The Row Less Traveled

Where a viewer’s eye enters and exits a piece is critical to determining hooking direction.

I love to hook pictorials, but over the years, I have tired of the typical implementation of hooking backgrounds straight across and was never completely pleased with the results. I have developed a more “painterly” technique that resembles brush strokes. This technique is ideal for hooking skies, but it works in many situations. I enjoy having my pieces fool the viewer into thinking the rugs are paintings, not wool. When the viewer gets closer, he or she is amazed to see fiber instead of paint on canvas.

Let me show you what effect I am trying to achieve and why I love to use this technique.

This article is from the January/February 2014 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.