Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 1

Before you say to yourself  "Is that all she got done in one week?", just let me say that this first week of work on the rug has been a perfect example of one of the many ways My Plan To Complete This Rug In One Year will be sabotaged over the course of the next 12 months.....  

Two three letter words:  The Flu.  Three miserable days of it!

But here it is, placed in its future full-time home.  This is the official Week One progress!

I started with the horse and was so happy with the way that plaid worked up.  Honestly, I did not attempt to create that striped look!  That horse just wanted to be striped! I think one key to this pattern is to add lots of Unexpected Little Details, such as... striped horse!  (Wish I could say that was my idea.)  The next motif I worked on was the leaf to the right.  Instead of making all those little ovals the same rusty-orange, I made one of them green - a simple little thing, but part of the "crazy quilt" theme.  The little heart motif has a paisley center - it is kind of hard to see in the photo.   

I have never done this before, but I am keeping track of how much time I spend on this rug.  I quickly realized there is a significant amount of time involved in things other than actually pulling up loops!  Such as thinking about colors and what's going where and what it might end up being next to and what background colors will work/not work if I used this color here or there and finding another place on the rug to remember to use that color again, and on and on - all of which takes a lot of time - especially on this crazy pattern.  And then there is cutting the wool and keeping it organized (trying to anyway).   

Yesterday was the start of Week 2!  Hope I get back to My Plan!