Adventures in Stripping (among other things)!

I've heard it said that before you can become a good hooker, you need to be a good stripper!

 Truth be told, I didn't realize how tedious it would be to cut all the wool strips by hand... and how much LINT was involved (thank goodness for my Enjo dust glove)! I also discovered that although I had *thought* the wools had fulled/felted sufficiently, after cutting the strips found this not to be the case. I've spent several hours 'defraying' the strips (creating even more dust than cutting, to be sure). I'm pretty sure it's due to the fact that most of my secondhand wool finds, although labeled '100% virgin wool', would be gabardines and/or made with worsted wool... which I have since discovered are not ideal for hooking. Learning curve! Slowly but surely, however, I'm ready to start hooking. The stash also grows after adding more neutrals, houndstooth and grays. And today I received my new hook in the mail!! Sweet!!

Also, I've finally settled on a pattern... my first couple of ideas were a little over-the-top for a first project. I'm hoping that won't be the case with this guy – someone whoooooo should really start drinking decaf. He's about 16" square.

The concentric circles are intended for loop direction (more so than for colour)... the night sky will be variegated with different dark shades. Also I haven't stretched the burlap yet. Once that's done I'll be ready to begin hooking this hooter.

Catch ya on the flip side!