Barb Carroll Sometimes, the best way to learn what colors should go where is to survey a wide range of color combinations. Choosing colors for a rug is a personal choice. There is no right or wrong, and what appeals to one rug hooker may not even cross the mind of another. In this article, six artists show just how powerful color choices can be. Each artist completed her own version of my design, Santa Fe Crossing. All of the wools used are textures and each rug measures 50 x 77.

Santa Fe Crossing, designed by Barb Carroll (Ligonier, Pennsylvania) and hooked by Kathy Sparks, Unionville, Indiana.
Kathy used multiple wools to provide movement and interest to the center of the rug. The sky is light and playful, giving the trees a wonderful softness. The wool mixture in the ground picks up the hues of the sky. The inner border frames the horse and gives the larger outside border a place to begin.

Santa Fe Crossing, designed by Barb Carroll and hooked by Dea Olson, Topeka, Kansas.
Dea’s rug is very primitive and soft with a red horse that is full of spirit. She chose whimsical wools and the sparkled wool in the horse’s mane and tail accentuate the spirit of the horse. Each tree is a different plaid. The areas behind the trees are all different light wools too. The shadowing keeps the trees from becoming too small or incidental.
To read this complete article, please see the January/February 2010 issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.
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