Lotus mat

I finished it yesterday. Well, that is, except for finishing the edges, which may or may not get done anytime soon (it may join a couple of others that need to be done and commiserate with them, first). In the end, I really like it. The colors don't seem as washed out, thanks to your support for me outlining in teal. I had fun doing the background, using up oddments of colors. I am content to add it to my short list of mats I've hooked as part of my beginner hooking process. Today or tomorrow, I'll be happily exploring what I'll hook next. That's as much fun as finishing something.

One of the fun things that happened to me when I wrote all of you for advice on the outlining was a comment from Shawn at Island Sweet in Newfoundland. She recently took a great trip to San Francisco, and commented that my colors were "San Francisco colors", based on all the beautiful, old, painted Victorian homes she saw there. Then, while hooking, I realized that the border design on my mat looked like little houses...and that the lotus in the center, a symbol of survival and renewal, could represent San Francisco's amazing history since the great earthquake of 1906. Thanks, Shawn. You helped give my mat new life!