Beading Technique on Ali Katz

I'm sure you've all heard the term 'beading' as used in rug hooking.  I briefly mentioned the term when hooking Duluth Pumpkin by Maria Barton a few months ago.  I'm also doing the beading technique on the edge of the Ali Katz rug. 

For those of you who don't know, BEADING is a hooking technique using two different colors of wool BUT hooking down the same row.  You would alternate colors and if you knit you know how to alternate colors of yarn between your fingers.....same idea but using wool strips.

Here is a close up of the front top left corner where you can see there is still more to be hooked on the rug...sigh.  I decided to do a sorta hit and miss of the colors used on the katz themselves around the exterior row yet keeping the dark color constant. 

This is a picture of the back.  Notice that I kept the dark colored wool on the same side and against the outside at all times.  That is because when I whip the edge with dark wool yarn it will blend in well and not compete with colors inside.  Besides, had I not been cautious to keep the wool from twisting there would be cross overs and not a very pretty bottom.

And true, it is not advised to do the beading technique for a rug going on the floor since that area would have the most pressure and wear out sooner.  This rug is going to be in a very low traffic area where the edges will hardly ever be walked on.  Anyway, it IS going on my floor. I'll do the wool whipped edge but won't put a cotton binding on it, in the event the wool ever wears thin it will be easy enough to re-hook that exterior row ~ no problem.

Well I've a little over two weeks before I leave for my next rug camp so think this one will be all hooked by then....maybe not bound, but hooked at least.

Have a great evening.

Saundra