Rug Hooker's Eye Candy

The first eye candy is a beautify gift from a sweet and generous blogger friend whom I've never had the opportunity to meet....yet.  However, if we're lucky, perhaps she will be at Rugs By The Sea in Cape May, NJ in 2016.  To continue, Lauren (Rugs and Pugs) send me this beautiful antique paisley pendant and chain.  I cannot take a picture worth a dang; the paisley is showing up as far too yellow ~ three photos were taken and this was the best of the three.

So I went to her blog and stole a copy of the one from when she was vending at a hook-in.  That's the beauty I received in the mail yesterday.  I HEART you Lauren; thank you for the generous gift.

Okay, for the rest of the eye candy....let the show begin!  The first one below is a homestead with lots of animals; notice the cat on top of the house?  Does anyone see the elephant?  Ah, now I've got your attention, don't I?

Two Swans facing.  Love neutrals and love antique black backgrounds.

Have you ever noticed how many antique rugs have this same cat shape?  The design of the rug may be different yet the posture, tail and two feet are the same.  The women (and men) back then must have made templates much like we do today.  I'm sure Magdalena used templates because many of her motifs show up over and over in her rugs.

For the heck of it I just went scrolling thru my antique cat rugs (which will make Kelley very happy I'm sure) and look at these cat shapes.

And another.

Yeah, I know, some are close but not exact. I like the border on the one below.

Another example of the traditional cat posture but entirely different rug design.

I'll give you folks a break from cats, besides, the same thing about template drawing could be said about dog rugs, horses, deer, etc.  However, it is such fun to look at old rugs and contemplate the history of the each of them and the women who hooked them. 

Now, on to a chicken.... I like this chicken below and looking at the colors on top, which would have been faded with age, wonder what the original colors really were.  If I were doing color planning wouldn't have chosen those colors which makes me think they are well faded fabrics dyed with natural dyes which fades easily.  But, those red union suits didn't fade all that fast did they?  Am guessing that is what the bright red is.  I'll have to send a link to this blog to my friend the antique expert and have her correct me on a lot of my comments.

Okay kiddies.... I'm off'n this machine so more loops can be pulled on the dang beer mug.  I did make some progress even tho I reverse hooked some of the wool.  What I need to realize is that my son won't be the hooking critic that I am of myself.  He'd probably never even notice.......but I would.

Have a great evening and hope you are all staying cool.  Please be kind to one another.  Hugs.

Saundra