~ my wonky loops ~

 

 

 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

....happy Wednesday to us all!

last evening I posted on FB & IG,
a photo of the little hooked mat I finished ~

it's inspiration came from our gathering of eggs from our busy little hens...

"'a Tisket a Tasket'

many nice comments were made,
and
questions arose as to the wools I used...

I love the subtle, mellow & primitive hand dyed wool from
Blackberry Primitives
&
Jan at The Wool n Gardener

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

I also use gorgeous mill-dyed and as-is wool from
Heavens to Betsy
&

 The Wool Studio

 
for me, a combination of the two kinds works well....

another question was how do I get my loops to look like that?

...someone referred to them as 'rows of corn on a cob'
{i like that}

well, it's hard to say, but
I can tell you that I hand-cut my wool strips
with Fiskars spring loaded scissors,
&
I use an old rug hook
that was purchased a long time ago in Connecticut...

I kind of hook in a sideways slanted motion,
{and I have no idea why I do that}
you can see the close-up loops in the basket

and the background loops above.

I really don't try to overthink my loops by twisting and turning them,
...just kind of let them be after I pull them up.
oh, and I don't pull them too high.

 I haven't hooked much in the last few years,

so maybe I'm re-learning or the absence of pulling loops has made this effect?

it could just be, that as I get older, my hand works differently now.

...whatever the reason may be, I am happy to be revisiting rug hooking again
and have plans to release patterns for some smaller mats, like the one above.

they are so quick to do, fun to work on, great wool-stash busters
and perfect to 'put-about' the house because of their small size.

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

here are a few photos of part of my collection of antique rug hooks...

I love thinking about who might have used them ~

what kind of rugs did they make?
did the maker use their old clothing?
was it wool or cotton?
or both?

and just how old are they?
~ the handles have smoothed to a glow after many years of work.

when I'm hooking quietly,
...here in our old farmhouse,
my mind wanders back
and in my imagination I think upon this:

...the weathered & tired hands of a farmer
creating a hook for his beloved wife,

from a broken tool handle ~
so she may create rugs to warm their old floors...

~ he must have loved her dearly.
❤

this is my favorite hook:
the hook is newer, but the handle is old.

I hope your day is filled with peace,
~ with good & kind thoughts

and the affection from those who love you most.

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori