Beautiful Things

 

It was a productive summer for rug hooking. I made two largish rugs, four chair pads, and a couple of small mats. The chair pads went to my sister and the rug above, "An Abundant Towne Garden" pattern by Karen Kahle, I kept for myself. I hand-dyed most of the wool for this and it turned out to be a large project overall. I thought it would be nice to change the rugs on this wall with the seasons. This is now my summer rug. (It is also my Covid rug because I began it in March and finished it when Phase One began in Virginia in June.) I already have a fall rug that had been hangng in this spot for a long time so that season is already taken care of. Next I will consider what to hook as a winter rug and a spring rug.

 

The next rug I hooked was an American Flag pattern by Maggie Bonanomi. I hand-dyed the red, blue, and Fraktur Black background for this rug. People ask me all the time, "How long did it take you to make this?" I never keep track of actual hours but I do know that I listened to two, ten-hour audio books and many podcasts along with some quiet time while I hooked. I decided to offer this rug for sale in my etsy shop because I simply can't keep them all.
 

I give away some rugs to my daughters and family when it seems like a good match. The rugs tend to let me know where they belong. I feel the same way about the rugs I sell. I know they will speak to someone in particular and find the right home.

A good example of this is "The Woods" rug pattern by Anne Bond that I hooked last fall. I had a vision of where I was going to lay it in my home even before I started making it. After it was completed I tried it in many different places around the house and it just didn't "fit" anywhere. I was disappointed because I loved the rug, it was expensive to make, not to mention all the days and months it took to make it. I rolled it up and tucked it away in hopes that I would find a place for it. One day I decided to just list it in my shop. About a week later, my daughter Audrey showed me a photo of the dining room she was arranging in her home. I went with her to purchase the table from an antique shop. As she described her chairs and color scheme, I thought of The Woods rug and I knew where it belonged. I asked her if she would like it and when she said yes, I removed it from my etsy shop. It's perfect!

Aside from hooking, the vegetable and flower garden has kept us busy. We canned a lot of salsa, pickles, dilly beans, and hot peppers. We ate tomatoes and green beans with every meal for two months and never tired of them. Come January, I will longingly think of the tomato, mayo, salt and pepper, on white bread sandwiches I ate for lunch, sometimes for days in a row.

We vacationed in the mountains of New York State on beautiful Lake George with my sister and brother-in-law. We kept the grass mowed, the plants watered, and all the things that summer brings with it in upkeep. We stayed home more than usual but not so much that we went insane. We found the right balance for us. It will soon turn to fall and I will look for inspiration to keep the house cozy and cook from a different menu. I will change the closets out from summer to winter and Steve will cut firewood for the wood stove. Life will move forward, as it tends to do. : )