Autumn Fox

Autumn Fox, 48" x 26", #9-cut wool on linen. Designed and hooked by Laurie Lausen, The Wooly Red Rug, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2019.

The leaves are turning and beginning to fall. Autumn is coming. Our neighborhood fox travels quietly through the yard and our trees are a burst of golden delight. I find the beauty in every season, but autumn is definitely my favorite. I harvest the last of nature’s bounty in my dye gardens and fire up the dye pots before winter settles in.

A stack of rusty-coppery wool dyed with madder root, hops, and black walnut inspired me to design and hook this sweet fox. Marigold, coreopsis, and goldenrod supplied a gorgeous range of gold for the leaves.

My favorite backgrounds are a mix of similar colors and values that echo the central motifs, adding interest and movement. I hooked the background for Autumn Fox using leftover wool strips from many projects, with bits of other greens and khakis from my stash. An advantage of hooking with many different wools is you don’t need a large quantity of any one particular piece. A few loops of a chartreuse plaid were perfect for filling in some of the little spaces created as I echo hook. I’ve used the chartreuse in the background and also sparingly in the leaves.