted to know more about rug hooking.  Dianne and Audrey brought along lots of examples of hooked items, and Audrey read several poems/items relating to rug hooking.  There was even something from the Bible (Proverbs 31):  She is always gathering wool and flax and enjoys making things with her hands.

A rare photo of Dianne with a hoop in her hand!

At Monday’s meeting Dianne brought back many of the rugs that were on display at the Annual, including Dolores’ prize-winning rug!

Farewell to Judy

 Well that was fun!  We attended a tea party/hook-in in honour of the Judy exhibit of Laura Kenney’s work at the Art Gallery of Northumberland.

We had folks from Gravenhurst, Aurora/Newmarket and Peterborough, in addition to many from our own group, and from the general community.

Olinda Casimiro, Executive Director of the Gallery provided us with tables, chairs, coffee/tea and the (all-important) cookies.

We spent the time visiting the exhibit, and chatting and even getting some hooking done! 

You could tell who the rug hookers were….they were the ones with their noses up close to the rugs picking out various details.  Everyone marvelled at the use of colour and materials, as well as the humourous titles and the pertinent subject matters.

Dianne brought along Dolores Skelly’s Honourable Mention from the OHCG Annual, as well as 2 others that were on display there.

A huge thank you goes to Laura Kenney for sharing Judy with us and bringing her wonderful exhibit to Cobourg.  Thanks also goes to Olinda Casimiro for hosting the show, and allowing us to “invade” the gallery for today’s event.

Hook-In & Tea Time with Judy

We’re at it again:  We’re inviting you all to attend a special event at the Art Gallery of Northumberland:

Come for an old fashioned “Hook-In and Teatime with Judy” at the Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, April 25, 1pm-4pm. Join the Northumberland Rug Hookers for a cuppa and an afternoon of traditional rug hooking. This is your last chance to see Laura Kenney’s amazing exhibit of her Judy series of hooked art along with demos of traditional rug hooking by the Northumberland Rug Hookers. You may even wish to give it a try!

The Laura Kenney exhibit has been a wonderful one, and has been enjoyed by many!  Sadly, though, it’s coming to an end on April 27….so this really will be your last chance to see the show.  Some of us have seen it more than once - there’s always some new detail to pick up on!

Why not come out and join us as we host a hook-in - bring your hooking and make an afternoon of it!  There will be tables, chairs and light refreshments on hand.  

If you’re not sure what this rug hooking business is, well why not come out to see what the fuss is all about?  The members of the Northumberland Rug Hookers will be on hand to demonstrate what’s involved and yes, you can even give it a try.  You’ll also experience a hook-in which is a tradition in rug hooking circles - an opportunity to sit and natter, and maybe even get some loops pulled.

One thing you don’t appreciate about the works on display until you see them in person is how sparkly (and big) they are!  Here’s a snippet from Laura’s talk with Olinda Casimiro, Executive Director of the gallery….where she elaborates on the materials used in her art: