Making a Plan

As Thea and I are trying to figure out what we might need all week at our "apartment" at Loyalist, she is of the the TAKE EVERYTHING mentality, and we try to find a route that will largely avoid MetorontoIis I realized we hardly do anything without some sort of plan.

Well, everything but rug hook.
I know it sounds ridiculous but we are so eager to get our hands on a hook and pulling up loops, we sometimes pass go, don't collect $200 and of course we end up in jail !

Rug hooking is the only craft I've done to date that doesn't involve some preliminary work.
When I wove I made a sample, when I knit I made a gauge sample. Come to think of it I've had to make more plans about a making a meal than a hooking project.
When I started hooking I was a bit shocked.

No sampling !
Nor colouring out a sketch, just pick some colours and with a nod from someone else get cutting and pulling loops.
I wish we would just do a tiny bit of prep work.

When we are picking our colours do they really work for what we want to achieve ?
What will be the focus ?
Pick out the actual colours that will cover the largest areas first, then lay down what you want to use on top of it, does it work?
This step alone will save you hours of irritation and money later in the project.
Does everything you need to include show up and be counted the way you want it to ?
Take a photo of it to get a more abstract view of it.
Got a new plaid or texture ?
Try sampling it to see what it looks like hooked up in your cut of choice. Will the work the way you want it to ?
Reference the actual subject, don't draw inspiration from how other people hooked it, look at how other artists handled it.
Take a wide view.
Remember, the colours you dislike will enhance the colours you love !

There is a light up there ahead on the road, get yourself ready and head towards it!