Scrapping it with rug hooking

One craft I did a lot of before I started blogging was rug hooking.

What is rug hooking? Everyone thinks “latch hook” when you say rug hooking. Rug hooking is not latch hook with acrylic yarn and great big holes in the canvas.

Rug hooking is a very old craft. I can’t remember the exact history, but it probably started on poor farms in the early American frontier. Poor little ladies had burlap sacks and old pieces of wool clothing in which to make rugs from. They cut the clothing or scraps into long, thin strips and hooked them into designs on the burlap.

No doubt they just designed their own patterns and made pretty shapes and figures from whatever they had on hand. It was probably the first “green” craft form that required no “new” materials.

So, here is how to hook. You place the long strip into your left hand, which is underneath the project. The hook starts on the top side of the project in your right hand. (this if for right handed people)

So, let’s review. Hook in Right hand on top. Fabric strip in left hand underneath. Got it?

Lo and behold the rug so far.