Patriotic Pumpkins

You already know it was all hooked, but now it has been bound and being displayed on the harvest table in the kitchen.  Those cotton cats are some of the remaining unsold items from when doing shows and certainly came in handy today.  

If you think your eyes are playing tricks with you with dots and dashes at the bottom of the mat, it's okay.  That is a stripe fabric used to bind the mat with.....

..red and white cotton fabric.  Seemed like a very suitable binding since there's still many yards of cotton still on my shelves.

This wall in the kitchen will be the next venue to hang rugs...me thinks.  The wall has looked like this for more years than I can remember and time for an update.  

Yes Lauren, that is an antique ceiling lamp which traveled thousands of miles with me over the years.  Purchased it from an antique dealer in Federalsburg, MD, moved to Bowie, MD, then 1979 moved to San Ramon, CA.  1981 it moved to Seaford, DE, then to Columbia, MD and now back to Seaford, DE.

For those just seeing my blog, this is a design by Kelley Belfast which I named Patriotic Pumpkins.  Happy Saturday everyone.

Saundra

Second Try

Last post I wasn't quite pleased with the tongues so decided to take a break and put the other pattern on my frame.  There weren't but a few  loops pulled on the Use it Up design before Patriotic Pumpkins haunted me.

So put it back on the frame.  This is what it looks like now and without any change to the larger pumpkin.  I reduced the tongue colors from 4 colors to 3....that old saying 'less is more' ringing true.

Here is what the tongues (unfinished) looked like before.

To be honest this is just a fun project and not a Celebrations entry nor any other contest.  So what was all my stressing about????  The first picture will be just fine for me to use as a mat on my table or front door to welcome fall.   AND, I'm no longer worried about the colors of the large pumpkin.  All of a sudden I feel free ..took a deep breath and moving on.   

Now my concentration will be on Use it Up design.  Which means I'll be needing to have a back up pattern to hook.  Oh No!

Horrific oppressive temperatures outside today.  There is to be some rain relieve Tuesday and/or Wednesday.  Sure hope so.

Saundra

Stymied, But What's New?

Yeah, seems I've painted myself in a corner again.   Figured the challenge with the big pumpkin would be an easy fix after the rest was hooked.  All I had to do is just leave it alone or change it to an all dirty white pumpkin ~ easy peasy.

This afternoon I pulled myself away from the Use it Up rug to do the 'quick' finish hooking the tongues on Patriotic Pumpkins.  HA!  Started hooking the two tongues on the right side.  They looked way too busy for the rest of the rug.

Then thought to do a larger inside color, the blue but was distracted by the other 'busy' tongues.  Decided to pull the pattern off my frame and go back to the other rug tonight for comfort.  

With so little of the design to hook I'm frustrated with myself for not finishing it tonight.  Am thinking that saying 'less is more' is definitely true in this case.  Earlier in the week friend Jennie commented to me something like..."why is it something so easy seems so difficult?"  Perhaps because I've made it hard and over thinking.

For damn sure I don't like those two tongues on the right side.  They will go.  But tonight I'm back to my Use it Up.

Hot as Hades today.  When looking at the outside temps on my thermostat, at 2 p.m. the reading was 100 degrees Fahrenheit  (37.78 Celsius) at 2 p.m. and usually it gets higher around 3 but didn't check.  

Grass needs to be cut and Ben's backyard needs it the worse.  Not pushing that mower in that kind of temp so will check the temps tomorrow after breakfast.  If not then perhaps the sun and heat will just kill the grass.  Okay by me ~ no grass to cut.

Stay cool and hydrate.

Saundra

Patriotic Pumpkins Update

As you will see, there's no change (yet) in the large pumpkin.  I wanted to move forward for a while before taking more steps backward by pulling loops.  Besides, when more is hooked it might help me decide which direction (color) to go.

The first photo shows what it would look like it I hooked two more rows on the flag ~ wool strips were just placed there.

Below is what it looks like with the strips removed and tongues longer.

Am leaning toward the extra two rows.

Any of my readers start their version yet?  If so I'd love to see your photos and you can send them to saundra125@comcast.net.  Happy Hooking.

Saundra

Patriotic Pumpkins

Nope, it's not done yet.  But had to keep hooking until I could see if the pumpkins in the flag design might work. This is what Kelley Belfast's design looks like now.

Appears the white pumpkins just might work in keeping with her original design.

Still undetermined is the large pumpkin ~ keep it as is, make it all orange or make it all white?  That decision will wait for a couple days.

Must admit I like having two rugs in progress because now I'm looking forward to finishing up my delicious Magdalena's Great Granddaughter's Rug.  Don't think I could handle 3 rugs at one time but there is another linen in the wings waiting to be the next 2nd project.

Sorry to hear the news for Louisiana again with rain.  And next week all that moisture will be heading east.  So you guys and gals in the middle will be hit before me.

Have a wonderful evening.

Saundra

Patriotic Pumpkins

Or at least that is the name I've given it.  Actually it is a freebie generously given by Kelley Belfast thru Out of Hand Rughooking Group a couple weeks ago.  As she didn't give it a name thought I'd give this great design a name of Patriotic Pumpkins.  

I've hooked, ripped out and re-hooked that big pumpkin so many times was afraid of weakening the linen.  So will leave it for now and decide later what to do.

Okay, okay.....here was my initial color plan thought ~ ~  I wanted white pumpkins in the flag as Kelley designed to represent the stars in the flag.  SO, thought the big pumpkin could be some sort of hybrid white/orange pumpkin.  

Therein was my problem.  How to make a pumpkin look white and orange.  Me thinks that once I get the flag going the rest will be a 'piece of cake'....right?

If not, maybe I'll change the big pumpkin to all white....OR...hook the big pumpkin to orange and change the pumpkins in the flag to stars?  Think I'll sleep on it tonight.

Have a great evening.

Saundra





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