Lesson number 1 is try to pick your colors before starting a rug to see if the colors will work. Duh, I just went with one at a time and started with the jack on the far right first. Since you should "Hook what is on top First" my next hooking task was the jack on the far left. Well I was sorta happy with Jack to the right until hooking the other two.
My intentions were to have 3 Jacks in 3 different shades of orange. Since the two on the right were too close in value my knee jerk reaction was to pull out some of the jack on the far right. Well I didn't like the mouth compared to the others anyway. So this is where I am now, when it could have been done had I done my planning ahead of time.
In looking at the before (first photo) perhaps all I needed to do was hook a thin 'corn row' of a darker row along the shape of the Jack on the right. BUT, I didn't particularly like it's mouth anyway. And it still looks like there is a darker value (lesson #2) strip of wool between the Jack on the right and the middle one.
Okay, so CORN ROWING is where you hook a very thin strip of wool between two already hooked rows, sorta staggering between the rows like a farmer would plant corn. I hooked the pumpkins in #8.5 so IF I do a corn row (as I did inside the mouths of two Jacks) it might be a #3 strip or take a #8 and snip in half. Anything which will separate the colors.
Who knows what I'll end up with after the Fat Lady Sings, but stay tuned to see the wonders OR disasters of this design. Frankly I think it is an adorable design which just needs a little tweaking. Besides there needs to be a good representation of the design on my web site once it is done.
Have a great evening and a fantabulous Sunday.
Saundra
....only this time it is finished being hooked ~ hasn't been steamed or bound yet but the hooking is done.
Okay, so here's what happened and you have an insight if you've been reading about this journey of my adaptation of the Harriet Powers' quilt block.
I've struggled with my 'learned' part about the need to hook difference in value of colors between motif and background. And I did try to put darker wool which would blend in with the background just around Betts. But also 'knowledge' part since have seen antique rugs which faded out so that there's very little difference between motif and background. There was a battle going on between my learned part of my brain and known part that accepted this as an antique rug newly hooked.
Then I decided to corn row a #6 strip of something a little darker between Betts (the pig) and the background. I didn't want to pull out wool and thought I'd try just a section around the tail and leg of Betts.
Yup, certainly makes a difference and makes the pig pop. That is when I decided to send the picture of the unfinished rug to my friend Evelyn Lawrence asking which was better.
As many of you know, Evelyn has experience with antique rugs ~ she has been up close and personal looking at front and back, touched them, and has done lots of research. Naturally I was trying to replicate an antique look AND from a quilt not hooked rug but you know also about the learned part of the brain. In true Evelyn form she was a woman of few words and said the original without the #6 outline was best (those weren't her real words ;~). And so, decided to go with the faded washed out look. BTW, I have since toned down the white ducks with a little dab or two of black walnut dye and they look better.
It is easy to look at the rug and want to change things even now. But it is time for me to move on and finish my two other hearts. I mean..... tomorrow IS Valentines Day. So I'm off'n this machine for the night. TA TA.
Saundra
