February’s Rug of the Month is putting the spotlight on one of Ania’s recently finished projects. The project is hooked on a pattern called “Nuts,” which was designed by Faith Williston. It’s 16″ x 16″, and it was hooked in a # 8 cut wool.
Read on below to learn more about this project and to see images of the completed rug:
Why did you decide to hook this pattern?
I never in my life thought I would hook a squirrel. I am not a fan of squirrels! They harass my dog and dig up my garden. We have a lot of squirrels in our area too – grey ones, black ones, and even some brown ones. This was a very unlikely topic for me to work on. However, at Teacher’s Workshop, Margaret O’Connor was the teacher I was most interested in taking a class with, and her class was on this pattern.
I was interested in working with Peggy because I knew she was a good teacher from a previous class I had taken with her, and because I wanted to learn more about her wool dyeing process. All the wool for this rug was dyed using natural dyes. That is something I don’t do, and I was very, very curious to learn more about it. I hadn’t previously worked with naturally dyed wools.
How was this project color planned?
It was entirely based on the wool that Peggy had dyed. She used chestnuts, walnuts, and a variety of other natural plant dyes to create these colors. I was impressed by the variety of browns she was able to produce, and the vibrancy of the mulberry background.
What was your favorite part of working on this project?
I liked how much detail I could incorporate into such a small piece with such a large cut. I also tend to look more favorably on squirrels now, after completing this piece. I even learned something new about squirrels – both Presidents Harding and Truman each had pet squirrels while in the White House.
Peggy did a wonderful job talking about dyeing with natural materials. If people are interested in that topic, I would highly recommend inviting her to speak with your guild.
If you have any additional quesitons, feel free to leave them below!
My Mother's a Hooker 