My mum purchased this pattern (designed by George Kahnle) for me the first year I went to Shelburne -- AJ, my mum, my cousin Shellie and I piled into my Bosses' Buick Regal (my van was waaaaaay over it's kilometres) and headed on a road trip. We visited Dorr, the Dog Team Tavern and the show at the round barn. I remember looking back and seeing a pile of bolts stacked between the 2 passengers in the back seat -- and AJ winding down her window in the back seat to talk to the customs officer (even though she'd been given instructions to sit silently).
This moose rug was a real departure for me. It was the first time I started mixing together lots of different wools together in the same motif...and I still love it today. My favourite parts are still the eye (it looks like an olive to me, and I love the directional hooking around it), and the trees (even though they took forever to hook, and caused a delay in my progress as I avoided the last few....). It was hooked between August 2001 and April 2002 (I think I pulled it out to finish the last few trees in time to take with me the next year to share).
As much as I love it still, it also serves as a reminder to me that my hooking style is not compatible with Monk's Cloth. It's my first and (hopefully) my last project hooked on this foundation. Monk's cloth is just too stretchy - and distorts far too easily - for my liking. And, there's other backing's that work better for me, so there's really no need to compromise. I think it's important to figure out what works for you....and keep searching until you can find the tools you love. There's something for everyone.
