Hooking like mad

I have been a bit ambitious lately and hooking like a mad woman.

The green scrappy rug is finished and is just waiting in line for the binding- oh,

that's right- I control the line, since I do all of the binding work too. Maybe that should be "farmed out" to someone who really loves doing that bit, but for now, it's all me.

The bin of left over green worms was quite large. As I pulled strips from the tangled mess, eyeballed them for the proper length I was looking for, I thought about all of the rugs that these greens had gone into in the past. Some of these greens are no longer available anywhere! Some ( most actually) were hand dyed right here in my Maine kitchen over several years. It was good to take this dive into the bin , as well as the neutral colored bin- then I went into the pink/red bin- ooh some goodies in there. Those pinks were an experiment that really gave the rug that added interest.

Have you done any rugs like this before? It's great fun to see what happens if you don't over think the colors. It's not perfect- the lines don't align, but I'm OK with that- it works for me and that is all that really matters.I might think it through the next time but because I was using worms cut of all different sizes they didn't line up. There are 5-8 cut worms in this rug.

Does it suit your purpose? Does it make you happy? Are you OK with the "wonkiness" that sometimes happens? If so, then great- if not- maybe you should rethink things...

This was a pattern that had been drawn on a random piece of leftover linen, again, years ago. It had always bothered me, that it was too square- so I added a bit of left over linen to one end so that it could be made longer to fit on my frame which turned out to be a good decision.

Have I mentioned that I don't throw things away? A true Mainer, there might be some time when this thing might be used down the road- you just never know for sure- so, better save it! Like Donald Hall’s book String Too Sort To Be Saved.

Now, the frame holds another old pattern drawn years ago. It has also been tweaked as I hook along- things are added, things deleted. It's the largest rug that I have hooked , ever. I am finding the need to hook larger rugs at the moment- I had been into quick results with smaller rugs which was totally fine- they are sweet and lovely. Now, things have shifted and for a bit, the larger ones will keep hitting the frame.

There are two ( now three) rugs in the back of my mind- and need to get onto paper first. They will be great ones if they materialize in the end.

I'm so happy to be back in the creative mood again- I guess I just needed a break to recharge and get back on track. Now the ideas keep coming and it is a wonderful feeling.

Have you taken my tip (click here if you missed it) to heart and thrown your strips into the dryer for a quick few moments to help reduce the wool dust?

It works- truly, it does- try it if you haven't.

just don’t skip the part about tying them together in small bundles.

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Thank you so much for taking precious moments out of your day to read and ponder- it is so appreciated!

Happy Hooking and please stay well…

Hand hooked wool rug