Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tutorial: Hooking raw wool into your Rugs

This is Gentle Gracie in the Pumpkin Patch, I am using Gracie's washed wool from this springs shearing,I Use clean Raw wool instead of processed roving as the crimp in the wool helps give it that curly look,I use pieces a little thicker than a pencil
It is pulled through just like regular rug hooking , I go against the norm on these, I hook all around my sheep first including any background.
You want to space it much farther than you would with strips because when you clip it , it will fan out,

I pull loops up at least double the height of the loops for regular wool depending on how long you want the Staple to look on your sheep for example Stormy's Rug in my last post I pulled quite high as Stormy has very long staple to her wool and the lamb is pulled shorter.
For Gracie I wanted hers a medium, because of the Pumpkins.

When you come to the end you trim the ends even with your loops

Then each loop is to be cut down the center and finger fluffed I do this as I go to make sure I am not making it too bunched up

When you are finished you can take your scissors and lightly trim and shape around the edges

Thank You to my Darling Hubby Ken for the great pictures

Double M's Banner Rug " Stormy and baby Jackson"

Finally Finished Sweet Stormy and baby Jackson or as Hubby calls it "A Mothers Love"( Baby Jackson is one of stormy's boys we decided to keep I couldn't let them both go) Banner Rug Stormy and Baby Jackson were Drawn by my Hubby ,Flowers and Border drawn by me, allHooked by me, I think hubby and I make a great team, check back for a tutorial using raw wool for sheep , with my new rug Gentle Gracie in the pumpkin patch,I love to make Rugs of my very Special sheep using their own wool to remember them by for years to come, As Sheira the Matriarch gets older I am more and more glad that I made her rug, on the back label I added some things about her character that makes her so special.