Have you been studying your photos? Have you picked out colors you would like to work with? HAVE NO FEAR! We're only going to make a small rug. Very small. No matter what colors you want to play with, you will not be penalized if no one else likes them. You will learn lots about what pleases YOU. Take the leap and go with your gut. Now that you have colors in mind, you need to assemble your materials. Don't worry about everything "going together." The whole point is to be surprised with what can work when you think it may not. I am going to hook a small piece, so I've drawn, with a fine point marker, a simple pattern on a piece of linen. Actually, it's the backside of a pattern I didn't print on the straight. (We never sell such sins!) You'll notice that I have hooked a bit and pulled it out (the noticeable holes in the backing). Yes, you can "reverse hook" this way with no detriment to the backing. My pattern is about 9 1/2" x 17". You can make yours any size you like. Maybe you want to dip your toe into the waters with a smaller piece. I think about 8" square is the smallest you should go if you are planning on hooking with #8 (1/4") strips of wool. That way, you can fit in enough detail to make the experiment satisfactory. Here is the homely start of my little rug.
