www.littlehouserugs.com

                        Creating Heirlooms

Here are the pictures of my latest yarn-hooked rug. This is what I did while you were working on your new book.

The story on this rug goes something like this:  I found the pattern in an antique shop several years ago, complete with its original price tag of 15 cents on it. This tag tag read "Frederick and Herschnerr Co."  I did some amature research of it and found this needlework company is still in business today.  I found an old catalogue on Ebay that dates the pattern to pre-1930's.

I paid four dollars for it and took it home with me.  Every so often I would get it out and ponder how I would hook it up.  Early last spring, I got it out for good, transferred the pattern onto monk's cloth, and dyed all the yarn for it myself, which turned out to be very easy and fun to do.  I used Lopi 100% Icelandic wool, and it is a dream to dye and to hook with.  The colors came out exactly as I wanted them to, and since then I have over-dyed the leftover yarn for another project (another story, stay tuned!). 

I took this flower rug with me on a housesitting job I had in May for some friends in Oregon, who have a beautiful black cat named Panther. Panther and I had some conversations about who was going to get my lap time, him or my rug hooking... at one point I offered to call a nanny agency and hire him another lap, so he settled for the space next to me on the sofa.  I even made him a cat toy of his own from my rug yarn, but he really just wanted my lap.  So there are a few black cat hairs in my rug, but I don't mind, they remind me of my fun times with my cat-friend Panther. 

What I like about this rug is that it contains all of the elements of "me."  The fun of finding it in an antique shop, the pretty spring colors that I love and use so much of, the not too complicated pattern that hooked up so quickly, and the fun of hooking with yarn (complete with cat hair!).  It will be my favorite for a long time!

One thing I tell people about hooking with yarn is how quickly and easily yarn dyes and dries, way faster than wool. You are doing the world a good favor with your books and everything else you do for hooking with yarn, Judy. May the goodness come back to you! Kerry

Do you have a rug you would like to see featured on this website?  E-mail me!  Every rug has a story, and we love to hear all about them.  If your rug is featured, you will receive a free half-yard of linen or our rug hooking totebag, so send those photos!  To view the many rugs that have already been featured, visit our archive!

Featured Rug of the Month

December 2011

Flower Rug, 24"x24"  wool yarn on monk's cloth

Designed by Frederick and Hershnerr Co., hooked by Kerry MacPhail