Australian Locker Hooking: A Down Home Craft From Down Under
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by Marilyn Livingston
Australia, home of so many curious and unusual creatures,
is also the -home of an interesting variation on the craft
of locker hooking. Similar in some respects to rug hooking,
locker hooking involves pulling yarn through a rug canvas
in loops that are then "locked" into place with a hidden
strand of wool. Although it's hardly a byword in most craft
circles, locker hooking has been with us for quite some
time. In the 1920's, British craftswomen commonly employed
the art to make rugs, using heavy, six-ply wool yarn. In
the 1940's, Americans followed suit; but, perhaps because
of the high cost of such yarn, the craft never achieved
great popularity here. Now, however, thanks to the artistic
sensibility and ingenuity of a craftswoman Down Under, we
may see a renewal of interest.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The Aussie variation consists of a small, but very
significant, change in the type of wool used,
rather than any alteration of the basic procedure. This
change came about when Australian Brian Benson, on tour in
Ireland in 1972, saw demonstrations of locker hooking,
became fascinated by the craft, and took several hooks home
to his mother. A well-known fiber artist, Patricia Benson
quickly mastered the craft and completed a handsome rug of
heavy, handspun yarn. The piece commanded a great deal of
attention when displayed; but Patricia quickly realized
that if locker hooking was to become popular, something
would have to be found that could be substituted for the
heavy yarn required. Commercially prepared six-ply wool
twist was expensive, and few people had the time or
inclination to spin their own. So Pat began using unspun,
freshly sheared wool . . . and Australian locker hooking
was born.
Patricia Benson discovered that lengths of combed wool,
forger-thick but unspun, could be hooked through the holes
of canvas and held in place with a strand of spun yarn. The
resulting rugs were beautifully soft and springy underfoot,
and they wore well, too. The craft was enthusiastically
received in Australia, where sheep breeding and the
production of wool are major industries.
In 1980, Marj Boyes—teacher of, and crusader for,
locker hooking—came to the United States and
introduced Benson's technique. Here was a chance for
American crafts people to work with unprocessed wool
without having to invest in the lengthy training
and expensive equipment required to master spinning and
weaving. In fact, wool in any of a number of stages of
finishing can be used, starting with the freshly sheared
material right on through spun yarn twist . . . for while
Australian locker hooking introduced the idea of using
unspun wool, the original European craft employed
finished fibers.
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