So today Bob stopped in and we were all talking about yesterday, and we asked him how all the pies were. He said he only tasted 3 of the 5 or 6 that there were, but he said they were all delicious. One of the pies at his gathering was a Homestead Pie. He said it didn't appeal to him, so it was not one that he ate. He told us it had Ritz Crackers and whipped cream. It sounded different... well, interesting... actually, kind of scary, to us. But he said that everyone loved it. So off he went and we told him we'd see him on Monday.
About an hour or so later, I saw his green jacket go by the window. He came in the front door, carrying something, and snuck upstairs to the kitchen. He had gone home and asked Marilyn to bake us a Homestead Pie. So this is what I found when I came up for lunch.
Clearly, several of us enjoyed it! Thanks Bob and Marilyn! It will most likely be gone by the end of the day.I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. The weather was so awful, that I didn't set one foot over the door. It was so fun to stay home and not "have" to do anything. I spent a lot of time hooking my rug, and I hope to be finished soon.
It may have to live in the shop for a while before I hang it up at home. And I'm already thinking about my next one...
Great rug, Jill! Would you mind sharing with me what sort of frame you use? I'm seriously considering delving in to the art of rug hooking, but my first attempt, well, maybe I just didn't have the right materials, etc! I love your fish rug as well. Do you kit up rugs for beginners with no stash? ;o) ~Kim
ReplyDeleteHi Kim!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I worked on the rug more yesterday, and I think I'll be finished in a few days. Then I have to finish the edges...
I use the Puritan Frame. We sell them - and they are great. Two of the edges rotate, so once you place your rug on the frame and stretch it a bit to fit, you can tighten the top side and the right side to make it nice and tight. I started out with a nice embroidery hoop, but I found that the Puritan frame made the rug much tighter and easier to hook. I think if I were just starting, I may not invest in it, but because I know I'm "hooked", it was worth the investment.
We do sell some kits by DiFranza, but most of them are much smaller cuts (#3). They come with the pattern, on linen, and the wool, already cut into strips. You would just need a hook and a hoop (or frame.)
We are happy to kit up one of our other patterns - but it is hard to know exactly how much wool you'd need, or how many colors you'd like to use, etc. It is more expensive that way, too, because you'd be buying a full piece of wool for each color. (But then you have a stash!) The wool we'd kit up would also not be in strips. We always recommend cutting the wool as you go. That way, you aren't having a stash of "strips". If you cut all of your wool into a #8 cut, and don't use it, and then on your next rug you want to do a #6 cut, you can't really use those strips.
On my first rug, I spent a LOT of money on wool. I wanted a lot of colors, so I bought a full piece for each color. I didn't end up using a lot of it... so in the end I had a really nice stash. I think with rug hooking, that's just how it goes!
Also, your rug will grow and change - you can never really know what colors will go where, until you start hooking it. A color that you buy a lot of, may be used only a little. We think it's great to start on a rug with maybe 5-6 colors. Then as you start to hook it, go out and look for more colors to add in.
Hope this helps!