Rug Hooking with Cindi Gay

See new entries on my website

2009-02-24T17:12:00.002-05:00

I have been having trouble posting my entries on blogger. I installed software on my website and it is now self contained. You can see my new entries at www.cindigay.com, click on blog.Here's a preview of my current project:

The website name is still the same

2009-02-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

In my last post I told you that I got possession of www.cindygay.com back. That does NOT mean that the domain name has changed. You can still reach my site using www.cindigay.com or www.cindigayrughooking.com. I also own several misspellings so there are other ways also. The important thing is that I can now announce to a group that my domain name is cindigay.com and I do not have to spell it

FINALLY!

2009-02-04T16:57:00.003-05:00

Today I was able to purchase cindygay.com. For those of you following the blog for a while, you know that I lost it due to a billing problem over a year ago. It was important because many people would naturally spell my name with a y instead of i.

My favorite backing: rug warp

2009-02-02T07:51:00.002-05:00

Sheri's question:Hi Cindi, what's the difference in rug warp and say primitive linen. That's what I usually hook on but it's so darned expensive. I use an 8, 8.5 and 9 cut. I am also experimenting with monks cloth. It's not too bad and Alot cheaper than linen. And where do you get to rug warp? Dorr?Thanks for the help.Rug warp is the heaviest backing that I know of. It lays on the floor like a

Update on Mom

2009-02-02T07:42:00.002-05:00

This weekend Mom got out of the hospital but has to stay in a rehab facility because she needs IV antibiotics twice a day for the next three weeks. The pain in her lower back is some degeneration. She is slowly regaining her strength but still needs the walker to keep her balance. Every day is showing some improvement. Thank you again to everyone who sent messages or said a prayer.

No hooking last week at all

2009-01-27T07:39:00.003-05:00

So much for my commitment to hook 1/2 hour a day. Life got in the way. I still believe that consistent time at the frame is the fastest way to complete a project and I will get back to that as soon as I can. Like dieting, one bad day or a bad week should not keep you from the final goal. The likelihood of having this rug complete by August, however, looks doubtful.Mom is doing somewhat better

I'll be out of touch for a few days

2009-01-21T18:05:00.002-05:00

Mom is in the hospital. Nothing to do with the breast cancer. Her last scans were still clear. Miracles do happen. This is some kind of infection and we just do not know enough yet. I spend the better part of the day with her, come home, put in a load of laundry, feed the dog and fall into bed.

Lesson: Hook a bit here, then a bit there

2009-01-13T17:33:00.005-05:00

I'll be away from the rug hooking frame while I clear out some backlogged paperwork to get ready to do the dreaded taxes. It used to take a day or so to get things ready but with the business, it seems to take forever. I have decided to hit it hard and get it done.While clearing off my hard drive, I found this photo. It is a bit dark, but it is a perfect example of how I hook all over the

Use and Abuse of Hand Hooked Rug

2009-01-06T11:59:00.005-05:00

I use my hand hooked rugs as rugs. It is remarkable how well they hold up. Wool is one of the very best fibers for rugs. It does not accumulate dirt and because I hook on rug warp, my rugs can take what my animals dish out. Watch the movie below to see what I mean. Luckily, Jack has never damaged shoes. He prefers the shoe laces, but leaves the shoes alone. When he gets excited,

Elephants - David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

2008-12-19T12:54:00.002-05:00

I got the best Christmas gift idea last year during a trip from the Atlantic City Airport to Cape May. Linda told me about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. We stopped during our drive at Lucy, the Victorian era 3-story elephant on the Jersey shore. I was very excited because my granddaughter, Alaina, loves elephants. I wasn't disappointed. The gift shop had great elephant stuff.That's when

Day 444 No hooking going on today

2008-12-18T12:21:00.003-05:00

Not much rug hooking planned for today. I am about 1/2 done marking the holidays and should be able to finish that this afternoon. Tonight is the last day of puppy school and Jackson will graduate. I am working on learning a new shopping cart and getting that set up for my website. I think I give up on Ohio. Anyone who lives there will have to call me to place the order because calculating

Day 442 Center DONE. . . well, almost

2008-12-16T10:36:00.008-05:00

I "finished" the center this morning. It is not not completely done because I need to check for holidays. This means that I will inspect the back of the rug and look for larger than normal spaces where I did not hook. They are easy to see on the back but impossible to see on the front.Some of the early books I read suggested using toothpicks to mark the holes. I found that technique almost

Day 441 Wool Sale Status

2008-12-15T08:58:00.002-05:00

The wool sale on my website is going well. Thank you to everyone who has placed an order. One of the wools is sold out, but there is plenty. Go to my website for phone and email information. I plan to update the site immediately after each order, so you can see the status of each one right away.The wool is normally $22.00 a yard, but until January 18 will be only $18.00. Shipping is a

Day 440 Almost done with center

2008-12-14T13:06:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I taught a class at the Black Swamp Quilt Shoppe. I took the room-sized rug with me and took the picture there. After working this morning, I have most of the area to the left of the center finished.

Day 437 What was I thinking?

2008-12-11T12:44:00.003-05:00

After several more hours, I have adjusted all the pictures of wool for sale. I changed the numbering system to make it easier to talk about them. Thank you to those of you who have already called and struggled through with me. I am off to get some hooking done.

Wool Sale -- Off the bolt best pricing

2008-12-10T13:39:00.005-05:00

I've been sitting at the computer since 7:30 this morning. I finally have all the pictures taken and posted on the web. Visit my website to see the samples. To place an order simply give me a call, send me a check with your list of wools or click on the donate button on the supplies page. Below is one of my favorites from the red page, R9.Red | Yellow and Orange | Green and Blue |

Day 436 Organization

2008-12-10T07:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we heard that my husband will be getting a month long layoff over the holidays. Stress always makes me antsy. The side effect is that my home gets deep cleaned and organized. Creativity goes straight out the window.When I got the call I was hooking so the table next to me was the first to feel the frenzy. I was frustrated by having to dig to find just the right green I needed to

Day 434 Background

2008-12-08T14:37:00.007-05:00

One question that I hear often is about background. What direction do you hook? To answer this question fully I would have to write a full article. But to show you my favorite way to hook a background is easy. The first picture below shows the first step I take. I am using my Antique Background, available on my website.I am hooking an area that is about 2" wide. I cannot hook the usual

Day 432 Progress stalled, but I am committed

2008-12-06T09:59:00.006-05:00

Yesterday Jack went under the knife to become a responsible member of the pet community. Yes, he was neutered. I was nervous so I concentrated on upgrading my website and learning more about CSS layout. It is a lot like training a dog, three steps forward and two back.While I made some real progress on the website, I did not hook. I will hook at least an hour today and continue on the 1/2

Day 428 Homework done and ready

2008-12-02T08:18:00.004-05:00

For those of you paying attention, the last post was actually Saturday's post, but I cannot figure out how to change the date. Did it once before, but can't find it now. Today is Day 428.Jack's assignment for puppy school is to do the "down" command without a treat to follow. The movie clip shows his progress. With Thanksgiving last Thursday and missing the week before, he has had three weeks

Day 425 Thanksgiving weekend, some progress

2008-11-30T16:37:00.004-05:00

The dog on the rug is my son's dog, Mickey. They were visiting over the holiday. Bob and his girlfriend, Amanda, live in NYC. It was great to see them. Since I was showing off the rug it was a good time to take a picture.It has been over a month since my last post. I thought I would be able to show you a finished center after just one full week. I was only able to squeeze out a few days so

Day 381 Measurements

2008-10-16T15:41:00.002-04:00

No new picture yet. It is a big production to get the rug off the frame so I am waiting until I have the center area done. I have just the scroll, a rose and some background to do so you should get a new picture soon.In the meantime, I found the measurements of the center area. It is 51" x 79". The additional borders are not included in this measurement.

Day 372 Rug Hooking Progress and Jack

2008-10-07T17:37:00.004-04:00

I've been home a little over a week and I am back at the rug hooking frame. I am concentrating on hooking the center of the rug. As soon as I have it completed, I will check for holidays. What this means is that I examine the back of the rug and look for large blank spaces. I will then mark these spaces with a piece of junk (acrylic) yarn because it is cheap and a plastic canvas needle

Rug Hooking at Cape May

2008-09-24T07:36:00.003-04:00

If we have talked about rug camps before, you have heard me say that my favorite rug camp is Rugs by the Sea in Cape May, NJ. I arrived with no idea what I was going to hook. I had a project I had started on my own earlier and blank rug warp.I taught classes the first week, went to NYC to visit my son over the weekend and spent most of Monday napping. By yesterday, I was ready to start

Meet Jackson, my new puppy

2008-09-24T07:30:00.003-04:00

We went to family reunion in West Virginia. We needed ice so we went to Wal-Mart. In the parking lot was a sign, "Free Puppies." Enough said.Jackson is part boxer and part so something else. We are still trying to figure that out, but he has been very trainable so far. He meets the trainer Monday.