By Guest Blogger Charlene Scott
I have not had a Christmas stocking since I left my fathers home, many years ago. As children, we all used one of my dads big socks. I have not thought much about them till I took up rug hooking and saw the ones made by my fellow hookers. Christine has a wonderful line of stockings, and Mary Doig is just amazing with the ones she has hooked for her family.
So, no one was more surprised than me when I was seized with the intense need to draw one, right around Christmas. I had been wrapping presents for hubby and a small figure on one of the seasonal papers caught my eye. I stopped wrapping, picked up a pencil and immediately drew the initial sketch to cement it in my mind and then went back to the presents.
Later I drew the pattern in a 8"x11" sketch and coloured it. With that done I passed it by my hooking friends and they all agreed it would make a great stocking. The pattern was drawn up, put on burlap and then set aside as I had a rather large paisley rug to finish.
I waited till I went took the dye course at the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia May school and on the last teaching day we were encouraged to dye something for a personal project. I had a picture in my mind of an orange red with some yellow highlights for the suit. I am very pleased with the results. It was a casserole dye using pure red and pure yellow. It came out perfectly.
So, no one was more surprised than me when I was seized with the intense need to draw one, right around Christmas. I had been wrapping presents for hubby and a small figure on one of the seasonal papers caught my eye. I stopped wrapping, picked up a pencil and immediately drew the initial sketch to cement it in my mind and then went back to the presents.
Later I drew the pattern in a 8"x11" sketch and coloured it. With that done I passed it by my hooking friends and they all agreed it would make a great stocking. The pattern was drawn up, put on burlap and then set aside as I had a rather large paisley rug to finish.
I waited till I went took the dye course at the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia May school and on the last teaching day we were encouraged to dye something for a personal project. I had a picture in my mind of an orange red with some yellow highlights for the suit. I am very pleased with the results. It was a casserole dye using pure red and pure yellow. It came out perfectly.
The flesh was another puzzle but our instructor Sarah Ladd had the perfect solution. Pro chem #504, French Vanilla. 1/16th tsp using the crush method with 1/8 yard. My wool was in 3" strips that had been torn for another project. I took one strip out just before I put in the citric acid and placed it in a bottle with a few drops of red, the water was barely pink, just enough to change the colour for the cheeks.
For those who aren't familiar with the crush method, Sarah gave us all a large tin can of restaurant size. You put in the least amount of water needed. Put in the dye and the citric acid/vinegar. Put the material in loosely crushed. The colour gets sucked in at different strengths on the crumple. You can give it a little poke but not much. Then let it go till the colour is set.
The white was Dorr natural wool and the deep blue was a leftover from Pendleton woman's suit that had been over dyed for a previous rug. The yellow came from my paisley project. The hat band was natural curly mohair.
The wonderful grey line was an interesting small ball of wool I found in a second hand store in Florida in February. I saw it and instantly knew it was going in my Santa piece but just not sure where. It is a two piece yarn. A silver grey thread runs continuously throughout with some small bits of straight mohair attached.
I had fun hooking the pattern. It was a welcome change after my last two projects, one big rug and then a small piece I completed for the Art Hits the Wall kaleidoscope theme.
My next small piece that I like to call the world's smallest rug is a cute little design I won at the silent auction at the RHGNS school. A story for another day.
For those who aren't familiar with the crush method, Sarah gave us all a large tin can of restaurant size. You put in the least amount of water needed. Put in the dye and the citric acid/vinegar. Put the material in loosely crushed. The colour gets sucked in at different strengths on the crumple. You can give it a little poke but not much. Then let it go till the colour is set.
The white was Dorr natural wool and the deep blue was a leftover from Pendleton woman's suit that had been over dyed for a previous rug. The yellow came from my paisley project. The hat band was natural curly mohair.
The wonderful grey line was an interesting small ball of wool I found in a second hand store in Florida in February. I saw it and instantly knew it was going in my Santa piece but just not sure where. It is a two piece yarn. A silver grey thread runs continuously throughout with some small bits of straight mohair attached.
I had fun hooking the pattern. It was a welcome change after my last two projects, one big rug and then a small piece I completed for the Art Hits the Wall kaleidoscope theme.
My next small piece that I like to call the world's smallest rug is a cute little design I won at the silent auction at the RHGNS school. A story for another day.
Thursday's Name The Number Contest
I've been working like a demon trying to get a new pattern ready for today's contest but the shop is so busy it looks like it might not happen until late this afternoon! So I am going to offer this delightful Gnome Santa pattern as the prize today. It is new to the shop as Charlene just brought in the pattern yesterday and it will come with a picture of the finished stocking so how great is that! So add your pick from 1 - 50 to the comment section of this blog and try to hit the number in my head. Lots of time to hook it for Christmas!
I'll offer the pattern I'm working on now for tomorrow's contest!
I've been working like a demon trying to get a new pattern ready for today's contest but the shop is so busy it looks like it might not happen until late this afternoon! So I am going to offer this delightful Gnome Santa pattern as the prize today. It is new to the shop as Charlene just brought in the pattern yesterday and it will come with a picture of the finished stocking so how great is that! So add your pick from 1 - 50 to the comment section of this blog and try to hit the number in my head. Lots of time to hook it for Christmas!
I'll offer the pattern I'm working on now for tomorrow's contest!
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