Meet Rug Hooking: A History, Part 1 of 2
Note: I am a hobbyist who loves arts and crafts! I wrote this post as a brief intro for fellow novices - if you’re intrigued, I encourage you to dig deeper! My sources are listed here to help you get started.
Welcome to the first of many, MANY crafts that I’ll be exploring with you on this blog! Rug hooking is a wonderful place to start; it’s so far from what I’m familiar with that we’ll be learning together!
I’ll be the first to admit that I thought rug hooking and latch hooking were one-and-the-same. They are not!
What It Is
Rug hooking is pulling loops of fabric or yarn through a stiff woven medium (like rug warp, burlap, monk’s cloth, or linen) using what looks very much like a crochet hook with a handle. Unlike latch hook - which uses a specialized latching hook to knot pre-cut yarn or fabric on rug canvas - rug hooking uses long, continuous strips that are pulled up and held in place by the weave of the backing and the density of the loops. Despite the lack of knotting or locking, hooked rugs are wicked strong and can take some decent abuse!
You’ll find everything from rugs and wall hangings, to coasters and bedding done in rug hooking. You’re only limited by your imagination!
In the beginning...
Rug hooking is, to my mind, a killer study in human ingenuity! Earliest forms of the craft hearken a-WAY back to 4th century Egypt - where wool tufts were drawn through linen - and those clever Vikings, who brought fabric hooked with woolen loops to Scotland. But where rug hooking really hit its stride was in early 19th century England - Yorkshire, specifically - where keeping up with the Joneses met practicality and gave birth to a truly marvelous craft.
The lower economic classes coveted the luxurious Oriental rugs of their wealthier counterparts, but needed form to take second place to function.
Enter human ingenuity.
Poor mill workers of the time were allowed to collect the scraps or “thrums” of yarns (typically 9” or less) left over from the weaving process. Recycled burlap was always handy, as it housed home staples such as feed, grain, coffee, tea, and tobacco. Tools were fashioned from scraps of wood and a bent nail. Put the three together and… ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing. Rugs! Warm rugs. Colorful rugs. Rugs for cold dirt floors, and rugs to warm and brighten the bed. Rugs, glorious rugs!
Read More in “Meet Rug Hooking: A History, Part 2 of 2”
