Historically, rug hooking was considered a craft of poverty. Created from scraps of materials, necessity dictated their creation rather than aesthetics. These days, hand-made rugs are a symbol of wealth, but also slow living and mindful shopping.
Traditional rug hooking is made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, rug warp, or monks cloth. In contrast, latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn. With time on our hands, we might as well give it a try.
Rug hooking expert Rose Pearlman is here to get you hooked (pun intended): “As an artist and teacher, it’s my goal to inspire and help others create,” she stated once in an interview with Sarah K. Benning. An artist, teacher, and textile designer, Pearlman teaches monthly rug hooking workshops in NYC, as well as online.
“For me, rug hooking is the fiber medium most like painting,” she expressed. “The punching technique is simple to master so your energy can be spent on composition and color.”
According to Pearlman, rug hooking is a forgiving medium as it allows you to change your mind and undo your work quite easily. “You can easily pull stitches out to reuse the same cloth backing and fiber without waste,” she stresses.
Follow her social media pages for more info and purchase her book, Modern Rug Hooking: 22 Punch Needle Projects for Crafting a Beautiful Home here. In it, you’ll find rug hooking instructions for beginners and innovative ideas for those wanting to go further.
