BLOG CHALLENGE # 4 ~ ~ ~

 Well, dear readers ~ this is it ~ my efforts at the fourth blog challenge!!  For those like my dear husband who couldn't really see anything, I will tell you that it is a sea-and-skyscape!  I so admire Deanne Fitzpatrick's work and this is my effort to take pieces of various fibers and try my hand at that style of hooking!  I have my own thoughts on it ~ believe me, I challenged myself as well as my fellow blog pals!

This is a quick pic of the back ~ I bound it with wool ~ you can get an idea from the back of it where I was going.  Often times, that is a good way to look at your work.

Darling Sonny did say that he sees a face in the sky and the seagull-type bird I put in there (at his suggestion) looks like a nose!!!!!!!!!! I have to say of the challenge pieces I've done, this creation is my least favorite ~ and that is using my own supplies!  But ~ I learned some things ~ one being, that, even though I used an 8 cut on this (smaller than my 9 & 9.5's that I love), to do a landscape, it really needs to be even smaller to  allow it to blend and flow better, especially on such a small piece (15 1/2 x 6 1/2).  And possibly the color choices could have been closer in value.  One thing I did to distinguish the water from the skyline is to hook in a very thin  piece of dark wool ~ it helped define things a bit. I am a great one to over-critique my work.  I do like the irregular top edge ~ I never tried that before and binding it with wool made it very easy to follow the contours without a puckery, wrinkly binding to deal with.  It's been a journey ~ albeit a short one ~ I started it yesterday afternoon and finished this afternoon about 5.  This is what I had in my mind to hook ~ I love hooking with alternatives to wool ~ and this, my friends, has been a Challenge!

This is a reminder of all the fibers sent out by me ~ a real eclectic gathering of things!  I have to say after seeing Kris's, Ali's, and Maria's blogs, they did a FABULOUS job of interpreting the use of them.  I'm very impressed with all of them.

Just giving you a peak at my fiber cupboards. Lots of things I've gathered thru the years from fiber shows and yarn shops.

This is where I started when gathering things for the

challenge and in a felted sweater cabinet below these.  I see a cute pin cushion from Lanna Omler that I had to hide from the terror on 4 legs, Mr. Kitty.  He loves every neat woolen thing I own!

Thanks for following us on our Blog Challenge ~ I think from what I hear there will be another.  I hope it has inspired all of you who hook, to step outside the box and try new things.  I think each of us has done just that and it's been an enlightening experience, at least for me!!

Have a good week ~ Ohio has a little more snow coming ~ amazing, isn't it!!

Happy Hooking ~ Alice