Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 16

Sorry I'm late!!!  There have been great distractions this week...

I did make a bit more progress on the border.  Here's the Week 16 overall shot.

I have made about 9 different color plans for the various border sections this week!  I hope I end up with the best one!  I also "simplified" my plan for adding my initials and the year to the two ends of the rug.  To do the more complicated version (like I showed you last week), I had to give up two of those tongues on the short end of the rug, and I decided I didn't like that so much.  So, here is my much simplified approach for the "2011" - and the other end of the rug will have my initials.  The numbers might need a bit of tweaking when I get all the background in - but that will be easy.

I'm very excited that this coming weekend is our annual rug hooking retreat at The Barn.  Tune in next Sunday for some photos.  Let's just say we hope to celebrate the royal wedding in our own special way...

Here's my Easter present from my hubby.  He KNOWS I'm on a diet.  And, he knows HE's on a diet.  But chocolate is now good for us, right?  This bunny is from our famous Andre's in Kansas City.

We finally saw some nice blue sky today.  When I realized it was blue, I ran upstairs to photograph my dogwood tree from our bedroom window.  I do this every year - I can't help it!  I have about a gazillion shots but here are four of my favorites.

And since it is Easter, here's one more bunny - it is a birdhouse...

My new passion is watching my backyard Momma Robin...  here's her production for this week!!!

I am trying hard to get a photo of her sitting on the nest.  She is learning to tolerate me being out there working in the garden.  As you can probably tell, she built this nest way too close to the ground...  only about 4 feet up...  so hopefully Momma and babes will be safe.

Next week's update will be on Sunday again...

Happy Hooking and Happy Spring...

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 15

This was my first official "border" week.  I can tell it is going to go fairly quickly - much faster than working on the interior of the rug - but maybe a bit less "fun" than hooking the animals.

The border of the rug is made up of tongues and a simple leafy vine.  Here's a close-up of a partially completed vine.  The background color here is the purple/plum, which is one of the 7 background colors used in the center of the rug. 

 And here is a close-up of tongues.  After I saw these pictures this morning, I decided to try varying the background color around the border.  I've already established the purple/plum behind the vines.  I will put the rust background behind the tongues on the long sides (i.e., the 7 shown below, and again on the other side).  Then on the short sides I'll use my red.  The background on the short sides actually wraps around the corners - so that will look cool.  Oops, I've photographed my tootsies!

I am going to change the two short ends to incorporate Susan's design for adding her initials and the year as shown in this smaller version of the rug.  (See 2005 on the left side, and Susan's initials on the right side.)

Right now, this is how the two short ends on my rug are drawn.  I will remove the center three (or maybe five?) tongues and switch to the design shown above.

Wanna see a few more prairie fire shots?  Mike took these and said I could share them with you...

 I love the sky in this one.

 Love this one...

 Burning ring of fire...

 Very soon, the hillside will be as green as the field in the foreground.

Springtime in my front yard...

 I just realized I posted the 2010 version of this photo last year, right after I started this blog.  Time seems to be flying by!!!

Happy Hooking Everyone!  Enjoy this glorious spring weather (which has been a little "hit or miss" around here!)

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 14

Hi Crazy Fans.  Week 14 was interrupted by a trip to the legendary Flint Hills here in Kansas.  For a few weeks in early April the tallgrass prairie is burned to make way for the new baby grass.  This is not just a little field somewhere out in the middle of Kansas - this is thousands of acres of grasslands in the shape of rolling hills.  It is a photographer's paradise!  (I've placed a few of my photos below.)  I only mention this excursion now as My Big Fat Excuse for not getting more accomplished this week on my rug.

I did take the rug with me, knowing I would have a few hours here and there to hook while Photo Mike was out with his Photo Buddies looking for smoke... because where there is smoke...  well, you know the rest.

And now...   the center of the rug is complete!!!

I gave it a critical eye this morning as it was lying there on the floor to be photographed.  I think it needs a little splash of turquoise somewhere in the vicinity of the dog and rabbit.  Those two rust-colored shapes just under the rabbit may be converted to turquoise.

The last bits of background to be worked were in this general area...

Now I've got to get busy on the border.  Next week I'll show you my idea for adding my initials and the year to the ends of the rug.  Actually, I should not call it my idea!  You'll see.

Here are a few of my prairie fire shots taken with my little Canon camera (I just looked at the front of it and it says Power Shot SX 200 IS).  I will try to talk Photo Mike into letting me show you some of his shots next week.

This next one looks like it was taken on another planet far far away.

My favorite... 

Spring means garden clean-up here at my house.  While it definitely qualifies as Hard Work, it is not quite as terrifying as preparing the tallgrass prairie for the next growing season!

Happy Hooking and Happy Everything Else Too!

Crazy Horse Quilt Runner: Week 13

Week 13 is in the books!  It was a background week.  I thought I might finish the center background, but I didn't make it.  More on that later.  Here is the overall shot for this week...

At the end of the previous week, I was experimenting with the idea of beading the stem that runs right through the green and turquoise section below (using the green and turquoise for the beading).  My concern was that it would not show up when both side colors were hooked in.  Well, I was right - it didn't pop.  I took it out and replaced it with a dark color.  I used the same dark color on the outer dividing lines of this two-toned section - and that effect I like very much! 

In Susan's original design, not all of those pairs of little leaves coming off the stem are lined up quite as symmetrically as you see here.  I hooked them exactly as drawn first, but the "opposite" color effect was difficult for the eye to make out in the pairs that were not symmetrical - think optical illusion followed by mild headache.  So I rehooked, lining them up symmetrically, and the headache went away!  If I had made this section all one color (not two-toned), I would have left the pairs of leaves as originally drawn - more visual interest.

The other background area this week is just below and around the horse.  That triangular section behind the red heart, lavender stars, and little orange petals was TEDIOUS!!!

I've been going through lots of "stuff" in an effort to accomplish the dreaded "downsize".  One treat of that effort was finding this cute glass bunny packed away.  (I have way too many bunnies.)  I immediately thought of using him somewhere in my little rug room - surely he could fulfill some crucial need and be saved from the dreaded "downsize".  Ta-dah!  Here he is holding my bent handle scissors as though that is his One Purpose in Life!  The finger hole end of the scissors sits right out there where they can be grabbed quickly and the business end is safely inside his hollow body!  I don't know how I have gotten along without this all these years! 

Next week's post will be on Sunday instead of Saturday.  We are heading back to the Flint Hills next weekend for a few days to photograph the prairies fires - weather permitting.  I'm taking the rug - so with any luck I will be finished with center background and working on the border this week!  Wednesday is the monthly meeting of the Woolhawks here in my home town - so it should be a good week for hooking.

Now back to my downsizing...ugh.

See you next SUNDAY!

Happy Spring and Happy Hooking!