Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 12

Hi Everyone!  This was a fun rug hooking week.  We had class at Anita's on Wednesday, but I spent that time working on some Unfinished Buniness. With any luck, I will have Finished Buniness to show you very soon.

Back to Crazy Horse... the empty area between the right and left sides is starting to fill in!

Here is the section I worked this week.  I hooked the leaf near the deer, fixed the little bird and hooked the "rainbow" background. That leaf is the last of the three leaf motifs in this general area of the rug.  Stylistically, these three leaves are very similar, so I hooked them with the same wools, just varying them a tiny bit here and there.  Now that I see this close-up photo there is STILL something to fix on that silly bird!  Where he changes from red body to orange tail is supposed to look kink of jagged - it does, sort of, but not enough.  Just looks like a goof-up now.  Maybe third time will be the charm!

I also got a bit of a start on a background section over by the funky chicken.  This section is rather wide with a line right down the middle (a stem), with little leaves coming out on both sides.  I decided to split the section, using my green and turquoise background colors.  The photo below shows the beginning of the right side - green leaves against turquoise background.  The left side will be the reverse.  I'll show you how it turns out next week!

One of the challenges of splitting this section was What Color to Make the Stem???  After much deliberation, I decided to use beading on the stem with the same two colors - the turquoise and the green.  Here is a close-up.  The question is... will it show up when both background colors are hooked in on either side of it?

That pressing question will soon be answered!  Check in next week!

Several readers have asked what cut I am using for this rug...  I'm using a #7 cut.  There are a few smaller pieces here and there, but only to fill in a little space.

Also, do not fail to check out Susan Quicksall's beautiful website:  www.hollyhilldesigns.net

She offers this pattern and other similar "crazy" patterns (a smaller version of this rug, a tote bag), plus her wonderful hooked rug designs with birds and animals, flowers, baskets, samplers, kits and a dye book.

Speaking of crazy, we are in the midst of basketball craziness here in our little town of Lawrence, KS.  The Jayhawks are in "The Elite Eight" and will play tomorrow afternoon for a chance to be in The Final Four.  Here is my favorite basketball photo so far from the tournament games...  this is KU Jayhawk Thomas Robinson.  Before this photo was snapped, he leaped to retrieve a ball sailing out of bounds - turned a 180 in mid-air, did the splits to keep his feet off the court ('cuz remember he's out of bounds!), then, the photo captures him as he passed the ball - to a teammate!!!  All of this in what, one tick off the clock?  It was amazing.  Photo by Nick Krug for the Lawrence Journal World.

Happy Day and Happy Hooking!