Pack your go bags everyone!  Remember to bring finished items for the fiber exhibit, a wearable fiber art for the fashion parade, a pet supply donation to the Humane Society of Marion County, a project to work on for the day, rug hooking, spinning (a spinning vortex will be in the middle of the room), weaving, knitting, kumihimo, any fiber art is welcome!  We will be at the Klein Conference Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala Fl.   Pre-registration required at ShadyHillRugHooking.com. 

November 15th was the Strawberry Rug Hookers Annual Hook-in in Dover Florida!  Always an exciting day full of shopping, vending, door prizes, raffle tickets and most of all - friendship!

Here is a picture of my booth before everyone came through the doors.  

Put this event on your calendar for next year!

Yes, it's true!  I started and finished a rug in the same year!  I have a habit of starting many, many projects, way too many projects.  Then working on all of them, and soon they will be finished at the same time.  A couple weaving projects, knitting projects,  rug hooking projects ready to enjoy.  That means piles of stuff all over the place.

The big news is the Spring Fiber Fling registration will open on October 7th!  Details are in the Spring Fiber Fling section.  Check it out!

A little messy on the frame this week.  Steamy hot week with temps in the high 90's.  So it's hooking in the afternoons.  I can see some adjustments need to be made on the rose, one petal is a bit too dark.  I like hooking the background as I complete a design.  A row or two of background help to define the design, and confirms the background choice is a good one.  Plus, the rug is mostly done and only a little boring background to do at the end!

Plans are shaping up for the Spring Fiber Fling in March 2020.  Friday afternoon classes will be listed soon, just waiting for information from the teachers.  Check back soon!

Sneak preview of my current rug hooking project.  I attended the Off the Ocean Rug Camp in Jacksonville FL in January and thoroughly enjoyed a class with Sybil Osicka.  After a busy spring I am getting back to it.  More pictures to come with progress. 

We are working on details for the 2020 Spring Fiber Fling too!

Finished, finally!  Colchester Vase, available from Honey Bee Hive Rug Hooking.

I added the braid to make a border.  The first one I tried was green and yellow, trying to bring the yellow from the center to the outside.  The contrast was too sharp and all I saw was the braid, not the flowers.  Red made it look to Christmasy.  I think the final decision of three strands of green plaid for the braid is the right one.  It takes trial and error sometimes to get it right.

This is Oscar!  Anne Doucet from Titusville FL  hooked this charming sea turtle using several fun decorative stitches.  I had the pleasure of teaching the class in January in Titusville.  We focused our fiber fun on learning these stitches to add texture and interest to our rug hooking.  Thank you for inviting me to teach, and sharing the picture of your finished Oscar!

Drop Spindle spinning and knitting out in the woods during a hike on a beautiful day with my talented sister who came to visit for Christmas.  

Are you ready for 2019?  Have you set some goals?  Either to finish the UFO's, or learn a new art form?  Make a plan and get prepared and go for it!

Only two weeks until the Country Roads Quilt Show in Ocala Florida!  We all need needle cases to store our favorite needles and pins.  I will have these kits available for you at the quilt show.  A perfect size to give wool appliqué a try!  

Stop in my booth and say Hello!

I am excited to be a new vendor at the Country Road Quilt Show in Ocala Florida!  For all the important details check out their website at crqocala.com/quilt-show-2018.

I will be playing in the dye pots over the next several weeks!  Last week I dyed brilliant reds and glorious greens for Christmas projects and some outrageous oranges for pumpkins to get you started on fall.

Be sure to stop in my booth and say HI!

I will have several wool appliqué kits and patterns available also.  

Once in a while you need several values of the same color.  Santa faces anyone!

Registration is open!

Follow the Spring Fiber Fling 2019 tab on the tool bar to register.

One of my all time favorite rug patterns!  I am making some progress and enjoying each flower and leaf.  I guess I need to tackle the roses and strap leaves next.  During the summer I need extra fans to keep cool under this extreme rug!

A surprise adventure is always fun, when he said I am sure there is a spinning wheel in that barn somewhere!  We put on our boots, found our gloves, made sure our flashlights worked, long sleeves and pants for sure.  The barn was loaded, stacked pile on pile of old stuff and things.  And dark.  Then, there it was, a spinning wheel, made into a lamp.  Kind of disappointed not a treasure to take home.  Some parts were missing, and warped wheel.  I left it there for the next person with a treasure map, who needs a lamp.

I also had the pleasure of taking a weaving class from Tammy Poff, Poff Studios to learn the Log Cabin pattern on the rigid heddle loom.  This pattern has a pickup stick element in between the log cabin which adds a degree of difficulty to the weaving.  Now to wait for the cold day in January to wear it, in Florida.

Traveling in April is supposed to be, well, springy like weather, right?  A late spring blizzard made me a day late to the North Central McGown Teachers Workshop in Dubuque Iowa!  We made snow angels one night after the second storm of the week!

I am making progress on a primitive rug from a class at the workshop.  Wide cut, primitive representation taught by Valerie Bergeman.  Excellent class.