It was a beautiful sunset flying home last night from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Montreal, Quebec. I then caught a flight from Montreal to Moncton, New Brunswick and I got home around midnight which wasn't too bad, thanks to my daughter in-law Martina and grandson, Denver who picked me up at the airport.
I hope you have all been hard at work on your projects! I was on a 'rug hooking cruise', I had taken a project to work on and was signed up for a course on the cruise and I was worried would it be like when I go south and I take my sneakers but never go to the gym type of thing? Not so, I did 'hook'! I so enjoyed hooking as much as I could fit in and some days it was hard as we were so busy. We unfortunately can not be in 10 places at once! I so enjoyed hooking on my patio off our room, looking at the ocean.
Here is our classroom we had reserved for our hooking and the view is so distracting and all the new folks to meet and talk with!
Here is a pattern by Dawn Langham that I had taken to work on.
Growing up I use to 'love' to watch the LOVE BOAT, apparently cruise lines like to be called 'ships' not boats. This little pattern above has a heart in it, there seems to be a theme. The course I took with Loree Lenox from Ontario, she taught us not to be afraid to add embellishments to our work. We had fun hooking this heart below and as you can see I have a long way to go. Can you see a word in my work?
This is Loree's heart below. The little key in my heart above, Loree gave each of us one and said we now have a key to her heart!
I had signed up to take a glass blowing course on the cruise and decided I would make a heart. There is a theme! This was fun to do and I now have a wonderful colorful heart with my favorite colors in it. Jess in the picture did all the work and she graciously let me help!
Julie designed this lovely kit as a memory bag of our cruise. I got the kit prior to going on the cruise and completed it at sea. The center is a pressed picture of our ship.
I wasn't sure what to expect going on a cruise with around 75 other rug hookers but I can tell you, it is the best! Here a hooker, there a hooker, everywhere you went you were greeted by kind rug hookers. Rug hookers are truly the best people! Here are a few pictures I've taken of 'some' of the wonderful ladies and gents we met. This is Tatiana, she is very talented and here you can see her purse she hooked to match her clothing! The second photo below are a few of the purses she has hooked.
These gals below were always smiling and laughing, Char, Susan, Judy and Linda.
Dawn, below with Sharon and I, we met up with the very first day. Dawn is from Truro and she traveled on this cruise with her daughter Karen (not a rug hooker) who lives in Amherst, the same town as me, what are the chances of that?
Judy and the lady next to her came on the shore excursion in St. Thomas, both rug hookers.
This is Judy's beautiful rug she is working on.
These folks were our dinner companions each night, mother (Diane) daughter (Julie) and should have been another daughter but she had to cancel out so Diane brought her husband (Vince). Diane and Vince celebrated 54 years of marriage while on the cruise and we referred to 'Vince' as John, as he was at a dinner table of 5 hookers. I think he enjoyed being called Johnny. When he came to our classroom with drinks for us all, we laughed and laughed, Johnny takes care of his girls.....giggle.
Julie and her husband Neil were waving at us as we came back to shore from visiting Samana, Dominican.
A great side view of our ship. Did I tell you the food was fabulous! Oh my!
What happens on the cruise stays on the cruise so that is all I can say! 2022 another rug hooking cruise is being scheduled by Searsport, you won't want to miss it!
In the mail this week, Andree has graciously allowed me to show you her pattern she has drawn. She is doing this for her 92 year old mother who always said she'd like a little fun farm with ponies and horses and lambs and she would call the place 'grasshopper hill'. Andree will have wonderful memories when looking at this rug and how much enjoyment her mother had watching her progress.
I can't thank this lovely lady 'Sharon' enough for putting up with me for almost 2 weeks. Sharon was a joy to have as a bunk mate! We laughed and laughed. You are the best Sharon!
I hope you have an awesome week!