Sweet Kelley Shares her Journey

In Kelley's words.....

"I first started noticing hooking rugs in Country Living Magazine in the early 1990's...then found instructions in Early American Life.  Without a clue on where to find the needed supplies, I ordered a kit from Hooked on Rugs, it was a Santa.  I think the backing was burlap and the strips of wool all solid colors.  I practiced a little on my own, packing those strips as tights as can be.

A friend asked if I was interested in a rug hooking retreat, she had recently started hooking too.  I was lucky enough to go to Barb Carroll's Woolley Fox and have a class with Kathy Morton.  My first rug was an Emma Lou Lais triple snowman.  From the moment I descended into the wool heaven of Barb's basement I have never looked back.

Over the next year or so I attended a dye workshop with Barb and Emma Lou and a few random hooking days at Barb's.  By then I had found the joy of the Miller pencil hook...purchasing as many as I could afford for backup. Although I use 8, 8.5 and 9 strips I use a fine hook...works perfect for me.  Last year I purchased the large Talon floor frame and couldn't be happier with it.

I was in my early 30's when I started hooking.  The worse part back then was finding the wool.  Everything from the thrift store, then over dyed.  Beginning hookers today have it made.  I cannot paint with a brush, but give me a hook and a strip of wool though.  From Emma Lou I learned "more is less".  But for me, more is more, why use one red when you can mix a dozen different wools for more interest?

Green is my favorite color, Army blanket green, drab olive, khaki green...not Kelly green, not crayon green but maybe a little lime these days.

I love to hook scrappy rugs and the above was hooked with lots of scraps.

I hook in the living room with my feet up when possible, either sitting on the couch or a sewing chair and always with an Ott light or two by my side.  I listen to audio books or TV shows...I don't own a TV, I listen through Amazon Prime and rarely do I look up when hooking.

Some of my older rugs...I draw up my own designs, love patterns by Lori Brechlin, Woolen Memories, Cheri Payne, Woolley Fox.  

The crow and Old Glory designs were drawn by me, the Crow Alphabet is by Lori Brechlin.  

My latest finish (above) is based on the applique patterns of Cheri Payne.  And my hooking companion is Chester....

Above is Chester on his namesake rug called "Chester"."

Thanks Kelley for joining in, I was looking forward to reading about your journey.  

If others would like to participate you have a general idea of what we rug hookers are wanting to know about you. Must say that I'm somewhat surprised that of the nine participants, none of them had a family member who taught them to hook.  Perhaps that is because we are not of the generations which hooked out of necessity so the tradition/craft was not handed down. 

Hope everyone has a great evening.

Saundra

Big Dog Hollow

It is so much fun having a new project to work on AND knowing the other rugs have been finished, bound and no longer a UFO (for you newbies that means Un-Finished Objects).  What's more fun with this Big Dog Hollow design is that it allows me to pull wool from my worm baskets and they just add to the old look of the piece.  

Okay, okay, there are times when I hook a worm in and it isn't right but most of the time when you hook in that random piece of wool you just feel it was hooked by a woman who used 'what she had'.  But hooking antique adaptations feels so good to me because that is what first brought me to rug hooking.  I loved the magazine Country Living and adored the antique rugs on the walls, above the fireplace mantel, below the hearth, on the floor or the harvest table.  Those were the rugs that beckoned me to become a rug hooker.

Have I teased you enough?  Well..... first..... I could have accomplished more than this since starting it but have had a few annual physicals which took precious time from my hooking.

Okay, promise this is it.  Here is what Big Dog Hollow looks like right now.  It measures 27 1/2 x 34 and so far have used #8 and #8.5 cuts but when I get to the rabbit, cat and smaller motifs will use a somewhat smaller cut.

That star was hooked in before the background started.  Actually that is why I started the background ~ I wanted to see if that color star would work or if I should use another of my worms for the stars.  And just might vary the star wool colors  to the right just a smidgen to see which color works best.

Thanks for dropping by and sorry I don't have more to report on the progress of this rug.  AND, Kathy, if you are reading my blog would like to thank you for even considering me to do a pattern swap.  

Saundra