Hooking with Yarn

Circling Koi, 20" x 20", variety of yarns, including Halcyon bulky wieght wool yarn, on linen. Designed and hooked by Christine Pellerin, Montague, Massachusetts, 2011. 

At a meeting of a hooking guild, I overheard someone recalling that an instructor told them once that if someone is not hooking with wool strips, then they are not really hooking. To be honest, when I first thought about learning to hook rugs, I didn’t know some people used wool strips and some people used yarn or other materials. I thought everyone used yarn!

I was first exposed to hooking through the work of Massachusetts-based rug hooker Margaret Arraj (Mill River Rugs). While on a studio stroll, I stumbled upon her workspace and was immediately drawn into the depth of color and texture in all of her work. Of course, I now know that many, many people (if not the vast majority) hook exclusively with wool strips. There are, however, many people who not only prefer to hook with yarn, but also hook exclusively with yarn.

This article is from the March/April/May 2013 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.