To Adventure

Last weekend was filled with adventure. On Friday, I took a trip up to Springville, AL for the Homestead Hollow Harvest Festival. I indulged in meat on stick (which is always a good decision) and funnel cake. I bought some awesome soap from Earthstone Soap Company which I can’t wait to try out. I fell prey to adorable pottery and took some home. I heard about spinning demonstrations but saw none. Made me wish I’d brought my spindle and acted as an unofficial, walking demonstration.

On Saturday I headed over to Atlanta for food, fun, and general goodness but not before stopping by the fiber guild meeting. The fiber guild cannot be denied, after all, and October’s program was all about rug hooking. The first thing that came to mind when I heard “rug hooking” at last month’s meeting were those fuzzy latch hook kits I’ve seen in craft stores and usually with kittens, or lighthouses, or Homer Simpson (not that I don’t love The Simpsons) on the box. Turns out, latch hooking and rug hooking are not the same thing. When I saw some of the amazing rugs the teacher had made, I signed up for the class.

When I arrived on Saturday with an embroidery hoop, I got a cute, little kit to make a pumpkin coaster. The teacher showed us how to move our hands, start the loops, turn corners, and follow curves. Then she set us loose with strips of wool and hooks. I managed to finish the pumpkin’s outline before I left and added a bit more over the weekend. Eventually, I’ll fill in the pumpkin, surround it with black loops and turn the whole thing into a coaster.

Even after years of knitting, months of spinning, and a burgeoning crush on cross-stitch, I am still amazed at the possibilities created by yarn, fabric, needles, hooks, thread, and a little bit of patience. I want to try out and learn about as many of these “possibilities” - like rug hooking - as I can, even if just for a few minutes each. I’ve got to expand my post-apocalyptic skill-set, you know. Seriously, it’s easy to joke about but this urge I have to learn and make stuff is hard describe. What I can say is that I never want to lose it. So, I wish you all the best while you learn, and experiment, and adventure and make stuff, and try new things.