A&E RUG - A SNEAK PEEK

I've been negligent with doing a blog post.  I have just not gotten a lot accomplished in the past few weeks. So doing a post seemed pointless.

Several weeks ago - DF Jackie saw my A&E rug and thought I had enough to show a WIP photo.  SO - TA DA - I took a bunch of photos at the Olde Green Cupboard yesterday when I went for rug hooking monthly club.  A little backround on this rug before I start to show you the photos.  It is actually not a rug but a cube footstool cover.  It has 4 distinct sides and a flat top.  Eve is on one side, Adam on the other - the other two sides are motifs that were pulled from an old A&E sampler.  It is a commerical design by Kim Nixon - Under the Rug but Katie (KISS Rug Hooking Studio/Sophie-Kate Designs)  my DF, rug hooking teacher and dyer,designer extraordinaire executed the ideas I had for this rug and translated them onto the canvas.  the only thing we kept from the original design was Eve and the tree and the snake. I added the zig zag border on all 4 sides along the bottom.  Many old crewel designs have this type of pattern under the tree of life.  I don't like this plant this next to Eve - I am going to pull out the rust veining and replace with the dark pink to pull in color from the other panels and see if that does the trick - if not then the gold will come out too.

 We added the tree on each side of the stool and she put in the million leaves and the oversized apples and drew a new Adam over the silly Adam which was riding on a dove - AAACCKKK - WHY I say was Adam riding on a dove?????  When she asked me what I wanted my Adam to look like I said why Jon Bon Jovi of course !  I think my Adam is pretty handsome don't you ?

Yesterday I finished the flower next to Adam and the butterfly. 

For you rug hooking enthusiasts out there - this rug is in a 4 and 5 cut of wool with a little 3 in there for the finer details.  I will probably do backround in a 5.  It is printed on linen and all the wool is new hand dyed wool - mostly from my stash or from Katie.

Here is the side that really needs attention - the deer - 

the 4th side is a mutant beaver/hedgehog guy with a tail  - and I love how this flower with the funky bird on top came out.  This is a 2nd attempt on the left flower - I didn't care much for it but I have to remember that everything is oversized and unrealistic and not true to life.

Here is a close up of the snake - I love how his head and eye came out and it was Katie's idea to do him in the brightly colored diamond pattern.

Here is an over view of the whole stool and what the top looks like.  I am very proud of this rug and how it is coming along - I LOVE it - what do you think?  The backround will be an aged sampler looking color - that stained ecru with a moldy green faint overdying - kinda like PTP Dill for you sampler stitchers. Soon I have to start with the backround - sure dont' want to leave that till the end on any rug much less this rug.  I know a lot of you are embarking on rug hooking this year and  I am always happy to pass along tips to any newbie hookers.  DON"T leave all your backround till the end - you will be bored to tears and it might slow down your completion as the pull of a new rug might dazzle you.  I have a big rug on the frame at home right now that is in that state.  Just backround and border left and I YAH YAH - it's a biggy so I can find absolutely anything in the world to do except work on that rug.

The other thing going on in my life that I am excited about is a new venture I have going with the Olde Green Cupboard.  The owner has been wanting to try knitting in her store for a long time.  She approached me several months ago about teaching some classes for her.  Beginning knitting continental style is going to be my first class.  The other exciting news is that I now have a yarn display at OGC.  I have an extensive "inventory" of fine yarns.  I always buy yarn when I travel - I order yarn off the internet and I also buy from LYS so when I moved the summer of 2008 - I realized that I was over loaded with yarn - nice yarn but just WAY too much yarn - more than I would ever use.  So Gloria is giving me space in her store and if yarn goes over well in her store then she is going to consider setting up some accounts and adding yarn.  WHEEEEEE - how fun is that.I did a knitting demo last weekend and this table was 2 people deep.  Lots of quilters apparently love to knit or want to learn to knit.  It was very inspiring and lots of fun for me to be able to share my love of knitting with so many new enthusiastic people.

Stitching always seems to be taking a back seat to other things.  I do always stitch some each week but just not enough to get any noticable progress.  I will show an update photo on something soon - I promise.