The Latch Hook Covered Bridge project as of September 12, 2025

While working on this recent latch hook rug project, I realized that I’m doing what my Grandma Betty used to do when I was a child.

Let me explain.

I lived with my paternal grandmother (my Grandma Betty) at her house outside Boston in summers, so that I could get away from my toxic home life in Albany. During those summers, if I was a good kid and did all my chores and behaved, I would be treated with a visit to the New England Aquarium or the Larz Anderson classic car museum or (if I was really good) a trip to the Boston Museum of Science. That was the true goal each week. And more weeks than not, I achieved that goal.

I should note that while I ran around and experienced all the exhibits at the Museum, Grandma Betty would sit somewhere and pull out her knitting needles and work on a scarf or an afghan or a sweater or anything. This was how she passed the time while I had fun.

And I realized, as I worked on this current rug, I’m kind of doing the same thing she did. I’m focusing my energy on creating something beautiful and functional and enjoyable, while at the same time there’s a football game or a PBS documentary or something else as background noise on my TV. And in the past few weeks, that “background noise” has invigorated my efforts to complete this rug, after a bit of an extended hooking hiatus.

First, a recap. Here’s the left panel of what will be a three-panel rug; I finished this panel earlier this spring.

And this is where we were last week.

See that big void on the lower left side, just next to the last post of the picket fence?

Yeah, I completed that void last night. I think it was fueled by a combination of the Steelers-Jets game (a 60-yard FG from Chris Boswell) and a Wednesday night episode of AEW Dynamite (a Philadelphia street fight between Timeless Toni Storm and Skye Blue, where Toni cosplayed as ECW hardcore legend The Sandman) that helped me complete that void.

So that as of today … we’re up to this point in the project.

So that section now shows the remainder of the sidewalk as it changes from dark shaded pavement to open sunshine. And there’s still lots of fall foliage in the background.

Keep on going, Chucky.

Grandma Betty would be proud.