Tuesday, January 24, 2012

I am a hooker....

Okay maybe not but I sure wanna be one ...that is a rug hooker! I commend all you lovely ladies  out there that turn out such beautiful pieces of art. It is a craft that I have wanted to do for a long time so I decided to give it a try .First thing I learned was that it is hard to cut wool strips by hand  keeping them all straight and even but I tried. I used the wool that I cut and dyed to do my piece so maybe that was some of the trouble I  had doing this project. When I went to do the binding I cut the monks cloth to close so my thought on that was simply....CRAP! Why did I do that ,cause I knew better! Frustration does not begin to cover my feelings on the matter.I quit even trying to fix it yesterday.I really did not want to toss it because it was my very first rug so I thought of different ways to try and salvage it through out the night. Finally settling  on making a braid out of wool and stitching it to the outer edges of the piece after I backed it in black wool.You know what I mean ,like some  ladies edge their needle punched projects.So that is exactly what I did to it this morning.I am not exactly proud of the piece but I did give  it a good shot.I will be trying  another rug ,hopefully I have learned by my mistakes .I am one of those people that learn better by doing  rather than reading or watching.Let's just hope that I never take up bomb making ,gosh but that could be disastrous really quickly. LOL! Please tell me honestly do you think I should give up or keep trying to learn.

Is there a trick to keeping your loops even and how the heck do you do the numbers and letters to make them look right?

Fellow bloggers please do not think that I have stopped reading your blogs because I haven't .The truth of the matter is we are having internet connections that is making it almost impossible to read or comment on the blogs .My computer keeps freezing up and refusing to load pages and such,hopefully the company will get it fixed soon.Which is exactly  the reason that I have not responded to  the comments that have been left. I appreciate the time that you spend reading my blog and the comments you leave always make me smile.So thanks!


I also want to send out a big old Kentucky welcome to my new followers! Thanks so much for joining and I look forward to getting to know each one of you.If there is anything I can ever do for you, just shoot me an email.

Friendship is a gift that is sometimes taken to lightly but  a true friend is a treasure, so be sure to tell those that you consider  special friends just how much better that they make your life by just being in it!The greatest gift one can give is the knowledge of our Lord,, the next is the gift of prayer. With that thought I will sign off today and wish you all many blessings in your day! Hugs,Jen




21 comments:

Deppen homestead 1862 said...

Jen, looking good~ your learning I am liking it!!!
have a wonderful day
smiles
Teresa

BumbleBeeLane said...

Jen~ For your first try I think it looks good.Can't expect perfection the first time.Keep going you'll perfect it I'm sure.I haven't got brave enough to try it yet.I have a "kit" already to go.Warm Blessings!~Amy

Susan At Glen Oaks Primitives said...

Your little mat looks terrific, Jen.
I like a lot of others am wanting
to learn rug hooking. It's popular.
Hugs,
Susan

Teri said...

Hey Jen,
It looks really good!
Like I said ... rug hooking is a catch 22 ... If you don't have the right tools it is very hard to do the craft ... At least for it was ... An it can be very expensive to buy all that you need.
It is fun tho ... Start slow in your purchases of the tools ...
Keep up the great work ... In no time you will be a hooker.
Teri

Robin Leuschen said...

Your hooked project is looking much better than my first few did, including the last one I did. I like my design, and the colors I chose, but other than that, when I look at it all I see are mistakes....lol
Yours looks very neat and uniform. Everyone that helped me along told me this....do not hook too tight together. Skip at least 2 or 3 openings, make your loops nice and high and loose...Yours really looks as if you are following these rules... I love doing it, and happy to see another newbie !!
Robin
Bird In The Hand Primitives

Shirlee said...

Jen ... You do such beautiful work no matter what craft you choose. I think you will be a pro at hooking in no time! Your first project looks great! I have been wanting to learn this too. Bought a kit a while back & will attempt it sometime this year : ) I hope I will be half as good at it as you are surely going to be. Blessings, Shirlee

Firecracker Kid said...

You shouldn't give up with the love you have for it. Besides, you did good for your first try. Be patient sweetie ;0)
xoxo~Carol

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

It looks great. Rug hooking seems to be easy...one stitch and all, but I'm still trying to keep loop height even and keep the hooking area from getting too tight. With the rug I'm working on now, I feel I'm more consistent with my goals. But, I've been at it for over a year.
Keep at it!
Hugs,
Courtney

Meadowbrook Cabin Primitives said...

It Looks Good !

Practice makes perfect.. or almost ! :o)

A lot better than I could do, I am sure !

Hugs,
Linda

Cat Nap Inn Primitives said...

I love it and you should keep doing it..I have been wanting to learn how to do this as well.;)

Lois--Huckleberry Lady said...

Looks good to me. Practice, practice, practice. Don't give up. Like you said, you learned what you did wrong, so the next one will go better.
Take care,
Lois

Margaret said...

Looking good! I love rug hooking!

My Colonial Home said...

Morning Jen,
I commend you on trying something right off the bat...jumping right into it...I was scared to start...I read and read but it just doesn't make sense till you do hand on! I think you did fantastic....much better than my first one (which by the way is not totally finished).
Karen

Kerin said...

Love your handiwork project!

I am not a hooker....so I don't have any hooker advice :)

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

Jen,

I don't have a clue. I have never tried it before, but yours looks good to me!

I want to start knitting and am going to give it a try! I do crochet, so I'm thinking I can do it! :)

Blessings,
Tammy

Paula said...

Well you sure had my attention with the title of this post! *hehe*
I think you did a great job~ it looks beautiful!

jody said...

jen, i think your first hooked rug looks great! and i think that the way you finished it was a great way to fix a mistake. im only on my 2nd rug now and i let alot of time go inbetween so its like im starting over..trying to get the motion back ect. i cut my strips with my quilt mat and rotary...plz continue i think you will love it!

Vicki said...

Hi! NO don't give up!!! You rrug looks good and you will get the hang of it. If you don't buy a cutter think about buying some of your strips already cut until you do. Maybe this will help? Also on the letters and numbers try cutting them in half. I did a Phillips 66 rug for my hubby and cut them where they were thinner and it made them pop better so to speak....I hope this makes sense....Hang in there and enjoy it....I am a primitve hooker and they sure don't have to be perfect...

Mary said...

Looking good Jen! I have so many unfinished rug hooking projects! Just don't have the patience for it. Mary

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

NO! Do NOT give up! I don't rug hook so I can't help you there but I think this is awesome for your first piece, I love it! I love the colors that you used and the border design is really neat.

I understand about the internet problems, UGH!! I hope you are back soon.

Have a wonderful week~

Sandi said...

I think it's wonderful for your first rug!

My first one was on burlap (don't like it)and it fell apart all along the edges; i had not left enough around to bind it properly...

Sooo...way to go and keep on hooking!!