Give a GiftI’d been mulling over hooking this scene since I took the photo at a lake escape during Covid. It dawned on me that parts of it would probably be executed best with yarn, something I’d never used for hooking. The timing was perfect. I got to hunt for beautiful skeins of yarn for this piece during our girlfriends’ Nova Scotia hooking pilgrimage in May. I found a wide range of weights, colors, and textures. I used plenty of wool strips as well and love the variety in textures when using both.
I’ve found that many ideas don’t surface until a project is well underway. Creative what-ifs pop up when I am in the hooking zone. For instance, the felted stone path. I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if the stones were dimensional? Why not felt them? I pulled each segment of an earthy, thick-thin skein of greens, grays, and browns apart and mixed the different colors to create a more realistic, stonelike blend for felting. I had no idea if this would work, but it did. I even went so far as to add moss on the north edges and dark shading at the bottoms of the stones. The stone path protrudes one inch beyond the frame, visually inviting one to walk down to the dock to soak in the golden-hour glory.
The other two other felted elements add a lot as well. The tiny, “blurry” two-story house across the lake helps define the lake’s expanse and adds more depth and perspective. Additionally, the scene is completed by a single felted loon, evoking the quintessential loon song that accompanies time spent on the shores of New England lakes.
The dilapidated two-level dock was weathered, old, and uneven and it sat at an incredibly difficult angle to hook. It would’ve been smart to simplify it, but instead, I hooked and pulled it out three times. The fourth time, I wasn’t completely satisfied, but I just had to leave it. The same thing happened with the boat; I hooked and pulled it out twice and then decided to try something new. I drew it and added tiny holes so I could sew it to the linen. I cut it out of 1/16″ wood with my laser. After painting it, I used a satin topcoat to mimic the actual aluminum boat’s sheen.
I tried something new in finishing the rug too. I planned to staple the piece on stretcher bars and then attach it within a simple floating frame my husband and I designed together. However, to add dimension to the foreground, I first had to stretch and staple a base layer of twill to the bars. Using that base, I could insert batting between the layers to create the hills, etc. To define the low areas, I used a long needle with yarn and tacked segments down with single tufting stitches, each individually knotted under the base layer. We stapled the top half to the bars, and then I worked my way down, filling, tacking down, and then stapling sides a little at a time as I progressed, finishing at the bottom edge.
From the Judges:
This saturated palette captures the radiant sunset and transitions to the cooler colors on the water beautifully. The balance between detail and abstraction in the background and foreground is well done. An inviting perspective.
Loon Song at Sunset, 16 ½” x 21 ½”, #3- to 8-cut recycled and hand-dyed wool; wool and specialty yarns; handmade and painted wood boat; and hand-felted loon, house, and stone path on linen. Designed and hooked by Nancy Qualls, Hooksett, New Hampshire, 2024.
HOOKSETT, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nancy began hooking in 2006 and is largely self-taught. She relocated from Florida to New Hampshire in 2016 and is a member of White Mountain Woolen Magic and juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen. This is her sixth piece and fifth finalist to appear in Celebration.