Three Day Weekend Rug

I have a studio full of stuff I've made, but around my house I don't have that much on display.  Just a few things.  I love folk art and art in general, so my decorating involves an eclectic blend of pieces from all over the world.  I enjoy this mix and I like the idea of supporting individuals over big companies.  The one down side to this is the question, "Oh, did you made that?"  I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  When people know you to be creative, they seem to think that you must create most of your surroundings.  It's a compliment really, but I start to feel bad when I have to keep saying "no".  I feel like I'm letting them down or something.

Lately, I've decided that I want to rectify this situation.  I've been feeling inspired, especially after my latest trip back home where I spent time exploring the handmade pieces that my family and friends proudly display.  I want to start making more things for my house.  I want to start answering that question with "yes"!   

This leads me to my new bathroom rug.  I have a pretty big bathroom floor space on which I had a chenille throw.  The chenille rug served its purpose, but it lacked any sort of personality.  What you can't see is that I have these really cool sari silk curtains hanging over the bath.   I wanted something that would play to that style.  I chose a dark eggplant yarn because this color is in the curtains and would get along well with the color of my tile.  I used 26 skeins of bulky weight yarn.  That's roughly 2,700 yards to create this 5 by 7 foot area rug.  I love how swirly it looks from a distance.  

It began with 10 hexagons each measuring 20 inches in diameter.  I called this post Three Day Weekend Rug, but I did make a couple of these hexagons before this weekend.  I think I had four of them made, but the rest of the rug came together over three days.  It's been a long time since I've made anything this big.  The finishing touch was three rows worked around the edge.  I sat in a recliner half covered by this heavy rug.  It was comical to feel so pinned down and every time I needed to shift the piece, it was a major undertaking.

Finally, my rug was finished and I laid it out on the floor.  I had to fight the urge to walk around it.  It felt wrong at first to step on this thing in which I had just invested so much time.  My son had no trouble walking on it.  In fact, he thinks it looks a bit like a hopscotch board and so he's been hopping across it and encouraging me to do the same.