I Was Wrong

I didn’t need that last ball of yarn for T-Man’s socks! Duh. I was so proud of myself getting the same colour in the dyepot. I should have waited to dye it until I had run out of the original yarn. I had a whole 8 yards left! (Not much, but some.) Now I have an extra ball of this yarn that I don’t need. Oh well. I see “Monster Socks” in my future. These are made from whatever leftover sock yarns are kicking around. Gotta use up all those extra bits sometime. Pictures and stats for this current pair tomorrow after I graft the toes. I must be fresh for that operation!

I finished the hooking on my Dreams rug and am now in the throes of stitching the binding. This is actually a complex and time-consuming process but it really makes a difference in how professional the rug looks and I’m sure it contributes to its longevity. First I machine-stitched 2 rows of straight stitching around the edges, with the first row 1/4” from the last row of hooking and the second row 1/4” from the first. Then I went over those 2 rows again with wide zigzags. This stitching stabilizes the edge. Next I folded the linen fabric toward the back of the rug over a cord and basted it all in place. The corners are neatly mitered. The next step — which is the one I’m currently working on — is to use a doubled length of wool yarn to whip over the cording through the backing to cover up the linen completely. I used one strand of black and one of navy blue together to mimic the night sky background in the rug. The wool yarn I’m using is Quebécoise, a Canadian-made 2 ply 100% wool. It takes a lot of stitching to go around the rug. About 1 foot of doubled yarn only goes about 1” along the edge! Obviously, when you’re done hooking, you’re not done the rug yet.



Next I will need to stitch the wide cotton binding strip on over the remaining linen backing. This finishes off the back really nicely. Lastly, I need to put a label on. I didn’t do that on my first rug, Leaves, that I did four years ago. Maybe I’ll make 2 labels when I do this one. Back to stitching.

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who don’t think this is a holiday that's just a huge Hallmark grab at your pocketbook and calculated to make singles feel bad about themselves. We don't go over the top with this Valentine thing, but since I’ve had the same sweetheart since I was 17, I make sure to tell him how much I love and appreciate him as often as possible. [Cue the cupids and the violins.] But I believe that Valentine’s Day isn’t just for sweethearts but truly for anybody you care about. [Cue the floaty hearts and the sparkles.] However, I’m hoping for Purdy’s Dark Chocolate Hedgehogs. He’s not home yet so there’s still a chance.