RUG HOOKING CHIT CHAT

First of all, cannot believe it is September 1st and tomorrow is Labor Day known to all as the official end of summer.  I'll certainly welcome the cooler evenings and warm days of October for sure.

Yesterday I was quite busy cleaning up my rats nest around where I hook in the living room, over dyed some wool that had been soaking for 2 days and enlarged a pattern for my next project.  After all I WILL need something to work on when at rug camp in just 2 weeks.  TWO WEEKS!!!!!  Good grief but time has whizzed by.

Here are 2 quarter yards of wool that had soaked and then grabbed another piece which soaked for an hour or so but didn't get a photo of the before.  Actually, it was soaking when I took a photo of these wet pieces.  

I like having dark options to mix in the background for that delightful blotchy look one sees in antique rugs.  Here is the result of all three pieces of wool.   Since these aren't for my next project I just might pop them back in the pot with another tablespoon or two of the same recipe.  While I don't want a pitch black dark think I'd like it a tad darker than it turned out.  And of course the wool always looks darker when it is wet.

Bird on a Tree Stump is all hooked and am prepping it for wool yarn whipping.  I love, love Ali Strebel's wool yarn and a previous purchase is just perfect for this rug too.  She will variegate dye wool specifically for your rug if you ask.  It might be a couple dollars more than the solid colors but well worth the difference I think.

Now I can't recall which rug I ordered the yarn for but purchased two hanks to have some left for future rugs.

My camp pattern had been drawn months ago so was prepared for that.  But as many of you know I'd not made a decision on a pattern for when the Bird was done.  Yesterday feeling pressure to make a decision I decided to replicate this antique.  Do you think that is a giant vase with flowers or a giant flower with baby blossoms????

Anyway, I enlarged and printed out 12 pieces of paper, trimmed the edges and taped them together (22.5 x 37.5).  I did want a larger pattern but after taping it together it appeared too big and while tracing over the lines to make them darker scratched the whole idea.  So there I was pattern-less still.

Today, again feeling the pressure of needing a pattern fix I spent a couple hours searching thru my flash drives and even pattern books for something to catch my attention, to no avail.  So let it be known I'm a gluten for punishment!!   I enlarged the same line drawing AGAIN to a somewhat smaller size of 20.5 x 35.  Guess I gotta go with it since it seems to be the only design of interest.  Now to put it on linen. 

This evening I'll work on whipping the Bird rug as I want it ready for the rug show at Cape May.  Happy hooking, stitching, reading, knitting (Elaine) or whatever strikes your fancy this holiday weekend.

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com

RUG HOOKING CHIT CHAT

I have finally decided my next project and it is Bird on a Tree Stump.  Happens to be the last antique selected from my files so perhaps that's why it was chosen.

The pattern has been drawn as you can see below.  Since I often end up with odd sizes of linen from drawing various patterns I look thru my stash to see what comes closest to working for me.  If I don't have quite a 3" margin I will sew on a piece of cotton to ensure it fits over the gripper strips.  As that saying goes ... "waste not want not".

And you know I had to balance out the ground beneath the dog, this is what it looks like now.  

Here is the before; true it was only a minor change but just enough to satisfy me.

And just in case you've forgotten what the original rug looked like, here it is below.

Now I've something new to keep me occupied during these couple days of rain.  What's on your frame?

Saundra

www.woodlandjunctionprimitives.weebly.com