Cooper visited the Studio to get some Burlup

Little Cooper was up for a visit last night to get some Scottish Burlap,  he rolled around on the floor and found the perfect spot to watch us finish dying some yarn.

This is the whipping for a project that Nancy and Grace are working on, sometime it is just easier to dye the exact wool / yarn color as to search the craft stores for a compliementary color. 

Garage is coming along nicely

Update on my new Garage,  these are from last month. 

Finally a New Post

I thought I better get into the mode of posting again,  this is a rug hooked by Gracie and designed by Nancy. 

I'm waiting for an IPad2 maybe that will encourage me to post more often. 

Free, Got to Love Free

I'm still amazed that everyone is using a MagicJack,  I have used this little device several times while travelling.  It can be hooked up a LAN phone (even cordless) or just plug into the jack on the side of your laptop for audio.  I didn't pay the extra to have a Canadian phone number but who cares it's FREE calling. 

I was given this little change purse which my MagicJack just fits perfectly in it, the embellishments are so adorable. 

Lots to Do this Spring, Dying Wool and more Rennovations

Update on a new project that Nancy is starting. Several photos of a family pet are being used to custom dye the various shades of wool needed.  I will post an update on this portait next time she brings it in for viewing.

More and more wool to be dyed this spring.

busy with the new in-floor heat kit going into the second bathroom. The electrician forgot to install the wiring for this heat kit so it had to be installed after the fact,  disconnecting the baseboard heater and cutting holes in the wall. and then of course foam insulation again.

Beside the kettle to boil my dye water you will see the piles of tools that are being used to rennovate my bathroom.

Insulation is a wonderful product if your not the person that has to install it.  And guess who was nominated to do that job 'me'  I survived and the sheetrock is now on also. Notice the path to reach the wool bolt on the shelf -- little fancy foot work to get around in this room.

Loonie Monday

Update on the Loon project that Nancy is working on this week,  just a little of the backing left to be finished. The sunset sky was Dorr wool that we painted one evening. 

I spy with my little eye, something 'adorable'

Do you see anything unusual about this photo above?  I was talking to a friend of mine coming out the the Wool Shop and she looked up and said  " look at the shape on your tree".  Last year the tree was growing over the new entrance to the Wool Shop and it's branches were cut back.


Look closer.........

the branches cut off on the tree,  it is in the shape of a Heart!!!    I had to share this one.  Ahh  Signs of Spring, I won't show you the snow still on the ground from yesterdays late spring snow showers.

Dying for Winter to Leave

Some new colors dyed this week,  technique: painted and rolled in tinfoil to bake.

 

To add to the fun I had Libby (my dog) Cooper (mom's dog) and Luke (foster dog) running around in the dye kitchen with me, Luke was only with me a week but he did leave a special place in my heart. Luke loved to cuddle in bed and on the couch unlike my little independent Libby.
 

Luke supervised the color planning of the next Loon pattern, above are two different version of the same pattern that Nancy and Grace are hooking away on.

The Last Post

This final post standing in the garage project, as of today I'm garage-less.  I have to decide now if I'm going to just get a small mini-barn or re-build a garage, either way it will not be as larger as the last one 28 X 30 taking up the whole yard. 
It will take several months before the snow is gone and I can even landscape the backyard so I'll worry about that later. 

My little orphan Annie has a potential adoptee family coming to see her tomorrow, hoping for success as the longer she is here the more attach I get but Libby is awaiting her departure.  Libby prefers life being the Pack Leader of the house. 

I Promise, I Promise

I just made a promise to myself to start posting more,  I'm not sure what the problem is?  there is always sometime going on around here.  I even have my HomePage as the Blog Page just to remind me, "hey you better get posting"

I just brought home an 8 week old puppy from the shelter for foster care,  the garage is being demolished today. O ya, and I do work all week so the stories that I could tell but are probably not for public consumption.   And there are always new colors of wool being dyed.

Anyway hope you enjoy the photos of my new little foster girl, the Shelter is just packed with unwanted dogs and there is a storm coming tomorrow AGAIN so she would probably just be sitting in an old cage for 2 days.  She's a smart little thing she is almost housetrained as long as you are in puppy mode and let her out often and don't free feed.  Last night was her first night with no littermate as the shelter scooped her up from an on-line buy, sell, & giveaway swap shop as a "free puppy".  She has no name yet if there are any thoughts from my followers. 

Updated Photo of the Garage , front and half the side are down now. :-( 

Something OLD and Something New & Libby

In reversed order, something new, into the dye pot on a Friday night,  O what a life. 

Love a piece of Purple Rain wool nice deep dark purple which is now dripping dyed in the side room.

Now to the interesting part of my day,

My garage roof collapsed last night, I awoke to a terrible sounds of cracking wood and falling snow.  Poor old Betsy could not take the huge snow load from our last storm.  Photo above: is from my bedroom window view and Photo below:  front on view. All is not lost as I have insurance and no one was hurt in this disaster.   God is always looking down on me and protecting me.  Have a Great Weekend everyone.

And as always by my side - My Sweet & Loveable Libby waiting till the next game of catch.

Light the Way and Dye Yarn

New lighting at the Rug Studio this weekend.  The first photo: the four-way light fixture had two broken light bulbs right out of the box back to Home Depot this weekend to replace them. Now I'm only one light fixture short in the whole area.  Finally a little more progress. Steps are still on the un-done list. 

I've recently starting to dye yarn as a new product in the shop.  I met another rug hooker that hooks with yarn myself personally I had never dyed yarn nor hooked with yarn other than a small blotch here and there for some reason.  The lady in the photo is Mary who started to hook with yarn a few years back and now always hooks with yarn.  Mary came into the shop one day and said " Do you sell yarn?"  I had some yarn for whipping but it had not occurred to me to custom dye yarn,  I said' No, but I Can"  So we picked a few custom colors in the 6-value swatches and the rest is history.

Fishy Situation

I may never eat fish again.  Off to the local grocery store today in a storm just to get out of the house - little shack wacky -   I'm shopping around for some deals and I see this Haddock markdown down 30% off,  I thought ummm on sale as it is due today but I'm going home to fry this delicacy and treat myself.  When I got back to the truck Libby was smelling the groceries and I thought Libby is all excite to have some fresh fish tonight also.

I few hours after being home I grabbed the fish out of the fridge and cut the packaging open, OMG the smell is still in my nose!!! the odor was more than I could stand, I quickly re-packaged the fish, put it back in the fridge to stop the smell from circulating around my kitchen.  I can't believe a store would sell Old Smelly Fish.

I have since returned the fish to the store for a refund, but not sure if eating fish any time soon is in my future.