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Sunflowers – hopefully they’re a neutral subject

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SUNFLOWERS

Hooked Sunflower Rug used as a bench cover
“Melinda’s Rug” shown as a bench cover. It was hooked using recycled t-shirts.

I decided to talk sunflowers , mostly because I’m pretty sick of all the negativity surrounding us today. And yet…I bet there are folks out there that can find something disapproving about one of my favorite flowers. Too bad! Because, as I will remind you all, I AM THE BOSS OF MY RUGS. AND MY BLOG.

Now that that’s off my chest, I can go on. Sunflowers are starting to bloom here in New Mexico. The garden varieties and the ones that I find on my walks in the Bosque, the woods running along the currently almost non-existent Rio Grande River here in Albuquerque. Sorry! I’ll try to get back to being positive.

New Mexican Sunflower
This is the first sunflower that greeted the kid and me as we crossed over the Texas border into New Mexico five years ago last week.

I recently finished “Melinda’s Rug,” and many of you have seen it on my social media accounts. It’s pretty in pastels. Just the colors that Melinda loves, particularly the turquoises. (An aside: It’s a housewarming present for the house she and Gary build over two years ago. I’m a tad tardy.)

But it’s not the first “sunflower” rug that I’ve hooked. In fact, I like to make at least one per year. And I always do one, a mug rug, for the silent auction at Mountainair’s Sunflowers Festival. Which will not be taking place this August. Thank you, Coronacootie. 🙁

I decided to take a look back and see the progression of this series of mine.

BTW: I’m not a botanist. So don’t hold me to a strict definition of sunflowers.

Round sunflower hooked rug
I’m pretty sure this is the first sunflower rug I hooked. It says 2013, but I think it’s older, that that’s when I took a photo to get ready to sell it. Some lady told me that I should’ve put elastic around the edge so it could be used as a toilet top cover. That was after she told me how she used to hook. In the 70s. I really wanted to tell her a few things…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunflower hooked rug
After blue I decided to try red for a background. Sure, they were simplistic. but they sold! Again, recycled t-shirts.
Sunflower hooked rug
Okay, this one looks more like the sun itself. But experimentation is good. Especially in a little 6×6 mat. Also t-shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunflower hooked rug
Mug rugs make for excellent palates to explore different colors and textures! This one is one of my favorites. I like the fall colors. It includes wool strips, silk sari yarn, and wool yarn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunflower hooked ruggggg
It’s another mostly wool sunflower rug. With a little silk sari yarn hooked in too. Silk sari yarn is perhaps my most favorite thing to hook. I seem to recall that there was a little velvet involved in this one too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dog on sunflower hooked rug
I went back to recycled t-shirts for this table runner/bench cover. Tynan liked it. I really loved the green background! So did customers. 🙂

 

 

Sunflower hooked rugs
I liked the green t-shirts so much that I went for it again the next year.

 

 

 

 

Sunflower hooked rug
Last fall, inspired by a t-shirt of mine that I’d been hoarding for years, I hooked another mug rug experiment. Loved it so much, after one other little guy with similar colors, I hooked “Melinda’s Rug.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I hoped you enjoyed the “Sunflower Tour” as much as me. But maybe you’re a tulip person. Or you prefer zinnias. I’ve done those flowers too, but not like the sunflowers. They’re special. To me, at least. But if you’ve got examples of other flowers, please share them on our Facebook page. We love seeing beautiful things, no matter what they may be.

Till next week, please stay healthy. And positive. I know it’s hard these days. It can be depressing. But the country and world have gone through worse. Most of all, remember to be kind to the other folks out there. We’re all in it together.

 

 

BTW: If you have any interest in High on Hooking’s inaugural Zoom workshop Hooking With and beyond the Wool on August 19, it’s almost full. See details here.

 

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2 comments

    • LauraS says:

      Thank you! I just got a new one for my yard at the farmers’ market. I’ll have to show it to everyone next week when we can set it up.

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