Gene’s Rug Hooking Blog

My first Christmas present of the season arrived yesterday … and I waited 4.5 hours … and then I opened it …and I am not ashamed to have done so.

My present was a Christmas hooked swap project exchange, through the Yahooker discussion group.  Although I have read about other swaps on the site, I’ve never participated as it takes quite a lot of inspiration for me to hook something and send it off to someone I don’t know.  However, when the organizer posted that she was looking to find someone who would swap with Marsha Rennie from Australia, I immediately replied to put me down. Boy, am I glad I did!  Marsha has been an internet friend for some time.  We were supposed to meet, two Biennials ago, when she passed through southern California on her way to the ATHA meeting.  However, she got here about the time I was arriving in Yorkshire for a Reeth Rug Retreat.  So, our conversations had to be confined to the Yahookers and this blog. Even though we have not actually met, I was most glad to share with her.

I must confess, as the card was the first thing I opened  (yes, even though I jumped the gun and no one was around except my wife, I still politely did the card first)  I was a little confused that it contained a hand drawn map of the Sydney Harbor …

Since I will be staying in Sydney for 2 days this April after I finish up with Miriam Miller’s rug camp at Narawilly Farm, I thought: Oh, she is being nice and sending me some travel tips so I can find my way around town when I’m there. Then, I opened the soft bundle that had every appearance of being a hooked rug.

Everything suddenly made perfect sense – it was what every rug hooking traveler to Australia needs – a hooked map of Sydney Harbor!   I couldn’t be more delighted with this gift.  When we communicated about the swap, we each agreed that anything the other wanted to hook would be fine, but that it ought to represent the personal tastes of the artist, or artist’s county, in some way.  (The Yahookers stipulated that the size should be 6″ by 18.”)   Since I have been doing my historical homework on Australia (and Sydney) I am quite intrigued that this scene starts, on the left, with the “Rocks” historic precinct, proceeds to the Harbor Bridge, backed by the Luna Park area, then depicts various other points of interest ending with, of course, the Sydney Opera House in all its glory in the lower right corner.  As an opera enthusiast (my undergraduate degree is in vocal performance) the only plan I have made for my time in Sydney is to take the Opera House tour.  I already have my Australian souvenir and I haven’t even gone there yet!  This is a perfect gift for me and I am already trying to decide where to hang it.

But, that’s not all, the rules stipulated that we ought to stick in some other little hooking related something.  Marsha’s gift is pretty unique -

Since I did not want to take off the label you may not be able to read it all in this photo.  It says: Marsha’s homegrown commercially milled Huacaya alpaca 80%, Wool 10%, Mohair 10%, Just for Gene Shepherd. I have never had my own label before … which leaves me, almost, speechless.

My Christmas season is off to a great start!  Dare I say it?  It has no where to go now but, … down under, thanks to Marsha!  (I’ll show what I sent after I know it has been opened.)