Hooked on Hockey

What do rug hooking and hockey have in common one might ask? Well, in our household, there’s quite a bit of both going on these days.

The unbearably cold weather we’re experiencing has definitely put a damper on our outdoor endeavors this past week. Being cooped up in the house doesn’t sit well with my two boys who absolutely, definitely, positively need to burn off their bubbling energy each day. As a result, we’ve banished ourselves to the basement in order to get in a good dose of active play. Certainly, Daddy is the hockey fan in our house, but I do have one season of girls’ high school hockey under my belt (as pathetic as I was). I was game for getting out my stick and participating until I was shot down by my three year old Chi-Chi. “Mommy, your shots aren’t hard enough. You go work on your rug hooking and Muffy and I will play hockey!” Ouch! That hurt! I trudged away to lick my wounds. In no time, however, I found myself excited about the opportunity to get back at my frame, which sadly has been sitting in the basement, collecting dust.

Gone are the days of lazy Sunday afternoons, sipping tea and hooking at a leisurely pace for hours on end. Completely consumed by a project, I would lose myself in a rug, easily spending an entire weekend at the frame. My hooking this week was sporadic to say the least, interrupted by numerous boo boo kisses, potty breaks, snack times, safety interventions… Knowing this would be the case, I drew up a couple of small and simple patterns to pick away at. The little grey-shingled cottage is inspired by Puddingpan Bay Cottage in West Berlin, Nova Scotia. In our pre-kiddie days Hubby and I vacationed in this spot. Time and time again, we refer back to that simple no-frills vacation as the best ever. Hands down, it easily wins this title despite competing against trips to Southern France and the California/Oregon coast. We spent our days reading, antiquing, admiring architecture and planning our dream home. It was nice to spend a bit of time this week hooking and reminiscing about this special time.

Not sure what my plan is for these two little rugs. Being made of wool, they may find their way to The Wool Fairy's Etsy shop. Chi-Chi and Muffy both enjoy and admire their personal hooked rug collections that adorn their bedroom walls and floors. "Tell me a story about a lighthouse....." is often what comes from Chi-Chi's lips at bedtime. Who would have thought that the household hockey obsession would open the door to my rug hooking!