Meet Rug Hooking: 8 Things I Love About Rug Hooking!
(No, this image isn’t out of focus… the wool is really that soft and fluffy!)
Of the many, MANY crafts I can’t wait to try, I don’t even remember now why I chose rug hooking as one of my first...
But as it turns out, I could wax enthusiastic about rug hooking for days. It’s an amazing art form!
Need some convincing? Check out my 8 favorite things about this craft:
1) No two rugs are ever the same!
Give any two rug hookers the exact same pattern - even the same artist! - and their rugs will never come out the same. Hooking style, technique, material, loop heights and density will always vary from artist to artist and project to project. There’s nothing paint-by-number about this craft! It’s originality in abundance.
2) It’s a thrifty artist’s dream craft.
Even aside from the minimal tool needs, rug hooking is a celebration of thrift, making it an easy-entry craft for all! Sure, you CAN drop a fortune on custom dyed wools. But it’s just as easy to create raw beauty from resale shop finds and closet scavenging (think old skirts, suit coats, and blankets). After all, thrifty ingenuity is how this craft got its start!
3) It showcases human ingenuity!
Speaking of thrifty ingenuity, I so admire that this was a craft of poverty. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all, and early rug hookers NEEDED beauty every bit as much as function. The result? A clever, resourceful new art form!
4) Mistake? What mistake?
In a medium as forgiving as rug hooking, it’s incredibly hard to make a mistake that’s unfixable… or sometimes even noticeable! The nature of the craft is organic and loose, making most blunders disappear into your design. And what does call for attention is terrifically easy to repair. You can read more about the mistakes I made HERE, and how you can avoid them yourself.
5) It’s all about touch!
I am a BIG fan of textural art - the kind you just love to touch and feel. In rug hooking, you can create a geographic wonderland of textures using types and widths of material, patterning, and hooking sizes and techniques. I call this craft warm, tactile, and hug-like.
6) It’s the Type B personality of the craft world.
I have more than a passing acquaintance with fussy and exacting arts, such as petit point, pencil realism, and beadwork. They’re all about precision, accuracy, and fine detail. Rug hooking stands in stark contrast with a playful, organic and, frankly, freeing vibe. Even the rug hooking community takes an easy-going, learn-from-your-mistakes-and-move-on approach to their craft. Mix and match techniques, styles, or even materials with impunity - you will NOT be strung up by your fingernails! There’s a great deal of room for artistry here, and I love that!
7) It’s whimsical.
Look up “rug hooking” on any major search site - Google, Pinterest, Amazon, Etsy - and you’ll find page upon page of whimsy, innocence, and charm. It is largely uncorrupted by the grotesqueness and anguish that today’s art world seems to celebrate. Rug hooking is unapologetically generative and playful, and I adore it for its naivety.
8) It’s portable!
With so few tools needed to hook, rug hooking (unless very large) is easy-peasy to bring outside with you, tote along on a trip, or otherwise whip out at a moment’s notice. It’s terrifically easy to stop and start, fuss-free.
If the above resonates with you, too, then let’s get hooking!
Tune in to my next blog for links to some amazing rug hooking kits and patterns, and additional resources for you to explore!
