Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Frost Sheep once again

Okay, I did something a little differently.  First thing I did was remove the echo line under the chin which was there yesterday and have since redirected my hooking.  I think that with two lines hooked in the same direction gave the appearance of a chin and mouth.  Here is the way it looked yesterday.


Then I pulled out the eye color which was the same value as the newer dark face outline features.  Since I was undecided whether to go dark with eyes or lighter with eyes I have hooked one of each for yet another opinion from my readers.   And here is the way it looks right now.  For sure the under chin looks better.


Of course since this is an adaptation of antique rug we do know the colors would have faded.  But it is that worn and faded look of antique rugs that appeals to us, or at least to me.  Sure I could try to second guess what the original colors were but what I've fallen in love with is the faded look so that is what I'd want to hook.  And even the variance in background color which may have all been dyed using black walnuts by the original hooker in the beginning but that some of the wools may have faded more than others.  Yup, just love that blotchy background appearance in the antique rugs and that is what I will try to achieve in this rug.

As much as I want to keep pushing on with this rug there is a Santa which I started about a month ago and my dear daughter-in-love saw me hooking a snowman mat for a swap, she thought it was going to be hers and can't disappoint her at Christmas so must start hers soon.  I did buy her a gift but she usually likes the things I make for her.  I'm quite lucky in that respect, my dear DIL appreciates the things I handcraft.

6 comments:

  1. It's looking great! I love it Saundra. Cheri

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  2. *****the darker eye is great. brings the face of the animal to focus. you're doing a great job so
    stop doubting yourself! the original was, as stated earlier, a cream sheep. didn't fade from anything...just simply cream. this is a very famous rug...the background is comprised of antique black. in other words blacks that have faded to deep khaki over time. this is easily recreated in your dye pot with khaki drab dye over heather greys and textures. the area directly under the sheep was a medium olive green and the area under that was a lighter olive green. the flowers and birds
    were egyptian reds. you can recreate the original look with the reds by using, to each 1/4 tsp of egyptian red a 1/32 tsp of coral. again...stop doubting yourself...it loos great!

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  3. I want to thank everyone who reads my blog and takes the time to comment. Frankly I know how much time I spend in front of the computer and don't always get around to reading all the blogs I peruse on a regular basis, let alone taking more time to post. So I'm going to try harder to take that time because I know how much your posts are appreciated by me.

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  4. The latest version looks great. And I think I like the dark eye the best. Can't wait to see the finished product. --Betsy

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  5. I love reading about your process! I'm sure I've said that before! I'm all for changing things if they don't work out...at least in my more recent rugs. The changes look great. I'm learning so much!

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Thanks for taking the time to visit and I always welcome comments.