StoryTeller Wool

Fall Leaves are everywhere - in my yard, on my couch, and in the latest Magpie Times. I enjoyed taking an older pattern of mine and giving it new life for the fall season. There is a limited amount of kits available for this pattern. Link in the bio for the Etsy shop.

TIGHR Part 3: Classes! I took two fabulous classes at the convention. A Dorset button class is Lil Grunz and a Kilim finish class with Jane Bridgeman. Both were packed with information, and I came away with a broader skill set and very inspired.

TIGHR Part 2: I really enjoyed getting to know Betty Ann Cormier and her husband. She is a 4th generation Cheticamp rug ho**er with over a half century of hooking experience.
Her husband handcrafts the tiny hooks that are used in this style of hooking. You can see the finished hook in the first photo and an in-process ones in the last photo. I was so honored to be able to buy one of his creations and learn all about Cheticamp rug hooking.

TIGHR Part 1: The TIGHR (The International Group of Handhooking Rugmakers) in Niagara Falls, Canada, was incredible! I loved seeing old friends and making so many new ones. The photo booth was a lot of fun, and I loved being part of the friendship mat exchange. The theme of the conference was “A Place to Grow” and it was carried out beautifully. I am excited to announce that I get the chance to give back to this amazing organization. I will be serving as vice president on the board for the next three years.

Texas Round Up - what a fabulous week! My roadtrip loving husband drove with me to Waco. We visited with dear family friends, I taught two fun classes and we ate copious amounts of baked goods. After Waco we headed north to attend the ATHA rug hooking convention in Grapevine. I taught a one day class featuring my bee pattern with the fabulous as my assistant.
Rupert was a grand success at the auction.
A highlight of the week was taking a two day class from Mary McGrath on fine cut shading with textures.
Headed home happy and full of ideas.

Rupert here - sorry for the pause. That was unexpected, let me tell you what happened! I just met another metal rooster, what are the chances? Do you think another hooking human from rug week brought him? Maybe Ohio is know for metal roosters, who knows, we didn’t get into all the details. It took me a while to even get his name, he was just so full of questions for me. Reginald, which is a fine name for a rooster, had overheard me taking with the chickens and turkeys and wanted ALL the details on my wooly make over. I will say, it’s nice to be appreciated, so I was happy to fill him in on my journey from Paty’s house in Texas, to Rebecca in Colorado. I told him how awesome hooking humans are and that my next stop will be at the ATHA convention in Grapevine Texas to hang out with even more hooking humans. Now - there are many hooking humans at Sauder, but the rug week was wrapping up, so we “hatched” a plan so Reginald could get his own wooly makeover.

Rupert here - I know I said you wouldn’t hear from me again until I arrived in Texas in September… but I have NEWS! Apparently I have quite the fan club, and when other hooking humans heard that Rebecca would be at rug week, there were requests that I attend. I spent a happy few days in the classroom receiving visitors and taking photos with more and more hooking humans. I will say, it got a bit overwhelming, all this attention! Rebecca and her daughter Caroline (we are buddies) whisked me away for a little relaxation in the historic village. I went to see the sheep first. Sheep don’t need hooking humans, they are born with wool - this is fascinating. They were fun to chat with, and fully approved of my wooly look, suggesting I show it off to the local chickens. My legs are short and my hooking humans keep getting distracted by ice cream, it might take me awhile to find the chickens… stay tuned…

There were SO many spectacular rugs at the show. Here are the people’s choice winners!

Attending Rug Week was such a treat this week! I taught a 3 day retreat to a small but mighty class. What a wonderful and thoughtful group. They surprised me with this gorgeous sheep pendant after they saw me admiring it as we walked the rug show together (the vendors are in the same area).

One of my students is coming to the twilight moments of her rug hooking career due to health issues. It was an honor to have her and her supportive husband in my class.

My daughter, Caroline, came along to help with the long drive and because she loves all things fiber art. I was thrilled that wonderful Dolly Di**le was at the Sauder show so Caroline could see it in person.

Another treat was having my friend Amy there with her story rug that was part of the juried show. It’s such an impressive and moving rug. I got to meet and spend time with Katlyn Danko, the new editor of (sorry no photos, we were too busy admiring all the fantastic rugs and talking about how special and diverse the rug hooking community is).

I could go on and on… new friends, old friends, fabulous baked good, and creativity at every turn. The only sad moment was saying goodbye to Rupert the Rooster, as he headed off with the auction chair of the ATHA convention. He will update his fans soon on his Sauder adventure and upcoming debut in Texas.

❤️ Classes ❤️. Storyteller Wool will be in Waco Texas on September 3rd at the amazing ! I am so excited to visit this wonderful store. I have been supplying their classes with rug yarn for years, and now I get to be there in person, teaching a Quillie class and a Creative Stitches for punch needle class. There are a few spots left in each class, so sn**ch them up before they sell out. Contact the store at 254-224-7436 and/or check them out online for all the class details.

I had a fabulous week at Northern McGown Teacher’s Workshop last week. Catching up with friends and taking classes is something I look forward to each year. This year an added highlight was being the director of the rug show. It was a long day, 12 hours and 47 minutes, but who is counting when you are surrounded by awe inspiring fiber art? I loved every minute. The photos should be clear enough to zoom in and see the information about the artists, patterns, teachers etc. I can answer any questions if you can’t read something. If you want even more photos and details - tune in this evening to YouTube channel at 7PM eastern, I will be on there discussing the rug show!

The first photo shows one of the rugs I entered in the show. Rainbow’s End, designed by Jane McGown Flynn and Jan Gassnor - hooked by me. This was the pattern for a class I took at workshop last year with Sandy Ferguson - she is an amazing teacher, and I had a blast exploring alternative fibers for hooking.

My trip to Guatemala in January was the highlight of my year and very well will be the highlight of this decade. It was beautiful, inspiring, enriching, fascinating… it was everything. I encourage all my fiber art loving friends to look into this fabulous organization and the chance to go on this tour.

In Colorado we can have all four seasons in a single day - why not in one tree? I am teaching my compass pattern at Sauder Rug Week this summer. One of my students mentioned that although she loves the compass, she would love to make a multi season tree with the concepts that will be taught in class. I loved her idea right away and offered to design the pattern, thinking maybe others in the class would enjoy it as well. I am so pleased with the results. It was a joy to hook and punch. I have a feeling it will become its own class as well someday.

I feel a rug idea budding….although we were visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the focus was presumably on volcanoes, I could not get enough of the ferns.
We have been trying to get our kids to all 50 states. The original goal was to finish by the time our oldest was 18, our youngest is now almost 18 and we are exploring our 44th state. Aloha! Sometimes goals take longer than we think, and that is just fine.

Today is the day! Happy International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day! Head over to to download your free pattern and join the fun. The pattern comes with the word home in different languages, which makes it even more special. Be sure to use the hashtag when you post. I enjoyed giving a punch needle demonstration at my ATHA guild a few weeks ago in honor of the day. Today I am sadly nursing a very sore wrist, so no punching for me, but I can be online enjoying everyone else’s posts!

Rupert here - sorry for my silence. My hooking human had a busy few weeks, but thankfully she had time to finish my mat. I am thrilled to have a hooked/punched mat to stand on, even better, it has my favorite flowers on it. I feel complete! In other news - this will be my last post from Colorado. The next time you hear from me, in early September, I will be reporting from the ATHA convention in Grapevine Texas! It turns out my first hooking human, Paty, and my current hooking human, Rebecca, have had this plan all along. I am going to be in the ATHA auction, surely going for the highest bid a wool clad rooster has ever garnered in the history of wool roosters. It’s all very exciting! I hope to see you there!

When emails me, I know I am in for a treat! Her creativity knows no bounds. Look at these adorable pillows she made as Easter gifts for family. The slot on the back for a book is such a clever idea. I happen to be dyeing more of the blue green variegated today (Old Man and the Sea), so I thought I would post these delightful bunnies a day early. Happy Easter to those who celebrate. 🐰 🐣.

Rupert here - more wool was requested and my hooking human obliged. I am very pleased with my transformation so far. My svelte metal look is a chapter of my life I will remember fondly, but I am pleased to say the new wooly me is here to stay. In fact I have so embraced my new look that I have asked my hooking human to please make me a hooked mat to stand on. My feet are the only metal left exposed and these tootsies crave some wool as well. The mat will be punched and hooked with my favorite flowers - sunflowers. 🌻

Rupert here - Today I learned what Quillies are all about, and I must say, I feel fancy with my new quillie eyes, comb, and waddle! I keep asking for another look in the mirror. I look fabulous! While admiring myself, repeatedly, I have been half listening to Rebecca (my hooking human host) debate with others on how much of my metal body should remain visible. There seems to be quite divided thoughts on this. My vote - keep the wool coming!

Rupert here - I made it to Colorado. The journey from Texas was uneventful. My new host, a hooking human named Rebecca, started gathering colorful supplies for my makeover as soon as I was out of my travel box. It’s all very exciting. There was a great deal of discussion with the other humans in the house about Proddy and Quillies. Those terms were new to me, but I quickly learned that Proddy means “magic”. Look how I am already being transformed! What wooly wonders will tomorrow bring?

Hello - my name is Rupert. I was brought home from a shop in Texas by a very creative human, a hooking human named Paty. She sat me next to her new book, Rug Hooking in Harmony (that is how I figured out she was a hooking human) and told me she had plans for me based on her reading. A few days went by and I heard her on the phone with an other hooking human named Rebecca and there was lots of talk of Colorado and a visit to the StoryTeller Wool studio. It turns out Paty feels I need to travel there to be transformed, but she promised me I get to return to Texas in the fall. Stay tuned as I share my adventures! ❤️ Rupert 🐓.

Friday was our last day with the artists. We have come a long way this week, from timidly wading through piles of t-shirts, to the beginnings of rugs that actually looked like rugs. Petronila finished the rug she was working on in time for me to bring it home! It is stunning, I hope to someday have stitches as even and precise as hers. We started the day with a rug throw down - we got kind and constructive critiques from the artists. Hooking with t-shirts isn’t easy. Even the most senior rug ho**er in our group was reminded that Practice, Practice, Practice was the key.
After having lunch together, we took turns singing and dancing for each other. The Maya women have us beat with their dancing and most certainly with their beautiful clothes. However we have two ladies from Canada in our group that are pros at line dancing and they did us proud! Poems were read, small speeches were made, and well…it was hard to keep a dry eye.
The artists headed off to their villages and we packed up to get ready to head to Antigua in the morning. None of us want this to end. We are all so thrilled with technology and using WhatsApp with our new Maya friends. It was agreed that this would not be Goodbye, but merely a See You Later.

On Thursday afternoon we had the opportunity to visit another group of the Multicolores artists. Petronila’s group is a small group, only three in her area, the afternoon’s group was much larger and not too far from Panajachel, in the town of Patanatic. The artists wanted to teach us more about their exquisite clothes, as well as a lesson in how to make tortillas. So many of the women embroider their huipiles (tops). I have been interested in embroidery for a while, but don’t know a lot about it, so I hung on every word and tried to take notes on my phone.
Many in our group tried their hand at making tortillas. I was distracted by the most charming rooster that had been right behind my chair. He had to be relocated during the clothing presentation, due to him wanting to participate, so I went to visit him in the back of the kitchen while the others worked on patting dough into circles. At one point I thought I was about to be handed the magnificent bird, but its owner only wanted to show him off to me in case I wanted a photo. I am working on a rooster project at home in Colorado, so it was fantastic to get to photograph him.
It was such a rich day, so much color, friendship and hospitality. Each day I have said, “this is my favorite day…” but being in the different artists’ homes really will be my favorite, I am sure of it.

Thursday was the most incredible day, were welcomed into Petronila’s home that she shares with her sister, who is also a Multicolores artist, parents and extended family. Nothing I type will do justice to our time there.
Petronila and her sister, Lesly, are so talented, and such leaders. During the pandemic the government closed the road to their village and they were all trapped. Neither of her parents could work. Petronila and her sister made the only money their family had during that time by hooking rugs. Multicolores bought their rugs and sent food whenever they could. They were 16 and 20 when the pandemic hit and with their artistry and Multicolores they kept their family going. I loved meeting their father, who was clearly so very proud of his daughters.
After their talk and showing us an in progress rug, they made us a hot corn drink that they enjoy daily. They ended our time there with the most special thing of all, a dance.

On the first day we were all dancing around on the boat and doing silly get to know you games with Maya women we had just met…Just six days later three of them danced for us and invited us to dance with them, a beautiful Maya dance, it was so moving. I kept crying, it was such an honor to be included in their dance. They came to us, one by one and led us into their dance, until we were all dancing together. Again, I am not sure I can type into words what this day meant to me.