What's on the Frame

    I needed a break from the large rug I'm hooking so I decided to hook some table mats and chair pads. I also wanted to play with some dye recipes. I borrowed one of my friend, Eleanor's dye books titled, "Vermont Folk Rugs". It came with a swatch set and I think ALL the colors are divine. This is my favorite recipe book yet! So far, I have dyed Buttermilk, Mad River, and Mustard Seed. My wool came out just like the swatch samples. Sometimes, due to water ph, mineral content of the water, or variety of wool, individual results don't always match the swatches. Not so in my case and I was feeling lucky. I also dyed some straight up Khaki Drab from Cushing because it is one of my favorites. It comes out especially nice when dyed over camel colored wool.  I also dyed some Buttermilk Paint Red and Antique Black from Emma Lou Lais and Barb Carroll's book.  Because I was hooking small rugs, I could play around with the new colors I made. Fun, Fun, Fun!

     For patterns, I used Pat Cross' book, Purely Primitive, to hook the Antique Pennies and Two Stars. I used, Wool Rug Hooking by Tara Darr to hook the Bouquet of Love. Lastly, the bunny rug was a pattern included in a Rug Hooking Magazine from 2010. Each rug was a joy to hook.

Background is Buttermilk, borders and pennies are Khaki Drab and Antique Black along with a textured gold wool. (The photograph looks a bit washed out.)

Stars are hooked with Buttermilk on a Buttermilk Paint Red background. Border is a very dark green textured wool.

The red heart was a swatch set I dyed last summer using the jar dyeing method. These swatches were a lot of fun and turned out great, too.

The bunny is hooked with a Parchment hand dyed wool on an Antique Black background with textured wool flowers. It's fresh off the frame and hasn't been steamed or bound yet.

     I now have a set of mats on my frame that are destined to be gifts, so I can't show those. : ) Once those are finished I will get back to my big rug. That rug is a design by Anne Bond called, The Woods. (Her patterns are available at Visions of Ewe) I liked the color color palette she used in her design so I bought the wool kit from her which is a combination of hand dyed, over dyed and textured wool.
     Alas, I have ended up with more rugs than a body needs. Some are destined as gifts, some I keep for our home, and I have opened an etsy shop, CurlyWillowRugs, to sell the overflow. A home overflowing with primitive hooked rugs is a good thing, I say. I am in my happy place!