Cold mornings! I'm looking for warm rugs to rest my feet on when I sit down. I'm a very visual person, so I want to enjoy looking at the rug on the floor too. I live in a house built in 1892. The insulation is nonexistent. I love the look of the wood floors (most of which I have yet to refinish). But these floors are cold! In the summer I enjoy the coolness on my feet, but not today. Since I live in a old house the rugs need to look like they belong in this old house. My decor is eclectic/period. I love the look of hand hooked rugs. Each loop set in place by hand. The slight differences in width of wool strips, color of the hand dyed fabric, and the height of loop.
Each loop is individual.
It is an art form.
So, being a make do person,
I've made a few rugs.
I find old wool fabric, in yardage or old clothing,
wash and dye it then cut it into thin strips.
And spend time hooking. Each rug has a story.
The sheep rug hangs on the wall at the top of the stairs in honor of these beings who are so generous with the wool so we can spin, weave, hook, and keep warm too.
This is a nook off our kitchen for conversation or reading. It's sunny in the summer, and
warn and cozy by candlelight in the winter.There on the floor is a hooked rug.
It was a warm spot this cold morning.
It seems so intimidating! All those warp ends, so easily mixed up and knotted. If dressing the loom isn't done right, the weaving is harder to do and the whole thing could look awful. So I console myself, "It's my first project on a big loom". " Irregularities will make it seem more charming and one of a kind." You know how it is when you start something new, you really want to do it well. You really want it to look nice. I mean do you really work on a project and say to yourself," I want this to look like trash" when I'm done?
Well, time to get started. Dressing the loom. Putting all those threads through the slots, then through the heddles. I'm making a "rag" rug. When I went to the Pendleton Wool outlet, I purchased a bag of "worms". Worms are the long strips cut off the edges of their blankets. Pendleton sells them to weavers for rug making.
Dressing the loom took longer then weaving the rug. It's something I could sit for a few moments and weave two or three shots, leave, then come back later and do more. Almost done here. I'm taking it off the loom. Weaving worms is really messy. There is soooo much fuzz from the cut edges. Then all these little pieces of worm that break off. The floor is littered.
Here is the rug next to some "worms". I have enough for about 8 more rugs. A little goes a long way.
Finally finished, and on the wood floor in the dining room. Yes there are some mistakes. It just adds to the charm and makes it more one of a kind. It was fun, and I want to make a few more. Now I wont be nearly so intimidated.
