Antique Flower Rug 33.5"x24.5"
For years I have read and been inspired by Rug Hooking Magazine, ATHA, and all the many books published on rug hooking, especially the realistic shading, which they have honed to a fine art. I was inspired, but intimidated as well. I never really thought I could learn to create realistic shading in my rugs.
I read an article on dip dyeing fabric to create realistic shading, and I suddenly got to thinking how that might work with yarn. I tried wrapping small skeins of yarn (about 6" long) and dipping them in mason jars with just a small amount of dye in them.
The result of a bit of trial and error was a small skein of yarn that had pink on one end, fading to white on the other end. I cut the skeins on either end, so I had many 6" pieces of yarn with pink on one end, fading to white. I started hooking in the direction of the rose petal (from inside to the outside) and voila! The color subtly changed from pink to white!
Then it was pretty easy to come up with other color effects, for creating flowers, leaves and scrolls.
If you would like more information on learning how to create shading with dip dyeing, I recommend my Alpaca Kit. In it you will find complete instructions for hooking with dip-dyed yarn, and another easy method of shading using "successive dyeing". Hooking the Alpaca kit is really easy, and it will help you to understand the process of shading.
If you're ready for more of a challenge, try my Shaded Rose Kit. This kit has much more detail than the Alpaca Kit. Each petal needs to be distinct from the ones around it, and this takes more skill and practice. Still, with the dip dyed yarn, the process is incredibly easy! The Shaded Rose Kit includes instructions for basic dip dyeing, but also tips on creating all of the flowers, leaves and scrolls in the Antique Flower Rug.
If you would like more information on hooking the Antique Flower Rug, or would like to purchase it,
