When rug hooking is as common as coal (2024)

Dear Diary, Today in our Thursday Fibre Arts Group I pondered why knitting has taken off with young people so widely. It has become mainstream. Quilting to has become mainstream. Rug Hooking is slowly growing but I think it still is a long way from mainstream across North America in the way quilting or knitting are.. When I started rug hooking twenty two years ago it was not so common as it is now. At that time one of my goals became to contribute to making it common in Maritimes homes again. I think there has been a strong grass roots movement here in Atlantic Canada and rug hooking is experiencing a serious revival. It is strong and growing. Now I would like to see that movement spread and I am thinking about how to do that. If you have any ideas I would love to hear from you.
Imagine if when you told people you hook rugs, they understood what you did with out you having to bring out your phone or your rug. I always know that when I tell people I hook rugs they are imagining those latch hook kits from the seventies, and those acrylic yarns. It is too bad really. There are alot of us. We should be able to make a movement that makes rug hooking as common as coal (local expression, I liver near Springhill, NS).
Why do I care ? I am happy hooking rugs on my own. What does it matter if someone else knows how to do it? Why bother?
Well I look at it like this . If you made a delicious cake would you want to eat it all yourself? Of course not. You want to share the goodness. I see that rug hooking opens up people’s worlds. It leads them to friendships, travel, creativity. It teaches them about beauty and art. It makes their eyes widen, and light up. Rug Hooking adds passion to their life. It also adds a deep soothing meditative quality to their lives. It is an interest that really connects us to others, as well as to ourselves and because I love that about it I want to share it.
In the last week, three young women have walked into my studio and bought kits and I am inspired to inspire them. I know what ten minutes to yourself at a rug can do for you when you are raising young children. You always need a little time to yourself, even when you think you can least afford it.
I am inspired to see more and more older women take up the craft as well. I notice that as women’s children leave home, they have time again for themselves and for the new friendships that are so accessible in the rug hooking community. I look at Ravelry for knitting, that has hundreds of thousands of users and I think…”Oh wouldn’t it be nice.”
We are a force you know, us, this wild band of women, with our big bags of wool in tow. We have to show the world what we got.

The Studio is Now on FacebookLike the page and I’ll use it for special offers sometimes.
Mostly you’ll get sneak peeks of whatever we are up to in the studio