A few days ago I began a tutorial on hooking a hit or miss chair pad. Thank you for your positive comments and response to the project. The fun part of it is that there are no time constraints so you can go at your own pace. This tutorial is here for you to pick up at any time.
In my rug hooking I love to work with dusty vintage colors, and so my collection of wool reflects my sensibility. If you are used to working in brighter colors, your palette will be a higher key than mine with a clearer, bolder look.
Regardless of your palette, remember to use a generous sampling of neutral colors. Browns, greys, blacks, tan, beige, ochre, etc. Using them will add sophistication to your color scheme.
Since this hooked piece is simple in composition and design, let it be a color study, an experiment in color. Be daring!
Until Friday and our next tutorial ~ Karen
primitivespirit 
You are right Karen about the colours that we tend to hook with. My piece also is a “collection of colours that reflect my sensibilty”. I am almost finsihed – it really is hard to put down.
One observation so far is that my “swirl” row of hooking is not as dark as yours – it appears to be more subtle. I think I will leave it until all of the hooking is done – then decide if it requires an even darker line. Still – I am pleased with the overall look of it.
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and the possibilities are endless with color choices for hit or miss. you can be subtle or bold. you can use lighter colors for you hit or miss. say lights to light-medium values. each and every choice makes an impact on the finished look.
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It came out beautiful! I am going to make something like that! Thank you!
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thanks for your kindly input!
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Your tutorial on this spiral hit or miss is such a delight and a wonderful tool for learning more about color! Just a slight change in the colors I’m using makes a major difference in the appearance. Initially I was hesitant in selecting my wool, now I can see that there are sooooo many ways I can spin the colors on this wheel! Thanks for your generous gift to us!
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and thank you for taking the time to make this comment.
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Karen,
Thank-you for doing this tutorial and lending more insight on how to achieve such wonderful results by paying more attention to color value! I want to make one of these and hope to when time permits! It is so nice to be able to have the instructions available to come to any time!
I was steaming a small piece I finished yesterday and was thinking about you using two irons at the same time and marveling at how it worked so well for you!! Thanks so much for sharing and helping those of us who are out here with no one very close to call on for help!!!!
Cathy G
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thank you cathy, so glad you feel at home here.
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Karen~ I am working on mine too and having a great time. I am only done with day two (work gets in the way) and starting to hook the rest of the inner light lines & finishing my spiral. I discovered in the process that my wool stash is largely medium dark & dark. I have also tried to hook without cutting any new strips, gosh knows I have lots already cut. 🙂 Sometimes I am not sure whether a strip is a neutral or a color (for the 10%). I took a photo of my progress and see from a distance that I need to make a few changes. But I am really enjoying this. Thank you so much. ~ Joy
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it is great if you can get away with using your leftovers as it is a good limitation. yes, neutrals are colors but are more neutralized than the truer colors that are in you palette. so if you already work with very muted colors, your neutrals will have to be even more muted and neutralized than that.
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Started mine last night. The sitting room looks like a bomb went off with bags of worms everywhere but hooking that spiral was very soothing. It reminds me of a labirynth(sp?) I’ve decided not to rush it; just let progression happen as it will, while chanting, “I will not cut any new strips, I will not cut any new strips…” 🙂
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you are so funny my dear! amidst it all, i am happy to hear that you are having a soothing time. just wonderful, i love that!
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Hi Karen,
I am halfway through my spiral and was wondering about your spiral line. You said you were going to hook it in a lighter dark, so does that mean you didn’t use any light darks in the curved lines near the outer edges of the spiral? What I’m trying to say is…does your spiral get progressively lighter as the spiral gets larger?
This has been fun and I hope you do something like this again. Thanks.
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i am hooking the outer borderline in a shade lighter than the spiral line which is very dark. when i did this i noticed that where my spiral line ended was making a very skinny little space for my hit or miss strips. so my curved rows of hooking would have to be 1″ or shorter. plus the spiral line was starting to run parallel to my borderline. so i shortened my spiral line, ending it a bit sooner, curving it out more so it butts into my borderline. and i did not change my colors and values for the outer spiral. since the hit or miss rows of hooking don’t run parallel to the outer border, all the values show up. more photos will be coming this weekend.
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I’m working away on mine at night when I’m done with the work day. I’ve got a good start and have enjoyed selecting the strips, paying attention to where I place them. Sometimes what I think has contrast starts blending in with the color next to it when hooked. I’ve found that for me, when working under an Ott light, colors appear to have more contrast than they actually do in natural light. So, I’m using a regular floor lamp and have an easier time getting that contrast. Color is an amazing thing and I love experimenting with it!
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thanks for your comment. good point about the ott light. i found that it altered my colors in a way that i did not like. i use halogen now.
also, step back from your work often to see the contrasts better. you can also try use a reducing glass to make things look distant.
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Has anyone else had problem with changing their icon?
I spent most of a day last weekend sorting my wool and then finding that I needed to re-sort it. I think I have pulled the colors together and now I am working on getting the strips a good length and curve. This project is more complex than it seemed but I am enjoying it when I in the groove. Another tutorial!
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Yea! I was able to change my icon.
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you are so cute now!
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Thanks for the invite! I can’t begin to imagine the time and love that goes into your art. KUDOS! Very inspiring.
Sandy
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thank you for checking out my blog!
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I’m looking at the last blog dates and see 2012 as the most recent. I don’t know if anyone is still out there, or I’m just in the wrong place! I came here via a Pinterest link regarding the spiral hit or miss chair pad. Silly me, I thought it was an actual rug. I don’t need any chair pads, but love the pattern, and wonder if it’s available in a larger size. A size that you could actually put on the floor. I probably should be able to make a pattern myself, but haven’t the confidence to do that. I’m just getting back to rug hooking after many years, and even then was a novice. Could you please let me know if you sell patterns for a larger hit or miss spiral rug? I’d appreciate it. Thanks, Julie
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sorry to take so long to comment! spiral mat is a free pattern that i give you permission to alter as you see fit. my pattern can spiral out as large as you care to make it. start on paper with pencil until you get it the way you like, and then transfer it to linen. you can actually make it rectangular or square — to crop it, just cut it off to size, centering the spiral in the middle. it would make a nice floor rug.
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