This has really been an adventures.  Lots of thinking and figuring took place before the first loop was hooked. I ended up drawing the pattern on  a linen backing to use as my template.  The actual backing for this piece will be a hand dyed  wool fabric, stretch over a frame.   Here is what I’ve come up with so far. 

It is difficult to see the dimension  from a flat photo.  Each leaf was hooked & finished separately and then formed into different shapes and overlapped one on another.

Now that all the leaves are done, I am experimenting with making the stems of the flowers.  Finally decided on a 1 inch strips of wool fabric, rolled over beading wire and stitched in place with a needle and thread. I won’t bore you with all the other methods that were tried but failed. Love that wire, as I can twist the stems and then just tack them down in a few strategic places. Now comes the Star Gazer Lilies.  I have some wonderful fabrics pulled and ideas rolling around in my head.  Stay tuned.

I love it!  The 23rd Psalm Rug or Keiki Carpet is completed.  What a labor of love this was.  I enjoyed every bit of the creation.  Rarely did a smile slip from my face when working of this rug.  I just kept imagining all the little souls who would enjoy sitting on it during the Keiki Sermons at my church.  

I must admit that I also thoroughly enjoy completing tasks.  Having projects unfinished gives me a sense of urgency that I don’t like.  For this reason, I rarely have more that two projects going at the same time.  One large and one small seems to work the best.  A little variety, a bit of a challenge and I’m happy.

Dyeing the yarn to whip the edges is always a treat.  I feel like a magician as I stand at the stove with the white yarn simmering and slowly add tiny bits of dye to create just the right color.  It is rather like cooking and tasting.  Dye - Look - Add some more,  look again.  Occasionally  I may need to come back the next day after drying and over dye.  The end result is always interesting. The green dye on this one was the biggest challenge.  There are three different yarn colors for this rug.

So this is the end of this project .  On to something different and inspiring I hope.  Perhaps a new purse design or a rug full of autumn colors.  We’ll see.  

The 23rd Psalm rug  is two thirds completed and staying fully connected to the process is becoming difficult.  The tedium of hooking a large meadow of grass, blade by blade, is a meditative lesson- just like breathing in and breathing out. When I focus on it fully, it is a deeply relaxing experience. Time flies. The blades of grass look right. The unity of the project stays cohesive.  Then  my mind wanders away to possible new projects, or to some difficulty in my life that I would like to see resolved.  As that happens the hooking begins to lose it’s pattern and rhythm.  So I break up the meditation with games.

This week I challenged myself to learn to use the fleece carders, lent to me by one of my adventurous students, Elizabeth Elliot.  I had been painstakingly pulling apart the fleece by hand for each of the sheep. I didn’t have a clue how to use the carders, but after a few lurching attempts and some laughter, it was amazingly simple.  I wonder why I resist trying new experiences.  They add so much to my knowledge and joy.

I’ve never had much patience. My mother claimed that I was standing behind the door when it was handed out.   I want things done yesterday!  Consequently rug hooking has been a growing experience.  A rug just doesn’t unfold as quickly as you would like. Loop by loop you create your picture.  It is as though you are painting in slow motion. Even mistakes take time to become visible.

         The  “23^rd Psalm” Rug is large by rug hooking standards- approximately 8’ x 5’.  My frame stretches 10 feet across the studio floor. I like to be able to see large portions of the rug at once, so I converted a king size quilting frame to my needs.  The rug will only need to be moved twice before I am finished. Just getting it on the frame correctly requires a great deal of patience.  It must be done meticulously so that the rug will not be pulled out of shape. Listening to my mind during this process is amusing. “Go slow. Take your time. Breath, this is part of the process. Enjoy it all”.  I have to keep reminding myself that fast isn’t helpful here. I know I’ve taken pride over the years in getting things done quickly.  Rug hooking just isn’t done that way.

         Hooking the major elements of the rug is always the most enjoyable and creative part of any rug.  I find it so interesting that time just flies by. Patience comes into play with the background. I need to break the rug up into smaller portions, hooking background as I go.  This week it was grass.  How could I hook it to make the process more interesting?  Trying new ways to hook something always increases my attention and my patience.  It was fun to hook the grass with 7 different shades of green and textures as varied as velvet, sweaters, tweeds, and blankets. Then scatter some rocks in there with a tee shirt and plaids. In previous rugs I have always hooked grass on the horizontal plane, so this time I am trying out vertical hooking. I can only hook small blades of grass at a time, requiring changing fabric every 6 loops. I use #8 cuts or larger, but the process still requires lots and lots of patience.  I seem to be getting pretty good at it!  I might even end up incorporating patience  into my daily life. Now that would be amazing.

         Have fun with your hooking.  Try to enjoy every bit of it.  If you tire, quit and do something else for a while.  You will come back with a fresh mind and eye. 

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Mahalo, Sharon Faith