1909 Horse Update

Today several more trips to the back of the woods dragging sizeable limbs were made ~ the limbs I've been dragging will NOT fit into a wheelbarrow so must be pulled.  Sometimes I feel like a mule pulling a heavy load and probably look like one too.  No wonder my hips and shoulders hurt.

Just finished another block and since the pattern needed to be moved on the frame thought it time to show progress.

Doubt it will be all hooked before leaving for camp on April 8th, but I'll try.  You are probably wondering why there is a brown line just above the light star on the left side.  Well, that quirky out-of-place strip was in the original antique rug.  There are other blocks which seem unusually hooked and plan to hook them in as well.

Happy Tuesday.

Saundra

Update on 1909 Horse

Thought I'd give you a break from photos of previous hooked rugs to show you progress on the present one.  Am loving the dull drab look of the antique adaptation.  Yeah, not a look everyone loves but I do.

Am hoping/wishing to have this one hooked and bound before rug camp April 8th.  But if not already bound for the show it would be something to do while waiting for Eric when my turn arrives.  

I took 4 photos of the rug to get the unhooked section of the border blocks.  This is the picture chosen as it is the only photo which has an ORB in the left heart.  So whoever visited was floating by at that millisecond I captured the photo.

The fourth nor'easter in three weeks is upon us AGAIN.  Today was supposed to be the first day of spring but you can't prove that to me with the weather.  My area is supposed to get high winds and 3 to 6 inches of snow beginning tomorrow afternoon.

As I have an order for a Domestic Zoo will need to ship out before noon tomorrow to ensure it is on its way. 

Happy spring ya'll.

Saundra

Rug Hooking Catch Up

Seems I've been an inattentive blogger to my rug hooking friends.  Just went researching thru old blog posts to see how long I've been working on 1909 Horse.  Mind you I am NOT BORED.  Am loving every minute I've worked on this 33 x 40 rug.  Just seems forever to show you final results.

The first post of hooking on the rug was February 19th so think hooking may have started on the 17th.  Which means I'm just 4 days short of a month on this project.  Here is where I am today.

Was so hoping to finish that empty section to the right but didn't happen today.

Am really excited to start the outside blocks as there are some very interesting hooked sections in the antique which cannot be seen in the photo below.  BUT, this photo was taken from the book.  

Looking at the book gives a better visual but sure wish I had a FIRST HAND photo of the ORIGINAL rug and not a copy of a copy.  If anyone has a photo of the original rug or how to find it I'd be forever grateful.

Saundra

Wool Experiment

Could have titled the post "Marrying Wool" or "Taming the Red" but those have certain expectations in mind.  Wasn't sure how this was going to turn out so experiment was the best choice of words.

The 1909 Horse antique adaptation has many different red wool motifs and blocks in it.  As I'm not so fond of bright red, even tho there is some in the original rug (seen at the bottom of the post) thought I'd tame the brights by using some dark red and neutralizing with some green.

Early in my rughooking adventure wool stash began at the thrift shop (dismantled, washed and dried).  Most of that wool was flat as opposed to textures.  Yet that flat wool comes in handy even now when hooking an antique adaptation because milled wool for we hooking addicts wasn't available in the 1800s and early 1900s.  It was union suits, army uniforms, work clothes and whatever homespun or silk was available.

This morning I gathered a bunch of various red wool and for good measure a little green to hopefully tame the red.

In a pot of water with Ivory detergent (NO bleach) it went on my stove to simmer for well over half an hour but didn't keep track of time so may have been longer.  Would just stir and check the water to see how much color was being released.

Once a lot of color had been purged from the wool a good amount of white vinegar was glugged into the pot to set the color.  It simmered (not boiled) for a while longer until there was almost no color left in the pot at all.  

The pot stayed in a safe place to cool down while I ran my errands.  Upon my return home I drained the pot, rinsed and squeezed by hand the wool, filled up the pot with the wool, water and put in my washer to spin the remainder of water out.  THEN, into the dryer on LOW with a couple fluffy towels to dry.

Below and on the left side is what wouldn't fit comfortably in the pot.  But you can see the color results comparing the right to the left.  Seems the green made more of a change than the red.  Yet there is also some change in the red as well if you compare the top photo.

Hopefully some of the re-purposed wool will go nicely in 1909 Horse.  The original antique can be seen below.  BUT, not the bright; eventually there will be use for that somewhere I'm sure.

Can you believe it is March 1st????  Didn't we just get over Christmas?  This evening is the calm before the storm.  High winds, lots of rain and flooding is supposed to begin sometime during the evening.  

Saundra