2010 Rug Hooking Camp Part One

I went to the Chiropractor yesterday to get the kinks worked out of my achy body from rug hooking all week...told him I had spent a lot of hours hookin & a strippin...strippin & a hookin...he replied, "Is the leader of your group a pimp?" I laughed a good belly laugh & said no, we are traditional rug hookers who strip wool fabric which is then hooked into a linen or burlap fabric base which is stretched over a frame...we create rugs much like the ones our pioneer ancestors made years ago. He surprised me by saying that he remembered hooking a sailboat rug as a child...his eyes grew distant & he recounted that it was his grandmother who taught him to hook. I was flabbergasted...as it is so rare to hear these stories from men. I promptly asked him is he would like to join our rug hooking group....he said he would think about it...

Heritage Rug Hookers of Saskatoon

Our Rug Camp celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year...it was so heart warming to see women who had been to every camp during the last decade...& such a pleasure to hear them reminisce about the classes they took, teachers they've had....memories made. Some instructors have come & gone now, but I am happy to say that five student teachers graduated this year...teachers who will follow in the footsteps of the ones who have gone before them...

This year rug camp was held at Cedar Lodge which sits on the edge of Blackstrap Lake about 40 minutes from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I have to say that the staff at Cedar Lodge spoiled us rotton...I am sure we all gained 5 lbs from all the home-cooked meals...never mind the scrumptious deserts that we ate after almost every meal. Truly a place that warmed your heart...as well as your tummy!!!

 Fall was in the air & I did manage to get outside to take a few photos of all the autumn splendor...frost was in evidence on the surface of tiny leaves & lichens...

Canada Geese making their annual migration across our skies...their honking & bleating could be heard miles away...flying in formation...the flap of their wings brushed the air as they drifted past me.

 Harvest fields, hay bales & autumn leaves surrounded the lake...

A Saskatchewan Sunrise

Tangled Thicket

A  U  T  U  M  N   C  O  L  O  R

Cabin in the woods

Chopped wood for the old stove

W A T E R C O L O R

S O F T

In a couple of days I will post part two...I will tell you all about our Touring Grain Elevator Project; show you photos of our Rug Show as well as some class pics.

I do apologize...I was so busy snapping photos at the rug show that I forgot to write down the names of the rug's creators. This is just one of the many Grain Elevator rug photos that I will post later on...till then...Susan.