Owl Pillow

Several years ago I was inspired by a small oil painting of an owl and I hooked him for a friend of mine. We both love owls. I think hooking is a lot like oil painting and always wondered about trying to hook something that had been painted to see if you got the same effect. The owl came out very nice and one day I want to hook him for myself. I have a postcard by an impressionistic painter of a coastal town on the sea and I would love to hook that. Hooking is painting with wool. The sky is the limit!

In the crush of Christmas madness I wonder if  the crowds remember what Christmas is about, do they even care.  The mall and stores are overflowing with hordes of people. I wonder have we forgotten what Christmas is about. I went to an old church that had a beautiful service and then I went to my church and was inspired by all the hymns about Jesus's birth. But with all the things that have become wrapped around the holiday the meaning becomes a bit marred and sometimes a bit cheap.

Years ago an old priest was serving in the temple. He had prayed for his wife to have a child and nothing happened. Now it was too late, he had given up. He thought God had forgotten.

He wished his name had been different. Names meant so much. Why couldn't his be something else, why did his name mean " Yahweh remembers". What a joke. And then one day God sent an angel and told him that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and his name would be John and he would announce the coming of the Messiah. Oh Zechariah, Yahweh remembered.

God hasn't forgot that night long ago when the angels sang and His Son was born. God hasn't forgotten us. Jesus was in the past and He can be in our life now and He is coming back soon.

The  worldmay try to clog Christmas till you loose your focus but Yahweh remembers and He hold us in His hands.

Scarecrow Rug

I  finished my scarecrow rug. After a few changes I am happy with it. It is ready to grace the dining room table next fall. Now I just need to get up the courage to hook a big winter rug. I may wait a bit for that one.

Santa Hooked Rug

I hooked this Santa in '99 and he hangs on my mother's wall at Christmas. He gives everything a very festive air.

  I sent my hat to the frog pond. Rip it, rip it. I will start over soon. Hopefully it will be perfect this time.

  I finished the last sunflower on the scarecrow rug and just need to do the background and some of the border. I may go back and tweak a few of the sunflowers. I really like how the last sunflower turned out, so I am debating on changing some of the others. We will see. I love the crows and the cat with their black, purple and blue colors. It is a fun rug. But after such a gargantuan rug I think I will hook something small. This one has taken a major effort.

My hat is finished but it is too big! So I have to frog it and start over. Ugh that's when I don't like knitting.

An Artist's Dream

One of my favorite sites is purlsoho.com I am often inspired by their patterns and designs. The latest inspiration comes from this wool on their website that is produced by Ozark Handspun. They have so many colors that I am not sure how to pick or where to begin. I think I want them all!!! If you can look at  their wool and not want to knit I don't know what to say. It is an artist's dream.

The Beginnings of a Hat

This is the beginning of my new hat. I am determined to make a hat that fits well. The first hat I made did not turn out as well as I had hoped. It seems there is no true formula and you have to make it up as you go along. according to the persons head. So I am making this one for myself. If I can get it right for me I will branch out to other relatives like my nephew. He loved his hat even though it was a bit floppy. He will get another hat but next time it will be much better!!