Issue #79 - January/February 1983
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by Borgne M. Keith
On a frosty morning, when you start to swing your dreading-to-touch-the-cold-floor feet out of your snug bed, wouldn't it be nice to know there's a cuddly hooked rug waiting for them? That floor covering can warm you inside, too . . . if it's an "heirloom" that you made yourself!
And you can create a cozy treat for your toes, because hooking requires neither special needle-working ability nor a big budget. If you've got a rug-sized scrap of burlap to use as backing, some odds and ends of old wool clothing to recycle, a dollar or two to spend on the one necessary tool, and a few stay-at-home hours to spare . . . you can soon be a homestead rug hooker.
What's more, if you become really good at this craft, you can use it to turn a profit. There's quite a demand for fine handmade floor coverings, you see . . . and the price tags on quality hooked rugs can run from $100 to $1,000.
HOW TO GET HOOKING
There're about as many techniques for hooking a rug as there are materials available to do it with . . . so to narrow the field, a beginner might be wisest to learn hand-hooking first, using salvaged or inexpensive burlap and wool strips. This is by far the simplest and least costly method.
To get started, buy a hand hook (it'll cost around $1.25) from a crafts supply store. Then scout out some nice scraps of wool fabric (you'll need half a pound for each square foot of your rug), either in your own closets and basement or at a thrift shop or flea market. Wool is far superior to any other rugmaking material, simply because it wears so well. What's more, it's easily dyed . . . so you needn't limit your color scheme to the shades you find. If you do plan to dye your raw material, though, you'll want to buy or scrounge as much light-colored (preferably white or beige) fabric as you can.
DESIGN PREPARATION
In order to create a pleasing rug, you'll need to work from a well-planned, interesting design. That's interesting, not intricate. . . so for your maiden attempt either beg, borrow, or sketch your own uncomplicated floral or geometric pattern, perhaps one that will require various hues of just one color. It's all too easy for a beginner to get bogged down in a design — no matter how beautiful — that calls for lots of color and line changes. Keep your first attempt simple, then, and work up to complex details gradually as you become more proficient at the technique.
Once you've figured out your motif, decide on the dimensions you want your rug to have (the smaller the better to start with . . . and remember that a square or rectangular shape will make for easy hemming when you're done). Then figure in a 3" border all around — for a rim that can be folded under later — and trim your burlap to size. Cover the perimeter of the backing with sturdy masking or rug-hemming tape, to help it hold its shape as you work . . . and use an indelible marker to trace the pattern you've chosen in the center of your soon-to-be rug.
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