How Do You Pull Your Wool?

Miller hooks

Finding the right hook is like finding an extension of your arm, and hooking with the wrong tool can leave you sore and with only clumsily hooked loops to show for all your hard labor. But the question is this: how do you know when you’ve found the right tool? There are two basic suggestions to keep in mind, and that is where we will start our discussion about hooks.

First, when you pick up a hook, do you pick it up like a pencil? Or does the handle rest in the palm of your hand with the shank extending past your thumb? Which way feels more comfortable to you? It’s a personal choice, and you should know that hooks are specifically made for different grips, so it is important to know how you naturally grip a hook. Some hooks are versatile enough to be used in many ways, so it is important to know how you naturally grip a hook. 

Green Mountain Hooked Rugs is a five-generation, family-owned business. We own a retail store in Montpelier, Vermont, and sell a wide variety of rug hooking supplies including hooks, bolt wool, hand-dyed wool, patterns, and equipment. We also own and operate Green Mountain Rug School annually in June. While honoring the traditions of the past, we are focused on expanding traditional practices and exploring new techniques in rug hooking. Visit our online store at www.GreenMountainHookedRugs.com.

This article is from the November/December 2016 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.