Too Close to Call

Dimensions: 48" x 30"
Materials: #7-cut wool and yarn on linen
Designed and hooked by Abby Vakay, Alexandria, Virginia, 2000.
Featured in: Celebration XI

Abby Vakay is a lifelong horsewoman, so it's not unusual that equines are among her favorite subjects for hooked rugs. All the excitement of a Thoroughbred race leaps vividly to life in her latest creation, Too Close to Call.

She deliberately set tasks for herself; the first was to use similar values of different hues to create the images. Rather than hooking a gray horse and shadows, for instance, she used values of purple and blue. Each strip she hooked was a different color than the one before. She credits friend and mentor Pat Merikallio for suggesting this technique.
- Abby Vakay, Celebration Hall of Fame 2018
(Note: This rug description was taken as an excerpt from the published Celebration entry.)