It's a Start!

I'm happy to share with you the labors of my first two hours of rug hooking class.

Impressive, isn't it? I didn't think so either! At this point, I'm not so sure about the "happy hooking" part. Instead, I spent two hours with my shoulders up to my ears and my toes curled tight. Yes, I was tense. Just a wee bit tense. While learning how to hold the hook, pull the wool to the top , and set the loop, my strips of wool began disintegrating before my very eyes. Time after time I was left with single strands of fiber. Floss! Now there's something I could relate to!! I have to admit that about that time I began counting all the advantages of cross stitch: the single strands of fiber, the pattern, the evenweave, the clearly identifiable places to start and stop my stitch, the precision. Yes. That was it. The precision!

So far, there has been no precision in my rug hooking. I like precision. I like the exactness of cross stitch.

My homework assignment was to complete one of the blocks before my next class. I looked at my instructor with alarm. "But the symmetry! What about the symmetry??? How can I complete one block at a time and keep my colors and work symmetrical?"

Fortunately, I now have an alternate and additional assignment: a glass of wine before the next class. Here's to more relaxed hooking!