Beautiful and Broken

I met artist Janet Strickler almost five years ago at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe, while I was attempting to start a community rug hooking group. Since we were a budding group, the shop owner suggested we share the Tuesday evening time slot the spinners were using. Every month for a year, I showed up, often with my young teenage daughter in tow. We began to joke that hookers must not like to come out at night, since very few ever came, and my daughter and I spent our time talking and visiting with the spinners. It wasn’t long before we owned a spinning wheel and were fully immersed in the group. Janet purchased a new spinning wheel the same week we did, and it sealed our already growing friendship. We did eventually get a rug hooking group going, during the day at the shop, but I will forever be thankful that our local hooking community didn’t care for that evening time, and that I became a spinner and friend of Janet’s.

When Janet had a project in mind that would require either learning to hook or punch, she asked to come over to my studio to discuss it, and to learn more about the craft. It was clear early in our discussion that the hook was the best tool for what she wanted to do. In the course of an afternoon, I taught her the basics of pulling loops and sent her on her way. What happened next was the delightful creation of a stunning set of hooked pieces that I am honored to share with you. I also asked Janet to share her thoughts on their creation, and on her work in general