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Spring Sheep, 36” x 24”, #3- to 5-cut textured, as is, and spot-dyed wool on linen.
Designed by The Lady and hooked by Kathy Fulkerson, South Lyon, Michigan, 2024.
Creating Spring Sheep was a journey. I bought the pattern at a hook-in in Michigan many years ago but second-guessed my skill level and sold it to a hooker in New Hampshire. When she decided not to hook it, she resold it back to me. I gained confidence and experience through all the challenges I faced in hooking this rug.
I chose the colors with the assistance of my teacher, Dianne Klamik. I hooked the pattern in #3 to 5 cuts using textured, as-is, and spot-dyed wools. I wanted to stay as close to a natural representation as I could.
There were two very challenging sections. The first was the daffodils. It took me a while to figure out how to hook the shape. The second was the face. I had to sit with it for a while to figure out how I wanted to hook it. Dianne encouraged me to look at visual aids. I had to redraw the shape of the head, and I relied on Dianne’s expertise for the eyes. She also offered valuable feedback on my progress in adding texture to the rug. Now that this piece is finished, the face of the sheep is my favorite part, because I feel it is the heart of the rug.
To finish the rug, I covered cording with my background wool and proceeded to sew it very snugly to the edge of the rug. This caused the edge to be wavy and not lay flat. I had to remove the binding and reapply it with a looser running stitch, especially around the arc of the rug.
My advice to other rug hookers is, “Don’t give up.” Don’t be afraid to redraw or “reverse hook” any colors or shapes that are not working.
I want to thank my brother Don for organizing my pictures onto a thumb drive in the appropriate format. He was just as invested in my submission as I was, and I greatly appreciate his help!
From the Judges:
The warm yellows, pinks, and blues in the floral arrangement frame the white lamb perfectly. The shading and highlights on the lamb’s face are realistic, and the blooms, ribbon, and bird are all meticulously hooked. A fine decorative piece—well done!
Kathy Fulkerson
SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN
Kathy is a retired registered nurse of 40 years. She lives with her older rescue dog, Abby, who tends to adopt her projects as personal security blankets (thus all the dog hair). She loves to bake and share her recipes. She gardens and cans her veggies. She has been interested in many crafts, including embroidery/cross stitch, quilting, weaving, photography, and (briefly) completing antique repro duction dolls. She has been hooking rugs since 2003 and has finally found her forever art form. Her teacher has been Dianne Klamik from the very beginning, but she has taken a few other classes to explore new hooking techniques. Her favorite, though, is fine hooking, usually in a #3 cut. She has found the support, friendship, and company of her fellow hookers to be the best.