Adventures in Rughooking

Yesterday was a great rughooking day!

The Carnegie Rughookers and the Tea Room Hookers were having an exhibit and demonstration up at the City Market. Since I didn't want to pay enormous amounts of money to the parking gods, I decided that my hooking stuff (including the Puritan frame) and I could take the bus for less.

I got to the Market at about 11:00 AM, and although the only person I knew there was Sande (who had brought a number of supplies and samples from River Gallery), I settled in at a spot at the table. (I later found out that I knew a couple of other people as well, from different aspects of my life.)

For a good three hours or so, I socialized, sorted my wool, and stared at my one hooked tulip (the yellow one). Is there such a thing as "hooker's block"?

I also showed my first rug to a lot of people there and it got rave reviews. The other hookers used me as their "poster child" for how easy hooking is to learn whenever someone expressed an interest, and I have to admit that I soaked up every single "Oooh" and "aah". (My cheeks actually hurt this morning from grinning so much!)

Finally I started hooking. I did one more flower (the red one), but once the block was broken, I hooked two more when I got home. (And I would have kept going, too, if it hadn't been bedtime!)

What I enjoyed most about yesterday was the social aspect of it, I think. There's something about sharing a love of doing something with your hands, and admiring what people come up with. I've always said that the reason I enjoy handmade things is because you are essentially sharing someone's life experience when you hold their finished work in your hands. It's a tangible piece of that person's essence. Being surrounded by people as you create together is a powerful, moving thing.

The exhibit and demo continues today at the Market as well, and I'm strongly considering going again, not just because I enjoyed myself so much yesterday, but because I meant to take some pictures, and since I had my first wool-washing experience last night, I'm wondering if anyone there might have a cutter I could use for a few minutes. (I won't be able to use the one at Carnegie on Friday because I have to work.)

And, of course, I'd love to do some more hooking. *grin*

PS -- Since adolescence, I have had a tradition of naming my inanimate possessions that mean a lot to me. (It started with George the Ghetto Blaster.) Given that it is a "Puritan" frame, and going along with the "old-fashioned" theme, I have christened my rughooking frame: "Hester".