It's HER Fault that I'm Hooked!

Do you remember my delight in receiving wonderful gifts in a Christmas gift exchange with another blogger? Courtney, who writes Sassafras and Winterberry,  sent me such a great gift package. In some ways I feel she may truly be a soul sister of mine. We have much in common, including a love of teaching, enjoyment of crafts, a fondness for antiques, a weakness for primitive art and enthusiasm for learning new things. Oh, and at least for me, when I want to learn something new, I want to do it right now!

Courtney designed and hooked a darling rug for me. It sits in a place of honor on my coffee table. I look at it and yearn to learn. I want to hook rugs, too!

I began to look around to see what resources I have to help me. I found that there is a rug hooking club nearby. Apparently this old art is somewhat new in this area of the country. While it is 'big' on the east and west coasts, it is just beginning to pick up speed in the middle.

On Friday I stopped by the club's monthly hook-in meeting at a nearby library. They come together once a month and enjoy informal opportunities to share ideas and to work on rugs. This lovely lady is holding up a rug that was made by six members of the club to remind her of Colorado when she moves to Texas. I was sad that she is moving as I discovered that she lives practically over the hill from me! Each block of the rug, designed by the club members, depicts a Colorado symbol; Columbine, an Aspen leaf, a bighorn sheep, a cabin, a snow draped pine and the mountains. It was beautiful!

One of the club members marched me into the library and down through the shelves to find a book on rug hooking, after she insisted that I try hooking on her rug. She knew, oh yes, she did, that if one hooks a strip of wool, she will be hooked for life!!

I also learned that there are very few shops in the area that sell hooking supplies. However, there just happens to be one. Sadly, it is in a town on the opposite side of the city and far away from me. But, Hubby wanted to go to the annual Rails in the Rockies model railroad show yesterday, and how serendipitous, detouring to the town with the shop took us only 15-20 miles out of our way!

So I wandered around the shop. I bought a hook and a kit, and some Monk's cloth to use for backing future rugs. I am hooking!