Rugs'n'Hugs

One of the reasons you haven't heard from me lately is that I helped organise our Gabriola Hookers biannual event that happened last Saturday. It was held at the Commons, our collectively owned community centre.

Thirty-five hookers from southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands joined us for the day. We also had a show and sale that had over 200 members of the public coming through.

There was lots of catching up and meeting of old friends.

Gretchen Markle, on the left, brought her amazing hooked hat collection for us to model.

Here's Gretchen again with her eyes open, but mine are closed. Too giddy to care!

There were several areas to work in.

The range of hooking to be seen was incredible, from the above perfection ...

...to the wild and wooly expressive.

We gave out party favours of Gabriola-grown walnut-dyed wool. Maia used the leaves and green hulls from her heritage walnut tree.

Heide used a combination of hooking and braiding for this bathroom mat.

And Val Galvin used up odds and ends in this runner.

Colleen Wike, visiting from Chemainus, had some real beauties for sale.

She said every year she has a special word, and hooks a mat to express that word.

Above and below are also Colleen's.

The variety of mats truly boggled my mind.

This mat was hooked on a burlap coffee sack, and the maker used some of the printing on the sack in her design.

Very painterly.

Our BC Kermode Spirit Bear.

And that's all Blogger will let me do for now. More to come!