Kashi

I typically use low-saturation hues in my rugs. This time, I challenged myself by using much brighter and lighter colors than usual. In the end, I was most pleased with the color plan of this piece.

I chose to use hand-dyed wool, which I like best, for this rug. As I had used many hues for the motifs, it was difficult to color plan for the background. I decided to use spot-dyed wool in the lighter values of each motif color. Since I wanted to create a soft atmosphere, I dyed the fabric as light as possible with very much care. However, the interiors of some of the scrolls had been hooked with a light color, and those motifs did not stand out when I hooked around them with the same-value spot-dyed wool. So, for the background near the scrolls, I avoided using the light parts of the spot-dyed wool and used only the dark parts to make them stand out.

Usually, I whip with yarn to finish my rugs, but this time, I did it with the #8-cut wool dyed for the outline of the motifs. I enjoyed finishing this piece with different touch.

Kashi, 22″ x 22 ¾”, #3-cut hand-dyed wool on rug warp.
Designed by Pearl K. McGown and Jane McGown Flynn and hooked by Kyoko Okamura, Tokyo, Japan, 2023.

Kyoko Okamura
TOKYO, JAPAN

Kyoko has enjoyed rug hooking since 2001. She is one of the teachers of Chizuko Rug Hooking Studio and is a certified teacher of the Pearl K. McGown Guild. her rugs have been featured in Celebration six times.