I am really loving the various colors used in the scroll work around the sheep. It seems much more interesting with the change of colors than if the scrolls were just a brown red (or other color choice) with a gold vein running thru it. This adds much more interest to the rug and makes the eye move around.
And, I thought I'd add a little interest and make the shape of paisley in the area and work around it, but also wanted to do a little directional hooking as you will often see in antique pieces. I've often wondered if that woman just got bored and decided to do the directional hooking, or perhaps she had put the piece down until she came up with more similar in color wool and just began hooking directionally, or maybe she had to do more natural dyeing to achieve a similar color, but I've always found that interesting when looking at antique rugs.
So thru my wool stash I went and found a wool jacket I'd washed and disassembled and it had some similar colors of the other soft blacks I'm using for the background and thought I'd do some directional hooking as well. Must admit it is a little boring but it is easier hooking in a straight line than it is curving or angle hooking.
I drew out two sizes of this design and chose to hook the larger one, thinking that I'd need the larger size thinking that I'd need the size for the detail. But now think the smaller size would have worked just fine too and wouldn't have all the excess background and body of the sheep to hook. But, this will look quite lovely in my home for sure, not certain where it will go yet but someplace where I'll see it every day to enjoy it's beauty.
