Country Memories is a Nantucket style designed floor rug. This rug design was created during the summer after we moved to Oregon from our vineyard in California. As we were leaving, driving past the family garden, I noticed the beautiful butterflies and bees fluttering around the sunflowers and roses that bloomed as if to say "Goodbye my dear friend, we will miss your tender loving care of us."
Knowing this was a new phase in our life, I held back the tears, because I knew there would be another garden and I promised myself to preserve this memory somehow.
Once we were settled in Oregon I decided that I really wanted to create something different, but not knowing what that might be, I came up with the design for Country Memories. At that point in time I didn't know how or what form would develop from this simple drawing.
For some unknown reason I decided to learn to spin and weave. I met a very unique lady who raised sheep, and she taught me to spin, weave and dye. I loved spinning and dyeing, but weaving just didn't hold my interest.
Now what to do with all this funny looking yarn I made practicing my spinning (if you're a spinner you know what I mean by "funny looking")? Another new and creative journey began: I took out this big embroidery hoop, found a loosely woven piece of fabric, and a crochet hook. I started pulling my funny looking handspun through the canvas. Hmmm, this is really different, I thought. My first attempt was a sunflower. I really thought I had created something totally new way of doing things.
During all this I learned about a group on the Internet and met a wonderful lady named Joanne Fajack who is an avid rug hooker from Youngstown , Ohio. Joanne hooked with fabric strips, which really inspired me, but I was still looking for info on hooking with yarn, and my gosh, you would never believe what I found; a book on Amazon.com by Judy Taylor, called "Hooking With Yarn"! I could not believe what I saw, and I ordered the book, and another one by Amy Oxford. After my books arrived, the first one I read was "Hooking With Yarn" and learned that what I was doing was a very old way of making rugs called Nantucket Rug Hooking. It was very good to learn that what I was doing had a name and style! I cried with happiness to know that what I was doing was indeed a part of our American heritage.
After reading both books, I took out my simple little drawing of Country Memories and created a wonderful floor rug for my kitchen. I have made several floor rugs since and improved my skills. I now sell my own rugs and designs on my website, www.justalittleprimitive.com.
