'Tis The Season to Be Dyeing...

Lots of yummy colors.....all over textures. Ready to be hooked. Tried to keep my steamy dye kitchen under wraps today as we had SO much humidity (read RAIN) from the tropical storm already...didn't need more to make the house extra humid. It seemed to work, most of the humidity was contained and sucked outside with my venting system. Here are the fruits of my labor....today. What fun it is to play in the dye pots again. Some of these are dye by eye, but most are reproducible colors....a necessity when customers want the same color...right? These lovelies are headed off in the mail tomorrow...

I hope this post finds everyone safe!

Dying for Spring...

OK Mother Nature has been fooling with our weather again. It was WINDY and COLD this weekend with RAIN and SLEET....So, I dabbled in the dye pots....one of my favorite things to do. I had some orders to fill for some students and customers. Here are some of the results....

I dyed this skein of RAGG 2 ply in the microwave. Here it is cooling on the back deck. The yarn is Briggs and Little 2 ply RAGG.

This is what it looks like dried and twisted. It is a nice soft spring green.

I used Wanda's float or wandering method to dye this . It is a lovely parade of browns. The wool is Dorr natural.

Here it is dried and ready for hooking. It is simply delicious. I hope the richness and variation of color and value comes through. Yummy!

This one does not have a before. I got carried away and forgot to take the photos of it in the electric fry pan. I used a spot method to get this wonderful beauty. Inspired by maple syrup and sugaring off. The yarn is Briggs and Little 2 ply Heritage natural.

 

Another one that escaped the camera. What can I say my hands were busy....LOL. Anyway, I dyed this one in the electric fry pan as well. It is also spotted with several colors to yield this softness. The yarn I started with is  Briggs and Little 4 ply washed white.

Slowly....Some Progress

I managed to get some leaves and my pumpkins done...slowly....as my back is doing better ....a little punching here... and a little there. I manage a about a 1/2 hour at a time. I add up my 1/2 hours and there I am - some progress.
I am learning much about working with yarn and punch hooking - CONTRAST is extremely important. Notice how my leaves sort of blend altogether - even though I dyed up some very different values, and purposely made one a blue green and one a yellow green. Thankfully the two oranges work - just. The stems of the pumpkin and the crow read almost the same value as well. I will have to wait and see 'til I put in some background to see if I need to take out some and replace.

Color Color Everywhere...

Two Months.

I never meant to be away for so long.

Life unfortunately sometimes prevents us from doing the things we love to do.....

I have been basking in the luxurious colors this autumn that Montreal has offered up. Each day the change is dramatic. Sometimes the contrasts are really breathtaking. I was lucky to catch these colors yesterday on a walk with my Sophie. The sun was just perfect to capture an incredible light.

I really hope wherever you are you are witness to some of the glorious changes autumn has to offer. Let them inspire you as they have with me.

More Show Rugs...St. Henri Exhibit 2010

 

Garden Trellis

Designed by Judith Dallegret and Claire Molson

Hooked by Claire Molson

 

 Garden Rug

Designed and Hooked by Kathleen Menzies

 

Sultry Night

Adaptation of A Painting by Mr. Meloche

Hooked by Maureen Meloche

The Show Must Go On...St. Henri Exhibit 2010

Squirrel - Pillow

Designed and Hooked by Mayumi Takahashi

Follow The Guide - Pillow

Designed by Di Franza Designs

Hooked by Christiane Lavoie

 Geometric Cushion

Designed and Hooked/Prodded by Terry Ballantyne

Hampden - Pillow

Designed by J.McGown Flynn

Hooked by Rosemary Daisy Sylvestre

Primitive Flowers - Pillow

Designed by Tara Darr

Punch Hooked by Mary Guay

And Then There Was More....St.Henri Exhibit 2010

Red Padula - Chair Pad

Designed and Hooked by Lin Watson

Rose Stool Pad

Designed and Hooked by Lin Watson

Spirals - Chair Pad

Designed and Hooked By Lin Watson

Padula - Chair Pad

Designed and Hooked by Lin Watson

Floral Hand Bag

Designed by Karen Kahle

Hooked by Marie Andrèe Vèzina

Roses Carpet Bag

Designed by Jane Olson and Gene Sheperd

Hooked by Yanick Duchesne

Show Continues....St.Henri Exhibit 2010

Antique Rose - Chair Pad

Adaptation of Design by Karen Kahle

Punch Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

Cape Breton Fishing Boat - Brick Cover

Designed and Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

Floral Teapot - Chair Pad

Designed and Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

Cape Breton Lighthouse - Brick Cover

Designed and Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

OM - Chair Pad

Designed by Tony Latham

Punch Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

Sacha The Cat - Brick Cover

Designed by Di Franza Designs

Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

More....St.Henri Exhibit 2010

Our vintage sign made by hand to look old.

La Mer à L'Estaque

Adaptation of Painting by Paul Cezanne

Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

Fleur

Designed by 3HDesigns

Hooked by Lucie Geneviève Lambert

Main Street

Designed by Rittermere Hurst Field

Hooked by Jeanne Osler

Sunshine Makes Me Happy

Designed by Marja Walker, Primco, House of Price

Hooked by Tony Latham

Razzmatazz
Designed and Hooked by Lin Watson

And The Show Goes On...St.Henri Exhibit 2010

Primitive Flowers 2

Designed by Tara Darr

Hooked by Mary Guay

Ma Famille en Kilim

Designed and Hooked by Yanick Duchesne

Fleurs, style Naif

Designed by Tara Darr

Hooked by Lucie Geneviève Lambert

Kilim: Histoire de Sophie et Yogi

Designed and Hooked by Jocelyn Guindon

La Ferme Morgan

Designed and Hooked by Yanick Duchesne

The Show Continues...St. Henri Exhibition 2010

Hands Around The Hearth

Designed and Hooked By Carolyn Mungall

Vines and Roses

Designed by Mary Ruelle

Hooked by Rosemary Daisy Sylvestre

Three Teddy Bears

Designed and Hooked by Mayumi Takahashi

Jacobean Flower Rug

Designed and Hooked by Carolyn Mungall

Dépanneur

(Corner Store)

Designed and Hooked by Maureen Meloche

And One More Makes Three - Hooked Rug Collection

This is my treasured collection of hooked rug ART by Françoise Vézina-Gagnon. I am SO excited to have acquired the 3rd piece of textile art by one of my favorite rug hooking artists. I have been lusting after the larger piece entitled " Village de Saint-François, Ile d'Oréans" ever since I first saw it. Now, everyday when I come home and see the "village" I feel the excitement of its' beauty. You can easily see why Françoise's work takes my breath away. Click on the photo for a better look. The smaller piece to the left is entitled "Chapelle de Procession Ste. Famille". The piece above the village is entitled "Vieille maison l' ile d'orleans vers 1930".

Here are three more recent pieces of hooked rug ART by Françoise, exhibited at the recent 2010 Exhibition of the St. Henri Rug Hookers.

La Maison Sous Les Arbres

Hooked and Designed by Françoise Vézina-Gagnon

Inspired by painter Marc-Auèle Fortin

Les Patates, Argentenay, Ile d'Orleans

Hooked and Designed by Françoise Vézina-Gagnon

Harvesting potatoes in Argentenay, Saint François, de l'Ile d'Orleans 1930

Le Roi du Clocher et Les Croix de Chemin

Hooked and Designed by Françoise Vézina-Gagnon

On top of steeples we find roosters all along the road that circles the Island.

The road is 42 miles long.