Finished

So, here it is...almost finished. The hooking is all done and it's been steam blocked. I just have the dreaded binding to do now.

I still like it but I'm pretty sick of the two fabrics. There are two entire men's jackets in this rug. It's 28 by 33 inches and will take a little while to bind.

I think of it as 'stepping over the stream to Scotland' now rather than just stepping stones. Or sometimes it makes me think of ice floes - that would definitely be very northern Scotland. I'll take a photo when it's in place. Not this week, though...other hooking adventures await.

Aha!

The thing with challenges is that they're challenging. However, in the opportunity/threat stand-off, I was given an opportunity.

This past week I was really stuck with how to finish this rug. Faced with the dwindling stock of 'stream' tweed, I could only think of cutting off the top of the design. This would have kept the stepping stone concept but not my whole vision. I procrastinated (my specialty) and pondered and whined on this blog.

Several people made good suggestions but most involved putting in another element which I didn't want to do. The original challenge was to use only the two fabrics. Happily, I was sent a link which sent me to look at some felted art pieces from Andrea Graham. It was meant to show me another use of stones in art but I had such an aha! moment I almost ran to get a pen and re-draw. I had been so focused on the stepping stones that I had completely lost sight of the edge of the stream. And so the beginnings of a shore where I can use more gray tweed and less brown.

Now I'm back at work and I hope to have it ready for binding this week. Thanks, Penny.

A beginning

You know how sculptors will say that the shape is already in the stone? That's exactly what happens to me, sometimes, with wool that I get.

I mentioned before that the jacket fabric looked like a mountain stream to me. This image was calling to me to hook it up - and quickly. So I am. I have further challenged myself to use only two fabrics. I have never done this before and not getting out all the colors in the paintbox is quite hard for me. But, resist I will.

The rug is square-ish (approx. 35") with random stepping stones of different sizes which will all be hooked in a lovely Harris tweed. I think it looks like granite. Then the stream part will be flowing and twisting around the stones in a diagonal course across the rug. As I'm hooking the word "skeining" keeps flashing through my thoughts. That's what I'm hoping the water looks like.

And because I began this while listening to a CBC program connecting Celtic music with drink, I know this mountain stream is somewhere in the highlands of Scotland. The peat-colored water flowing quickly to bring water to make the whiskey.