1.Start the thread about an eye length back from the hook eye and wrap an even thread base back to the bend of the hook. |
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2. Attach a wire ribbing to the bottom of the hook shank and secure with even thread wraps back up to behind the eye. |
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3. Next, attach a small black tinsel to the top of the hook shank and secure that material with even thread wraps back to the bend of the hook. |
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4. Create a dubbing loop with the thread. You will need a dubbing loop tool to keep the loop open. Loop should be located near the bend of the hook. |
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5. Apply 3-4 bunches of dubbing, filling the loop. | ||
6. Spin the dubbing loop tool so that the dubbing starts to make a chenille. You can even out the material by rubbing the chenille. | ||
7. Keep spinning the tool until you get a nice dense packing of the dubbing arouind the thread core. Then, remove the tool and attach the chenille to a hackle plier. | ||
8. Wrap the chenille with tight touching wraps from the bend of the hook to the starting point of your thread.
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9. When wrapped up to the eye, secure the chenille with a couple of tight thread wraps and trim off the tag end. Apply a few more wraps of thread to secure. |
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10. Bring the tinsel over the back of the body, centered on the top of the hook shank. Secure with some thread wraps behind the eye. |
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11. Wrap the ribbing 4-5 times with spirol wraps up to the eye and secure with thread wraps. | ||
12. Bring both materials back behind the eye and secure with a couple of tight thread wraps. This will lock the material in place. Trim off the tag ends. | ||
13. Apply a whip finish. | ||
14. Finish the head with a drop of head cement. | ||
15. Start to pick out the carpet fibers with a bodkin or a hook between the wire ribs. Take care not to damage with the flashback or the ribbing. Work both sides of the body. | ||
16. As you pick, more fibers will extend for the chenille.
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17. Once you feel that you have a sufficient number of extended fibers, lift the fibers over the flashback and trim the fibers so that they equal the hook gap of the hook. |
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18. Next, finish the body with some stiff brushing from a piece of velcro. This will help pick out the finer material from the dubbing. |
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19. Apply a small amount of head cement to the top of the flashback to help it maintain it's centered position above the hook shank. I'm using some Sally's Hard as Nails with a brush applicator. | ||
20. Give the Carpet Bug a final trim so that the fibers extend as a flat plane from the sides of the hook shank. You may need to trim off some fibers from the bottom of the hook shank, too. The finished Carpet Bug. | ||
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