Oodles of Entries!

Without . . . Continue Reading → Five Lucky Winners…]]> The wait is over!  After carefully creating entries for those of you who shopped, followed, liked, commented or shared with Wicked Wool in November we held our Heaps of Gratitude giveaway drawing this morning.  Your kind words and encouragement really keep the creative juices flowing over here and our first year was a success because of you.  Please keep ‘em coming!  Here’s how your entries looked before the drawing:

Oodles of Entries!

Without further ado, the five, make that SIX (6) prizes and their winners are:

• A book, Sew the Perfect Gift, from Martingale & Company (WINNER —SHARON L, Eustis, NE)
• Dimensional Snowman Pattern & wool fabric kit (WINNER — ELINOR B, Columbia, MO)
• Dimensional Santa Pattern, wool fabric kit & painted candlestick (WINNER —SALLY R)
• Skein of Rauma Ryegarn (WINNER — JUDY C)
• Choice of Wicked Wool Chair Mat pattern (WINNER — GAYLE B)
• Handmade Ornament (WINNER — VICKIE S, Salem, OR)

The drawing was so exciting that we accidentally-on-purpose pulled an extra name!  Congratulations to each of you!  In case you’re curious, we had two Facebook friends, two shoppers and two blog followers as winners.  The winners have all been notified and we’re waiting to hear back from them.  Once the winners email us their shipping information, we’ll get their prizes on the way.  Thanks, again, to all who participated.  There are still plenty of shopping and shipping days before the holidays and we’d love to hear from you!

With gratitude…

BMK

Forget trimming the turkey… bring on the Christmas tree!  I tried to hold off the holiday vibe until after Thanksgiving, I truly did, but I have failed miserably.  Life is just too darn jolly!  This past week has found me happily cutting, stitching, stuffing and decorating bits of recycled wool sweaters into eco-friendly, charming little holiday ornaments.  If you would like to see them in person, please . . . Continue Reading → Trim the Tree…]]>

Pile 'o Stockings from Wicked Wool

Forget trimming the turkey… bring on the Christmas tree!  I tried to hold off the holiday vibe until after Thanksgiving, I truly did, but I have failed miserably.  Life is just too darn jolly!  This past week has found me happily cutting, stitching, stuffing and decorating bits of recycled wool sweaters into eco-friendly, charming little holiday ornaments.  If you would like to see them in person, please visit our pal, Lynda, at the Speckled Hen in Snohomish, Washington.  Lynda has decorated a lovely tree in her shop with a wonderful assortment of our freshly-stitched goodies.  A limited quantity will also be available on the website.  We’ve created a long, lean Stocking, a Jingle Chick, a Button Bird and an Owl Baby from assorted wool fabric, reclaimed sweaters, buttons, antique paisley, perle cotton, apple twigs and other colorful bits from our studio.  They will all be added to the site in the next day or so.  We hope you enjoy them!

Our Anniversary Thank You event is still underway and we are excited about our biggest giveaway ever!  Remember to enter your chance to win by subscribing to follow our blog, “Like-ing” Wicked Wool on Facebook, placing an order or leaving a comment.  You may enter as often as you like!  Blog followers are also eligible for a special 10% off discount that is valid for purchases made through midnight (PST) on November 30th, 2011 (Bee Line-Townsend products are the only exclusions).  The drawing will be held and winners notified via e-mail on December 1st.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  Full details may be found in our Heaps of Gratitude blog post.

New to the site this week are Hartman Hooks, Nancy Miller Pencil Hooks and Nancy Miller White Hooks.  We’ve also increased our offering of Rauma Ryegarn colors.  We now have 16 colors of this terrific whipping wool in stock for your rugs.  Don’t forget that we also have the new Magdalena Briner book.  And, yes, all are eligible for the 10% discount with a confirmed blog subscription!

Thanks for stopping by…

BMK

These three snowmen were shared by our customers!  Woo-hoo and BIG thanks to hooking friends Patti, Jessica and Evie!

This blog title could easily have been “Exploring Ballast Options for Dimensional Hooked Projects”, but it seemed a little dry to us!  Have you ever noticed how the added heft of a weighted fill adds to the charm and realism of your hooked pumpkin, corn or snowman?  We have!  When we hook and create . . . Continue Reading → Heavy Hooking…]]>

These three snowmen were shared by our customers!  Woo-hoo and BIG thanks to hooking friends Patti, Jessica and Evie!

This blog title could easily have been “Exploring Ballast Options for Dimensional Hooked Projects”, but it seemed a little dry to us!  Have you ever noticed how the added heft of a weighted fill adds to the charm and realism of your hooked pumpkin, corn or snowman?  We have!  When we hook and create these projects, they are stuffed with a combination of fiber-fill, wool scraps/snippets and whatever heavy, loose fill we have on hand.  For example, our Hooked Snowman weighs in at over 4 pounds thanks to the Ballast Bag (explained below) that I created and the 8 ounces of polyester fiber-fill it contains.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word bal•last /´balest/(noun) is defined as “Heavy material, such as gravel, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability.”  We’ve found that by adding a little weight to the bottom of our hooked goods, they are able to be freestanding.  The best choices for ballast are materials that are heavy for their size and compact well.  Here are some categories of ballast that we have used or that have been recommended to us by customers:

• FOODSTUFFS: Popcorn Kernels (unpopped), Dried Beans, Lentils, Rice, Wheat
• YARD ITEMS: Dry Sand (or Emery), Gravel
• PET PRODUCTS:  Ground Walnut Shells (sold as bedding for reptiles), Aquarium Gravel, Unscented Cat Litter
• OTHER:  Poly Pellets (plastic filler beads), Metal BBs, Pennies, Glass Drops (home decor item), Wood Pellets

Besides dense weight, these types of ballast are all readily available household items.  In our experience, folks with curious pets may want to avoid foodstuffs.  If pantry pests are an issue where you live or store your items, it would be best to avoid foodstuffs as well. Polystyrene Plastic Pellets and BBs are terrific, but you will have to weigh (figuratively) their cost as an investment in your handmade item.  Ultimately, select a product that will work best for your locale and your storage of the hooked piece in the off season.  For example, we live in the Pacific Northwest, arguably one of the wettest places in the US, so any materials that might be affected by moisture (foodstuffs, cat litter) are automatically a no-no. Folks who live in Arizona or the like, could probably use cat litter without incident.

We evaluated our heavy (hahaha, pun intended) favorites by measuring and weighing one cup of each.  The important factors for us were that the fills be long-lasting, exhibit superb weight-to-volume ratio and be economical.  We worked out the price per ounce to determine the cost for one cup of each material.  You’ll have to decide which is the best option for you.  Here are the results:

• Popcorn Kernels — One cup weighs 7.1 ounces; cost .33 cents/cup
• Aquarium Gravel — One cup weighs 12.6 ounces; cost .90 cents/cup
• BBs — One scant cup (2400 BBs!) weighs 1 pound 14 ounces; cost $6.99/cup
• Poly Pellets — One cup weighs 4.5 ounces; cost $1.40/cup
• Ground Walnut Shells — One cup weighs 5.2 ounces; cost .28 cents/cup

All of these materials could be treacherous if they escape your hooked project, so devising a way to contain them is an important step.  Trust me, I know about these things.  I was one of those kids who was lucky enough to have a crafty, fun mom (ok, she’s still crafty and fun) and a posse of doting grandmothers.  I vividly recall a happy summer visit to my great-grandmother’s house where we spent time sewing colorful frog bean bags from scraps of mod fabric and green corduroy.  We filled them with wheat grown by our family.  Inevitably, our big, pose-able bullfrogs would spring leaks along a seam line that required felt patches (my favorite) and crazy-daisy stitches to keep them sealed up for the trip home.  You can probably guess what an awful racket wheat makes when you vacuum it up!  To avoid your own frog-like emergencies, we suggest that you make a simple ballast bag from some mismatched tube socks or knee-high nylons.  Double up the hosiery (yes, one inside the other), fill with ballast material of your choice to suit your project, tie off or sew the end closed.  This method is fantastic for containing plastic pellets, BBs, walnut shells, aquarium gravel, popcorn or anything else you can dream up.  You will be rewarded with a flexible ballast bag to add stability to your next hooked dimensional project.  Alternately, you could make a small pouch from tightly woven fabric (such as muslin) to create a bean bag-type insert.  Just make sure it is flexible enough to be manipulated through the final opening before stitching your project closed.

Next up?  Hmmm… maybe a day spent making WOOL frogs of my own…

BMK

As we said goodbye to our busy October calendar, added the jack-o-lanterns to the compost pile and ate our fill of Halloween treats, we failed to mark an important day for Wicked Wool.  Our one year web anniversary came and went amongst numerous soccer games, hook-ins and other Fall happenings.  What a whirlwind year this has been!  We are having so . . . Continue Reading → Heaps of Gratitude…]]>

Moses, our giant mixed breed dog, plays in the NW fall leaves...

As we said goodbye to our busy October calendar, added the jack-o-lanterns to the compost pile and ate our fill of Halloween treats, we failed to mark an important day for Wicked Wool.  Our one year web anniversary came and went amongst numerous soccer games, hook-ins and other Fall happenings.  What a whirlwind year this has been!  We are having so much fun bringing you new products, designs and more hooking that the months have flown by.  We are immensely grateful to all of you who have helped make our first cyber year so interesting and fulfilling. Your comments, orders and photos of your projects have cheered us on and inspired us.  We would not be here without each of you.  To show our heaps of gratitude and because we didn’t want the occasion to completely pass us by, we’re throwing our biggest giveaway party yet and you are invited!

We’ve chosen five different giveaway GOODIES.  One of the following will be awarded to five lucky winners:

• Your very own copy of Sew the Perfect Gift book from Martingale & Company
• Dimensional Snowman Pattern & wool fabric kit
• Dimensional Santa Pattern, wool fabric kit & painted candlestick
• Skein of Rauma Ryegarn (color choice limited to stock on hand)
• Choice of Wicked Wool Chair Mat pattern (you select the design and foundation)

We might be crazy, but there are five (5) ways to enter our random drawing and multiple entries are encouraged.  You’ll get a single entry for doing any of the following:

1. SIGN UP FOR THE BLOG.  If you are receiving the blog automatically via email, you are already entered.  If you are viewing the blog on the website, there is a little box to the right that says “Stay Updated: Subscribe Here”  click the envelope icon and complete the simple steps to sign up or (SIGN UP HERE).  Please note that your subscription must be verified to be entered — Feedburner will send you a confirmation e-mail that requires you to click and respond that “yes” you want to receive blog postings from Wicked Wool.  The whole process takes about a minute.
2. PLACE AN ORDER.  Any order placed from November 1st, 2011, through midnight (PST) November 30th, 2011, will count as one entry.
3. SUBMIT A PHOTO.  Any images you submit of your Wicked Wool projects that can be added to our gallery will receive an entry.  Email photos to info@wickedwool.com before the November 30th deadline.
4. LEAVE A COMMENT.  Create a comment for one of our blog entries or on Facebook this month to receive an entry.
5. LIKE Wicked Wool on FACEBOOK.  If you take a moment to “like” us on Facebook, you will receive another entry for the drawing.

Here is another token of our appreciation — we are offering a special 10% discount* for our blog subscribers for the remainder of this month.  (New subscribers will receive coupon code via e-mail once subscription is confirmed).  Giveaway winners will be selected via random drawing.  The drawing will be held in the wee hours of December 1st, 2011, and the lucky winners notified immediately via e-mail.  Odds of winning will depend upon number of entries received.  All prizes will be awarded.  We will look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for a great year and GOOD LUCK…

BMK

*Bee Line-Townsend merchandise is not eligible for this discount.

Oh, they certainly look innocent enough in this shot, but those darn chickens are eating my carefully picked pumpkins!  On a recent trip to Bailey’s Pumpkin Barn in Snohomish, I found the amazing yellow pumpkin in a row of cinderella pumpkins and snatched it for my porch.  Apparently, it holds special appeal for our inquisitive hens, too.  On nice days we like to let them free range . . . Continue Reading → Pick a Little, Peck a Little… Pumpkins!]]>

The chickens are dining on pumpkins!

Oh, they certainly look innocent enough in this shot, but those darn chickens are eating my carefully picked pumpkins!  On a recent trip to Bailey’s Pumpkin Barn in Snohomish, I found the amazing yellow pumpkin in a row of cinderella pumpkins and snatched it for my porch.  Apparently, it holds special appeal for our inquisitive hens, too.  On nice days we like to let them free range in our yard and yesterday I caught them pecking at all of the succulent pumpkins on the deck.  Luckily, there are less than two weeks ’til Halloween and I do have a substantial number of pumpkins!  Just had to share this photo of the hens’ most recent antics.  On to rug hooking…

More pumpkin news.  Our dimensional pumpkin pattern has been so popular that I needed new samples.  I’ve added brand-new images of all four sizes to the Pumpkin Patch gallery.  These are especially fun because they utilize a real dried pumpkin stem.  Other ideas for stems include sturdy cinnamon sticks or interesting twigs.  Please send images of your hooked pumpkins and we’ll share them, too.  Here’s a little peek of how they looked on our porch this morning (pesky chickens thankfully absent from photo).

We would like to thank all of the folks who stopped by to visit at the Sons of Norway Rug Hooking show last week.  The Woolkeepers’ Rug Hooking Friends put on another wonderful event — there were rugs-o-plenty on display, busy vendor booths, sensational salads and fellowship in abundance.  Gatherings like these are a lot of work and we appreciate their efforts!  Missed it?  Mark your calendars for 2012;  the next show will be Wednesday, October 10th.

Happy Fall…

BMK

The rumors are true… there’s a new man in my life.  He’s about 13″ tall, weighs 4 pounds and has a decidedly woolen appearance.  No surprise here, he’s a  SNOWman and he is the new addition to our hooked dimensional pattern line.  I “built” mine in #8.5 (5/16″) cut strips and he worked up quickly.  The pattern, #1231 Hooked Snowman, includes detailed instructions, color photos and suggested hooking order.  He has a gusseted . . . Continue Reading → New Guy in Town…]]>

The rumors are true… there’s a new man in my life.  He’s about 13″ tall, weighs 4 pounds and has a decidedly woolen appearance.  No surprise here, he’s a  SNOWman and he is the new addition to our hooked dimensional pattern line.  I “built” mine in #8.5 (5/16″) cut strips and he worked up quickly.  The pattern, #1231 Hooked Snowman, includes detailed instructions, color photos and suggested hooking order.  He has a gusseted back, similar to the dimensional pumpkins, and is freestanding.  The dimensional scarf adds primitive flair and makes him handsome from all angles.  Kits are in the works, too.

Fun, fun, fun…

BMK

We are pleased to announce that Wicked Wool is now a distributor for Bee Line-Townsend fabric cutting tools and accessories.  If you own or have used a Townsend cutter in the past, you already know the high standard of quality set forth by the Townsend family.  Bee Line-Townsend is committed to carrying on this tradition and building upon it with innovation and a commitment to the rug hooking community.  I am so impressed . . . Continue Reading → New Buzz…]]>

We are pleased to announce that Wicked Wool is now a distributor for Bee Line-Townsend fabric cutting tools and accessories.  If you own or have used a Townsend cutter in the past, you already know the high standard of quality set forth by the Townsend family.  Bee Line-Townsend is committed to carrying on this tradition and building upon it with innovation and a commitment to the rug hooking community.  I am so impressed with the customer service they offer and their “can do” attitude that I know we will be excellent partners.  We welcome your questions and hope you’ll check out their complete offering here on the site.  Whether you are just getting started or adding to your collection, it will be our pleasure to serve you.

Julie Stamper, of Bee Line-Townsend, recently ordered our Medium Pumpkin kit and has been chronicling her hooking experience on her Rookie Hooker blog.  Her newbie perspective is fresh and witty and she has a lots of photos, too.  Remember, if you have a hooked pumpkin to share, please send us the photo and we’ll add it to our Pumpkin Patch!

Happy Hooking…

BMK

Howdy after a long hiatus.  It is no coincidence that you haven’t heard from us since mid-June… that particular date coincided with the first day of my family’s Summer vacation.  We have simply not had a dull moment around here.  They are now back to their studies and my Activities Director duties have lessened, so I’m back to work with hook in hand!  Hope the months passed well for you, too.  Here is . . . Continue Reading → With Hook in Hand…]]>

Howdy after a long hiatus.  It is no coincidence that you haven’t heard from us since mid-June… that particular date coincided with the first day of my family’s Summer vacation.  We have simply not had a dull moment around here.  They are now back to their studies and my Activities Director duties have lessened, so I’m back to work with hook in hand!  Hope the months passed well for you, too.  Here is the summer highlight reel from Wicked Wool:

• Remember my Skubb-of-the-Month rug with the medallions?  It’s DONE and was part of the hooked rug exhibit at the Evergreen State Fair this year.  It is the featured image on this blog post.  I was curious about how much wool had been tied up in that unfinished project, so I weighed the Skubb with the leftover wool in it.  I reclaimed over seven pounds of wool to use in other projects!
• Our Hooked Pumpkin class at Quilting in the Country in Bozeman, MT was a hit!  There were eleven students, ten of whom were absolute beginners.  Everyone made good progress and Jane Quinn and her staff made us feel most welcome.  I am very grateful to Kathy H for making the trip and helping out with the class, too.
• There were so many beautiful rugs on display at the Evergreen State Fair this year, that I decided to create a gallery on our site to showcase them.  I’ll happily add photos if you have some shots I missed.  It’s all about spreading the love of rug hooking…

Current Wicked Wool activities include several new dimensional patterns, dyeing wool, finishing samples and getting back into a hooking rhythm.  Thankfully, not everyone played hooky (pun intended) this Summer.  Many of you have been hard at work and we’ve got the photos to prove it.  Be sure to browse the image galleries for lots of new inspiration and thanks for sharing!  We always love to see (and share) what you have been working on.  We’ve missed you and it is nice to be back…

BMK

Mystery winner… we’d love to be able to send you your prize.  Please contact us!  Thanks, again, to all who entered.  Another fun drawing is scheduled . . . Continue Reading → The Winners Are…]]> So many have inquired as to whether they are the remaining winner, that I thought I should post what I know!  The winners of the Sentimental Peony Patterns are:

• Katie P. from Warsaw, MO
• Ann Taylor from Shelbyville, IN
• Mystery winner has an email address that includes “cscecil3″

Mystery winner… we’d love to be able to send you your prize.  Please contact us!  Thanks, again, to all who entered.  Another fun drawing is scheduled for August!

Have a great weekend…

BMK