Kathleen Harwood: Class of 2018

Name: Kathleen Harwood

Location: South Hadley, Massachusetts

Tell us a bit about yourself. What are some of your interests and hobbies?
Art and the art world have been my profession & love for my entire life. My family occupies a big space, as do my dogs & my garden. Rug hooking keeps me centered & sane, & allows for the creative part of my soul to be satisfied. I have wonderful friends, love to travel, walk, read, go to the movies & cook, & am trying to devote an increasing amount of time to social/charitable/philanthropic causes & being a better citizen of the world.

How did you get introduced to rug hooking?
I've had my hands in fiber since I was a child; my mother was a wonderful knitter & crochet-er & also taught me to do needlepoint, to embroider, & to quilt. But there was no rug hooking tradition in my family. I was attracted to antique hooked rugs; long before I had the time, I told my husband that it was my ambition to learn to make hooked rugs & he began to give me books. In 2002 when we moved to a new community, I decided that it would be a great way to meet new people, so I sought out a rug hooking community. Lucky me, it was with Nancy McClennen & Claire DeRoos in the Binghamton, NY area, & I learned from the best.

What was your first project?
Claire handed me a traditional arched "Welcome" rug pattern with roses, a hook, & some wool, & I plunged in. Compared to the needlepoint project I had been working on it seemed enormously clumsy at first, but I soon got the hang of it & finished that rug. It's nothing I would make today, but it's on the floor in my studio where I see it every day; Claire encouraged me to "unhook" & redo the really awkward areas, but I stubbornly refused so that I will always be able to recall how far I have come.

Is there one rug that stands out as being particularly memorable?
I love the Diamond in the Square & the Feather rugs. They both represented interesting challenges & were very satisfying to design & hook. But having singled those out, I immediately think about Kai's Jack which was totally different, & how much I enjoyed making October Log Cabin. So I guess the answer is "not really."

Is there a particular style of rugs that you're most interested in hooking?
I gravitate to geometrics without always even realizing it. I'm fascinated by quilts & many of my most successful rugs have been based upon quilt patterns. I love highly graphic designs. But I'm interested in many other things; I like rugs with words on them, rugs that contain signs & symbols, or tell a story, & rugs that are highly personal (even if it's not obvious) as opposed to generic designs. Color is a guiding factor, & I'm increasingly drawn to abstraction.

What's your favorite part about hooking a rug?
Starting & finishing

What's a piece of advice you'd give to a new rug hooker?
Follow your instincts; believe that you are creative even if you think you aren't; don't be afraid of color; plan to make a big rug someday; try to find at least a few minutes to hook every day;

What do you love most about Celebration?
Seeing the amazing variety of creativity & talent in the rug hooking world