KK Camp

Wow, soo much going on right now, lots to share!! It seems I have to pick and choose what to share and what not to! Calli's party is tomorrow... Karen Kahle camp was the beginning of this week, and this awesome special rug, and what feels like ten bazillion other things! LOL So... trying to keep it limited :)

But I did promise you pictures of the rug I started at camp. I havent had a chance to hook since leaving camp... but i am really excited about hooking on this and getting it done!

OK.. first things first.... this was my first attempt .... i wanted to use chocolate browns for the background, and pinks, with hints of golds and soft greens. LOL Small little problem... did bring mostly all medium values... BUT the wrong intensities of each color! She said this is fine... pointed some out and said go to it. GULP.

I KNEW when i was hooking this wasnt going to look good!!! LOL!! But i kept going. Thinking STRETCH BRENIS!!!!! And the further I got, the more i KNEW this wasnt working for me!! It was soooooo NOT ME !!! Finished the leaf and thought, oh dear... it looked like Joseph's Coat!! A veritable rainbow... the Rainbow Connection... could hear Kermit singing in the back of my head!! LOL And then COULDN'T shake him out after that point!!

Donchya just hate it when that happens?!?!?!?

Oh yah... i was ready to start rippin!! LOLOL

Karen said "nooooo i really like this first leaf! Dont take it out! Do another! But use more purple!"

I gotta admit, i thought she was nuts at that point! But thought... ok... i'll put in some background and try ONE more. That's why i'm here.... right?

Welllllll that second one sucked worse than the first one!! ROFL!!! At which point i was looking soulfully at my drab ole' tans and golds, thinking "now if i could do them in THOSE ... I could rock this thing!!" hahaha... but my hooking buddy next to me wasn't about to enable me and let me jump back into my comfort zone! No. course not. LOL She was having way too much fun watching me struggle in the rainbow connection!! :D

Soo... on the way home that night i'm turning it over and inside out in my mind. If only... tans.. drabs... golds... maybe soft soft hints or suggestions of pink... but not TRUE pink... ohhhhh heart be still!! By the time I made it home, I knew I HAD to give that a go! It had such great potential!! Where asTHIS did not!

So, after woofin down some dinner, I put a couple dye pots on the stove and pulled out the rug and started cutting some neutrals. I hooked up one leaf on the other end of the pattern .... and did a big WHOOP!!! Now THAT'S what i wanted!!! Started on another leaf and then some background.... yeee hawww!!! Now we're rollin in the right direction!!

I would have stayed up all night hooking had I not been so exhausted already! LOL

Took it with me the next day, and Karen asked me if i had hooked that night... i said.. yesss.... but.... tried something else instead.... that other just made my heart cry!! and this... this makes my heart SING!! (thinking oh no... hope shes not offended!!) she sucked in her breath when she saw it, and said ooooohhhh! Then asked me if I liked it? hahaha.... i told her i liked it a heck of a lot more than that other one! Then she said she did too! LOL But still wanted me to leave in that first rainbow connection leaf! Leave it till last... let it be the odd man out, a little unexpected surprise she said. OK!! I can do that! But if it looks horrible in the end, it's joining it's brothers and sisters!! LOL :D

We worked on the hit or miss the rest of the day, and another leaf. Pulling the purple and pink undertoned wools into the hit or miss... to give the whole rug a more "rosey" feel. Really neat how it did just that! And I'm REALLYYY liking it now! I think it will have a wonderful high contrast, and will be stunning - and yet soft and older looking! Just what I had hoped to acheive! So YAY!!!!

I really liked Karen. You can tell she loves to teach, and focuses on that much more than just telling students where to put certain colors. But tried to help her students understand WHY something works or doesn't work - something that in my opinion is VERY important!! If you don't learn WHY it works, how can you make it work again?? Gut is great... it really does lead you!! But, when your gut fails, and you don't know why you dont like something.... how will you know how to fix it, if you don't understand how color and value play together??

All in all it was a GOOD camp! It's always sooo much fun to see your friends, and all be gathered around, creating our own little masterpieces, laughing till your sides hurt and just being together! I learned several things, and a couple really neat tricks - my only complaint is that is was TOO SHORT!! 2 days is never enough for a rug camp!! :D

Ok, i have rambled long enough for today! Giveaways coming very very soooonnn!!!! :D

Bright blessings,

Bren :)