How to hook rope with value swatches

HOOKED BY JANET DELO

Hooking rope may look daunting but it is as simple as counting one, two, three.  You can use either three values or six values depending how much detail you wish to see.  If using three values you will hook only one row of the darkest value for the shadow and then repeat the other two values until the area is filled in. In these two examples of our pattern Grand Banks Schooner, the above picture was hooked with a three value swatch and the below one is hooked with a six value. Both are equally effective and beautiful. 

Both projects were hooked using Ganache for the rope; a fabulous golden hue that gives an aged patina. This dye formula hasn't made it into any of our dye books so I'm sharing it with you today.

Ganache (Using Majic Carpet Dyes)

1/4   tsp Yellow
1/16  tsp Chocolate Brown
1/16  tsp Seal Brown

Use 1/2 cup replacement method for 6 Value swatches
For a 3 Value swatch, mix in 2 cups of boiling water, pour off 1/3 for the lightest value, 2/3 for the medium value and the 1 cup remaining for the darkest value. 

For 6 Values, this recipe makes around 7-8 sets of 3" x 11" size pieces, so you would have to alter the formula by dividing it in half for 4 sets and again for 2 sets. 

HOOKED BY ANNE HOLMES

The rope drawing shouldn't be perfectly uniform.  You want it to be irregular for more realistic appeal. For the sample below, I am using a 6 value swatch cut in a #5 strip. 

The first thing you will assess is where you want your light source to come from.  One side of the rope will be the shadow side.  Usually the darker side will be the outer edge of the rope but it would depend on your design and what elements are in it.  For example if you are hooking something with a sun, then your shadow on the rope would be at the farthest point away. 

The values run from dark to light, #6 value being the darkest.  The first line hooked is the 6th value and runs along the inside bottom of the curve of the rope.  It starts under the rope segment before it and all the way to the bottom where it joins with the next segment in the line.

Now hook the 5th in the same way. When hooking the 4th value don't take it directly to the bottom, stop short a few loops which will allow the lighter values #3, #2 and #1 to be on the outside of the curve and act as the highlight. 

Here is a template to use by right clicking to save to your computer and then print off and blow up to the size needed, then repeat the pattern to cover the area.