The negligent hooker

Last summer, when I first became intoxicated with rug hooking, I had a feeling this could be a serious habit if I had the time to indulge myself.  Then the last months of the yarn shop being open and personal things got in the way until the last couple of months. 

Now I'm hooking, happily, almost every day.  I've finished the three dragonflies on the Deanne Fitzpatrick design I had started last summer, and am now struggling with how to best do the background.  I have a basket of new hand dyed wool I bought from Deanne sitting like a bouquet of flowers for my continued inspiration.  However, I have been humbled to learn that my tapestry training bears little resemblance to rug hooking techniques, so I've started and yanked out at least three different background starts just in the last week.  I am studying fervently at night, pouring through Deanne's books and others, hoping that the next day my hands will suddenly just know what to do and I can carry on.  One great thing about hooking vs. tapestry is how forgiving it is...I love the ability to go back and rip out a color and replace it if I change my mind.  Not so on the loom.

Where is this headed?  I don't know.  What I do know is that the time I'm spending hooking is at the expense of my little fiber business.  I need to find balance soon...or set a schedule and try hard to stick to it (not my forte).  For now, I'm just enjoying this new love affair and hope my fiber friends will be a little bit patient with me...after all, there's no love like new love, is there?