latch hook rug

In the spirit of finishing things off, I finally finished a project I'd almost finished in June 2014 - see this post.  I'd then done a little bit more and put the photos into a blog post ready, it's been sitting in my dashboard since then!  Well, I finally finished it.

It was my latch hook rug.  The following two photos are the ones that have been hanging around for 2 years.

I was very pleased that the kit contained the right amount of wool, I even had some left overs.  They are sitting on a shelf in my craft room, I have no idea what I thought I would do with them!

This is where I'd left the project.  Completely hooked, but not finished off.  I know I'd spent a lot of time researching how to do it and only found posts about hooked rugs on hessian fabrics, not this kind on a canvas.  When I picked this up again a few weeks ago, I decided to just go for it.  I'd bought some herringbone tape which somewhere had recommended I use, and a very thick needle and some waxed linen thread.

I cut around the canvas, leaving 3 threads.  I folded this over to the back and whip stitched it to the canvas, making sure it wasn't showing through on the front.

Look at the size of that needle!  You don't want to know how many times I stabbed myself with the damn thing!  It was a lot...  When it was all secured down, I sewed the herringbone tape over the top to neaten it.  I genuinely had no idea what I was doing!

I stitched using a running stitch, wow did that heavy thread and that massive needle hurt my hands!

The whole time I was making this, I was trying to think of somewhere to put it.  Mr CA asked me a few times and I just said I didn't know.  When I'd finished sewing on the tape, I plonked it down in front of the fire to get it off the sofa.  Yep, that'll do, I can live there!  And yes, that is an Easter egg.  Mr CA's.  He's not bothered about chocolate so he won't eat it, but I'm not allowed to eat it either!

so close, so, so close

The hooked rug is SOOOO close to being finished.  So, so close... 

Nope, closer than that, more like this...

See that?

And guess what?  I've run out of red wool.  They didn't give me enough in the kit.  I got an extra pack of the blue, but not enough red.  I emailed Coats who own Anchor.  The email bounced back...  I've found an online shop that sells Anchor rug wool, I bought all three reds they had in the hope that one of them matches.  Delivery will be 10 days!  What??  Get up to date shop, 10 days is a LIFETIME... well maybe not, but I'm running out of time to get this finished!

Not to forget Mr Mosaic...

Grouted!  Now to find my paint brush...



Related posts

starting the rug
The rug 3/4 done
mosaic - tiling done

In progress

I am crap at progress posts.  Really, really crap at them.  I never post them.  Must try harder.

Remember this?

Yes, that's right, it's my Union FLAG rug.  It's on my  2014 FAL list, and also is this month's Something Old, Something New goal.  I want it finished.  

Not doing so badly so far!  The random bits of wool aren't so random.  I marked them out every 10x10 stitches to give me something to mark my progress.  There were 52 squares to fill.  Now there are 33.  

Speaking of the  2014 FAL.  I actually have very little to nominate for my quarter 3 projects.  I have several WIP needlework projects, but all of them are large and so I'll only want to nominate one or two.  I know that I have a massive list of what I call WIPs, but in reality, most are just kits, or supplies I've bought for particular projects.

The solution?  I'm going to start a load of projects!  Yep, start, not finish.  Above are 2 bag kits, a bunny softie pattern, the scraps from the dining chairs to make placemats with, a reindeer kit, a stained glass panel using fusible bias and my Cuzco bundle for making a Stained Glass quilt.

Like the good girl that I am, I got started cutting out the fabric for the stained glass quilt.  Cutting.  Lots of cutting...  Don't hold your breath on any of these projects, it's going to take at least a month to get them all started. Am I crazy??

How to be a hooker

Last year for my birthday I got a latch hook kit.  I think this is called Looker Hooking in the US?  It's of a Union Flag and it's been sitting waiting for me for ages.  I kept putting it off as I knew I'd have to read the instructions.  Well that took all of 2 minutes!  Sometimes I just don't understand how my brain works.

I found it a little tricky at first, but soon got in to a rhythm.  There's about an hour and a half's work in there, so this is going to be a long job!

It's comes with a pre-printed canvas and lots of pre-cut strands of yarn.  You also get the tool.  It took me a while to fathom out how the hook worked as I wasn't following the instructions correctly, it's actually really easy so I thought I'd show you too.

Here's the yarn you get with the kit.  You could of course buy a latch hook, some yarn and a piece of canvas and make up your own design.  There may be freebies on line too.

You hook onto the horizontal bars, not vertical which I'm cunningly showing you in this sideways picture above that makes it seem like I'm lying!

The hook goes all the way under a double "thread" and the hook is open.  The movable part of the hook needs to be on top of the "threads".

Wrap your yarn around the hook...

Then put the two ends of the yarn under the hook.

Then simply pull through.  It will form a little knot like this.  There's a name for this knot but it escapes me.  Pull the yarn ends to tighten and move on.  It gets a bit painful on the hands, not from the action of hooking, but where my hands are rubbing on the canvas.  It's a lot easier when I've got some done and can rest a hand on it.

Third time's the charm

Version 1 of the rug was started in June last year.  It was based on a doily pattern.  It got put aside and when I went back to it, I didn't know where I'd got to.  I started again a few months later and again it got put aside.  When I went back to it in April, I didn't like it.  So I started again and last Sunday, the day before I went to Turkey, at approximately 7:30am (I'd got up very early so I could go to bed to get up at 2am!) I finished it.

I used this tutorial on CraftTuts.  It left a lot to be desired.  A few times I had to wing it as the instructions didn't make much sense.  A few times it told me to "inc" and I told it that it's not a knitting pattern so that doesn't make sense!

I put my 24" ruler on top to give you an idea of the size.  It's 35" / 90cm across.  I used 3 cones of Hoopla yarn so it wasn't a cheap rug, but it was intended for the living room.  Now, I'm not sure what I'll do with it!

I spilt coffee on the yarn or the finished rug several times...  I have turned it upside down so the stains don't show!  I could be housewife of the year...

Oh, forgot the important part!  This is #4 on my very-large-but-not-overwhelming-and-no-I'm-not-ashamed-of-it list.

loving all rabbits equally

Remember I keep saying I'll write progress posts?  I am so crap at that.  BUT, I do have a progress post for you today... cue the excited cheers.  Oh come on, at least pretend you care!

More progress has been made on the Lynette Anderson needle case that I'm not sure I like.  This is the front cover, all finished.  The house was supposed to be a button but they are hideously expensive so I embroidered it instead and added in a rabbit sent to me by the lovely Sandra.  OK, so the rabbit is clearly a giant rabbit, but I love all rabbits equally, giant rabbits included.  

If you're thinking this is finished, you'd be wrong.  I still have the two inside covers to do, then the whole thing to assemble if I can decipher the atrocious instructions.

I thought I'd show you an update on the crochet rug too.  Turns out I couldn't be bothered to get it out of the bag!  Soon...

working on it

Morning ladies.  I've been a bit rubbish at doing progress posts, so I'm sneaking one in now!  This is where I was at with various projects as of Sunday lunchtime.

#4 on the giganormous list crochet rug.  I think I started this back in June last year, you can see the post here.  I started using a doily pattern.  I put it down, picked it up a few months later and had no idea where I'd got to, so started again.  I put it down once more and picked it up last week and didn't like the pattern!  I'd found another pattern, so I started again, for the third time.  Even Mr CA noticed and said "are you just going to keep starting that and then undoing it?"  Well yes, Mr CA, I might just do that!

#32 on the massuge list Lynette Anderson needle case.  This is a new start.  I bought the pattern ages ago and finally found time to get started.  Out came a piece of linen and my choice of threads.  To be honest, I'm not sure why I bought the pattern as it's not really my style, particularly in browns as the picture on the cover shows.  The pattern was also a rip off.  £6, for a small photo of the front and inside, (but not inside the flaps, that I'm going to have to guess), the stitchery patterns and some pretty shoddy assembly instructions with very few diagrams.  They then expect you to buy 2 very pricey buttons to put on it!  Forget that!.

The East Midland's Quilt Guild is having their next meeting next weekend, well, the EMQG and me, and we're making Amy Butler's Weekender bag.  As I have to leave half way through the meeting, I thought I'd better get a move on!  I cut out the outer pieces and ordered the lining fabric, miles of interfacing and other notions needed.  So still not much further on!

I'm actually looking forward to making this bag.  I've made plenty in my time so I'm not scared.  That's probably a bad thing and I shouldn't have typed that.  It's all going to go wrong now...!  I hope the interfacing turns up soon so I can get it all fused up ready for the sewing session.

The ever-growing to-do list

I realise I didn't show you my glass class progress last week, I remembered this morning as I was putting my glass box in my car.  The thing is... I only have 3 little leaves to show you.  I had also made another fused piece, but the lady at the studio accidentally slumped it!  I'm hoping to get it back, unslumped, tonight and I can show you that piece, the leaves and the stem which I finished last week and left to be fired.

Thinking about this rather large work-in-progress (my glass window... I'm not sure if that train of thought carried out of my brain onto the keyboard or if you'd all be sitting there wondering what I'm waffling about now) led me to think about all the other work in progresses hanging around.  I really need to get some of them done as they're stressing me out a bit.  I don't even know why.  Why should a half-finished doily bother me so much?

Anyway.  I decided to share.  I know you've all been going crazy wondering exactly what is on my WIP list and so I thought it was about time I put you out of your misery.  I know.  I'm good like that.

1. 5 more babygrows for Jacob out of my brother's t-shirts.  Not technically a WIP as I haven't started... but I said I'd do it and I have the pattern cut out.

My very talented graphic designer brother actually designed this one himself:

I'd better not much that one up!
2. The granny square bathroom curtain.  I'm going for 3 blocks of each of the 4 colours.  That makes 12.  I think I only need 9.  I have plans for the others if they're not needed.

3. These tea wallets have been languishing in my craft room, almost finished, since the day before Mother's Day.  They were to be Mother's Day presents, but I messed up the binding on one of them trying to sew it on by machine both front and back.  It has to come off and both bindings have to be hand sewn.  I knew I wouldn't get it done in time so it got shunted.

4. 5. 6. 7. Not technically WIPs again as I haven't started them, but they're at the top of my to-do list (meaning I'll get another 85 projects done before I get to these!).  The Joel Dewberry herringbone is for a pattern in the bottom book, dungarees for Jacob.  There's something I want to make from Pretty Little Projects, can't remember what it is right now.. a potholder?  Then there's a lunchbag tutorial I've printed out and I can see two marked projects in Sew and Stow.  Wonder what they are?!

8. My project for my Something Old, Something New competition.

9. I last mentioned my giant granny way back in September when I was on round 36.  I hadn't touched it since then until the weekend when I had it as my in-car project.  I've now completed round 45!  It's no where near finished though, it's too small!

10. Another crochet project I haven't mentioned in a while is my giant doily rug.  I got quite far, then put it aside to work on something else and when I came back to it I had no idea what I was doing!  The pattern I used was only for 10 rounds but I'd carried it on.  I intend to do the same things again.  Yes, I did have to rip it back to the very first round!

11. So far I've frogged and recrocheted every single round of this doily.  I'm not sure why it's still languishing as I love crocheting it.  When I look back on my evenings of the last month or so, I don't seem to have done much crafting at all.  I hate being too busy!

12. The one thing I have been working on is this cross stitch.  I showed you this a couple of weeks ago and asked if you could guess what it was.  You couldn't.  Or perhaps didn't want to.  That's fine!  I hope you can tell what it is now though?

It's a pattern I'm testing for Beverly who sells her amazing cross stitch patterns, though I can't find a link to her shop on her blog - Beverly!  I'm hoping to get it finished soon.  It's been worked on a lot as I've been getting home so late and I'm so tired that cross stitch is the only thing I can do.

12 WIPs isn't bad at all, is it?  Well, it wouldn't be but I actually have a lot more than that... they just managed to escape the camera this time!

I'm hoping to get back into regular crafting again very soon, and I've also got a selection of craft courses to look forward to.  I'll tell you all about them later this week.



Don't forget to enter my Something Old, Something New competition. The deadline is 31st July and there is a prize!