[Nfb-krafters-korner] for Cathy - about rug hooking

[Deidre Muccio]

Cathy asked me to talk a little about how rug hooking works. Here goes. Some
of you might have been doing this for a long time now so if so please add
whatever you can. I am a relative beginner.
	The hook/s you use don't have the little metal flap on them like
latch hooks do. They are hooks not unlike crochet hooks but they have round
handles made of wood or plastic and of different widths. Also the hooks vary
in size depending on what backing and width of strips of fabric you are
hooking with. The rounded metal shaft also tapers towards the point or hook.

	You use a stretchy linen or monk's cotton cloth for a backing that
opens as the shaft of the hook goes through it then closes again once you
pull the hook back up and has been removed. You hold the strip of wool or
whatever other fabric you want to use under the cloth and push the hook from
above to catch the strip below. You pull up a loop up as high up as the
strip is wide. You get a feel for the angle and twist of the loop and the
tool as you go and can play with how it faces, how uniform you want it to
be, etc. Also you need to bring each loop butt up against the other so there
is no cross hatching on the underside of the cloth, and you don't waste
material. You can however draw your lines wherever you like, go whatever
direction you want and introduce whatever color you want where and when with
each new strip you hook. 
	You can also rug hook with yarn and a punch hook. In that instance
you are punching through the underside to the front of the material and will
then turn it over to see what you've got. The punch hooks only allow the
hook to come up at an exact amount so you get a more uniform look without
even trying. Also you can work on a cheap painter's frame and attach the
cloth with tacks. You don't need to have the frame on a stand because you do
not need to reach to the underside of the cloth. 
	You can use a screen like scratchy cotton backing that is treated
with starch and has different size openings depending on how big a strip you
want to hook with. I tend to like wider strips of fiber sometimes even as
much as half an inch wide.  You can use burlap too which is what many did
decades ago. I don't recommend that though cause it pulls and tears more
easily as you try to stretch it on one kind of frame or another. 
	Some people can hook in their laps but I can't. I need to have
tension on the  fabric strip from underneath as I pull the loop up so I get
a nice tight loop.
	There are frames that hold the cloth which you keep moving as you
go. You can buy them, rent them or have someone make them. Of course, how
big the cloth is that you are doing will determine what size frame you might
want to use. That requires some knowledge in terms of where to start so you
always have enough cloth to attach to the sides of the frame. The hooked
part won't stick to the frame or can't be attached from the hooked part. It
can get complicated if you don't plan wisely. I haven't got that entirely
down yet. Do you work from the inside out, from one corner to another? Do
you plan the design first or free go it?
	You should look for a place near you that sells materials for rug
hooking and ask them to show you how it works. I believe it is you who comes
into Northampton sometimes to Web's so the next town from here has a shop
called Wool and Dieworks, Inc. and they are the ones who showed me how it is
done. You will understand instantly what it is about, though as you go you
will discover more and more about how to get the results you want.
	Someone was just here cutting some cotton jersey with a hand held
3/4" rotary blade. When you cut wool strips using a cutter at least the
cutters cut 3 or 4 strips at once if the fabric is that wide so it goes much
quicker. My little shop has cutters for wool but the cotton dulls the blades
so I am doing that here. You don't get that much for the amount of time you
spend cutting it, but in the end it might be worth it. I'll see how it hooks
up with the next rug I make.
	You don't want to make a rug you are going to walk on with different
fabrics because they won't wash or wear evenly. You can however make a rug
with yarn and wool strips and it might be fine. If you want to think of rug
hooking as an art in which you are creating a painting out of fabric and
want to hang it, that is what a lot of people do. I made a whimsical one
with glitter foam paper in the shape of a little fish hidden in the weeds on
it, cut outs of sea creatures like other fish, an octopus, horseshoe crab,
and the rest is a swirl of aquatic colors all hooked with mostly wool strips
and occasional something else (can't remember now) that looks like foam when
it pulls up. It's curly and fine so it often slips out. You have to double
some fibers to get them to be held by the cloth if you use a less fine
backing. That one is hanging in the shop and surprises people to see you can
really add whatever you like. One person likes it more than anything else
I've done but it really is funny. Apparently the colors are very soothing
and beautiful.  
	If you want to make a mat or runner then you'd need to be careful of
what material you use and your technique all in consideration of how it will
wear over time.
	Ok, I hope that gives you some idea. Next time you are at a Fiber
art fair go look for hooked rugs and you'll start to get the picture. That
is where it all started for me.

	Deidre