Here is a cool way to hook this flower. In this picture below your probably wondering how the heck you'd hook those dainty flower petals. Could you imagine hooking them from the flower part outward with a tail, loop or two and then tail?
Oh no, there is a cool way to hook this flower and it is with the 'beading technique'. So first I hook the inside part of the flower.
Then using a strip of background color and flower petal color you hook one color at a time altering the color. If you are a knitter then you know about working two strips of wool yarn at a time and this is the same.
Above is how the left side flower looks after using this technique. Isn't that the coolest ever?
Yes, there is a hooker's rule (I prefer to call it 'guideline') where we aren't supposed to 'cross over' our hooking. Yes it does weaken the wool when the rug is used on the floor, but this rug isn't going on the floor so it will be fine.
There is still water in my backyard and into the woods. The rest of the yard feels like I'm walking on a sponge it is so saturated with water. Yet there is the threat of the hurricane. Honestly, I'm frightened and tho I don't wish harm on anyone else sure hope it doesn't hit the eastern shore. Let's hope it heads back out to sea.
Have a good evening everyone.
Saundra
Yesterday was Mother's Day and a bark from Ben alerted me there was someone who just arrived. Oh, my son Greg, Cathy and grandson Zach. At first I opened the door to let my son in and then in a panic.... OMG my grandson's sports rug is on the frame in that room and facing the door. Cathy was shocked when I said back up... you and Zach go outside. The pattern was grabbed up and hidden but now my grandson knows something is up with him that he can't see.
There is my progress so far. Yeah I know... not much to show. But remember this isn't due until December. Plus I'm getting ready for a rug camp and have loads of chores to do before I leave this weekend.
So, m'dears..... you see that black border? There are 3 rows of primitive dark/black of that and next row closest to the background will be a beading technique incorporating all the colors of the flags and the icon images below. Don't know about "beading"? Stay tuned and I'll give you a lesson later.
Have a great evening.
Saundra
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
