It finally happened. After hooking for maybe 14 years, I finally got me a cutter! No more cutting wool by hand with the old scissors unless I wish to (for some dumb reason). Check him out; my husband named him Brad after the insurance commercial. You know, the one where the girl goes on about her long relationship with her car Brad. Until she totaled him. We will NOT be totaling Brad in this house!
He’s an old Harry M. Fraser 500-1 that had been donated to the guild. And he works much better than the old and very sad Bliss I’d tried. Brad was accompanied by a #4 cutter head. What am I going to do with a #4 cutter head – me who spends most of my time cutting up old sheets and t-shirts to hook with? That’s like hooking with crazy thin sock yarn or something. But, but…
Remember how the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) is doing our friendship rug project? Well, after finishing the Mystery Rug last week (currently at the framer’s), I could finally work on the friendship rug that’s been sitting in my house for over a month. Mary S drew a tessellation – very cool. Mary S, along with many of the gals in AWAG, often hooks with #4s. Laura does not. But, when all you pretty much have is a #4 cutter head… So, I threw on the big girl panties and cut #4 strips. And then, to the blue light of the television’s Olympic coverage – mostly figure skating, I hooked my part of Mary’s rug. On the linen it came on, not monks’ cloth. Okay, I used a little cream rug yarn for texture, but I THINK IT CAME OUT SO COOL! I am not so bad at this hooking thing after all.
So, now I’m hooking with the big girls – wispy, little strips of wool. Is this my new medium? Hell, no! Sure, I’ll definitely use the cutter. In fact, I ordered a #6 head because I’m in the midst of a rug that I started using Mary R’s Townsend cutter. Then I found a #8 that was with the junky Bliss cutter. So, I’ll have a nice little stable of three heads to use WHEN I’M NOT CUTTING BY HAND/HOOKING/UP-CYCLING T-SHIRTS, BEDSHEETS, AND OTHER UNLOVED TEXTILES. (The plastic bag mystery rug was a good experiment, but not one going into the permanent repertoire.) In fact, just last night I finished sewing the rug binding onto my new project. (Remember, I’m one of those who was taught to do that first, makes it easier to finish later, and NO WHIPPING!) It’s BIG, the biggest I’ve tackled thus far, but I can’t wait. It’ll be the “Big Boucherouite,” done up mainly in bedsheets because of how much I loved that in the “First Boucherouite.”
Nonetheless, like I said, I’ll definitely use the cutter. It’s kind of funny, though. Last week, there was a post on one of the hooking Facebook sites. Someone made mention of how disappointed she was in her old Fraser, that she could only cut two strips at a time. Very slow going, and what cutter did others use and recommend? Life’s relative, I guess. Here I was – same evening – pleased as punch that I was getting three (!) nice and even #4 strips cut at once. So much easier and quicker than using my scissors. But, like I said, it’s all relative. I’m sure that if I was hooking exclusively in wool, I’d be salivating over a Bolivar or the absurdly efficient Sizzix.
What about you? How do you cut your wool?
Congratulations on your cutter!
Getting a cutter changed my hooking world. Hope you enjoy your’s as much.
Thank you so much, Sharon. And thank you to my guild for offering it as such a good price. ๐
I bought a cutter when I was taking classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts in the 1980’s. It was the last one she had and the price was going up and it was $65! I had to talk to Peter about buying it. I have the same one you do and I have a lot of heads for it. I bought some big ones a few years ago but I should give them to you as I haven’t used them. I too got a donated cutter form my previous guild. I will sell it at some point. If you do fine hooking you really have to have a cutter….the tiny pieces like your 4 and lower are really only a few threads wide. Dorr used to sell cut wool; don’t know if they still do.
Anyway, your traditional hooking looks very nice! Can’t wait to see the new rug take shape. Since you blogged about that style, I have been seeing them everywhere! I have a really pretty one on a Pinterest page. Little hooking or quilting being done here – can’t wait for the Olympics to be over!!!
Ah, I’ve gotten a fair amount of hooking done during all the figure skating and such. Though, last night I took time out for the Property Brothers. ๐ And you know, I see those rugs everywhere now too especially in ads and magazines. Will have to see if I’m already following you on Pinterest.
Maybe I didn’t pin it…I can’t find it on my boards. Maybe it’s still on my desktop…
Here’s one page:
https://www.pinterest.com/twistedstars/wonderful-hooking/
And another:
https://www.pinterest.com/twistedstars/rug-hooking-design-inspiration/
Not sure why I have them separated!
I’ll check you out too…
Thank you, Deb!!!
Ha! I’m already following you! Both boards. ๐