Blackbird

Dimensions: 24 1/2" x 44 1/2"
Materials: #8-cut woven wool strips, antique paisley, and beads on linen
Pattern by Kate Porter/Loop de Loo Designs and hooked by Fritz Mitnick, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2012. Photo by Alan J. King.
Featured in: Celebration XXIII

"I knew I wanted to use a paisley shawl I had purchased, but I thought cutting it in strips would diminish the lovely pattern of the shawl. I made little pillows of paisley and stitched them to the backing before hooking around them. They are further anchored by old amber beads. I probably spent a year throwing wools in a pile for this piece, and the week before I took it to a retreat, I narrowed down my selections. That was easy but deciding on the triangular border colors was tough. I did test sections and showed the piece to my teaching partner, Susanne McNally. She gave me permission to use all the wools in the border. A perfect solution as I had already hooked half of the border triangles!"
- Fritz Mitnick, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018