What about Rug Latch Hooking? Let me tell you back in my day it was one of the most popular crafts to do, and at a reasonable price too. Today, this is not the case; however, you can still find kits on sale to buy, or check out eBay for rug latch kits. Let’s go back to a little bit of history. It is hard to believe that rug hooking may have started before the 1920’s probably the 1800’s since rug making was a genuine tradesman craft. It was once considered the poor man’s craft, although I never considered that rugs- making was a poor man’s craft. The famous spring-loaded rug latch hook designed by E.K Rules was created in 1929. Wool rugs were popular back in the 20’s while the use of synthetic yarns such as acrylic became popular in the 1970’s. This is when the patented hook by Eugene Thomas Barker of La Porte was the new great tool to use in rug latching.
I started in the 80’s after getting embroidery kits from Creative Circle, but that is another story. Rug latching maybe one craft that was done by both genders, although to some it was considered more a women’s craft. In the 70’s and 80’s it was a viable hobby with a number of companies making kits such as WonderArt, National Yarn Crafts, Bucilla, Caron, and Mary Maxim. I have seen kits in many hobby stores throughout Washington State. The craft of rug latch is mentioned in the 1982 book titled, “Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework.” It is also mentioned in the 1994 book “The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Needlecrafts.” Both books are my favorite reference book that I keep on my shelve at home.
For some reason to which I cannot understand, is the time of year that I usually think about doing rug latch hooking. For some people this needlecraft would be done in the winter months, but I find I enjoy doing it in the early spring to summer months. Guess where I like doing this needlecraft? Outdoors! Yes, outdoors on the patio table. This way, I get fresh air and some sun for vitamin D. Have you heard of John Denver’s song “Sunshine on my shoulders, makes me happy?” We are talking about keeping calm and doing crafts. We are talking about letting the stress roll off of our shoulders and warming up with the sun’s rays. This is crafting outdoor at its very best. Those early days of rug making was also done outdoors’s in the fresh air. Sometimes it seems I cannot get enough fresh air. I’d have to say the one thing that would keep me from camping is spider’s, especially the brown recluse spider, and that is no joke. The venom of the brown recluse spider kills living tissue and most of the time requires medical attention.
Ok, enough about spider’s back to rug latching. Today, you can find kits for kids to do that come fully loaded with canvas, yarn, and hook along with instructions. Some kits come with the printed design on the canvas and some kits come with a plain canvas with blue lines of squares to help count and place the design, but no rug latch hook. The rug latch hook in most cases you have to purchased separately. I have found that the printed design is not always accurate and maybe off by one or more counts compared to the printed instructions within the kit. This was the case when I started the WonderArt “Daisy” 12-inch rug latch kit. No matter what kit you use, the first thing you need to do is look at the color key symbols and match your yarn color with the color key. I line my yarn color right by the key and tape it down on the instructions.
The next thing to do is to find the starting point. Some like to start at the top and some like to start at the bottom. Wherever to start you must keep at that direction for the pattern. Usually, you start at the bottom left-hand side of the canvas. This way you count the small squares on the diagram where the symbols are for the color of the design. When I have finished the first row of the color symbol of the design, I use a yellow highlighter to mark that row as finished. You can see this is the above picture. This way I will always know where I left off. If I have left off at only half of the next row, which in my case was 20 squares, I will only mark off 20 squares in the color design.
There are several methods used for rug latch hooking, but I have only used the Smyrna Knot Method, which states as important, “not to fill in portions of the design here and there. Complete each row of knots before starting the next row.” Why? So that all the knots will lie in the same direction. You will get a nice even look on the rug when finished. Just look at the picture above and you will see how this method is done. I have found the Smyrna Knot Method to be the best method as long as you are consistent when rug latching each row.
Finishing the rug has been somewhat a mystery to me. Most of my rug latch projects was stretched on a bar and stapled to be hung on the wall. I used Edmunds Regular Stretcher Bars for Needle Art and the bars come in many different sizes. I have also used rug latch binding and folded over the sides and hand sewed the binding onto the canvas. I have also heard of overcasting the edge of the canvas to cover each hole with matching thread and needle, but I have not done this method. I wanted to try the liquid backing for rugs, but this may be too toxic for some who have allergies to chemicals. One can also use Non-Slip Rug Pad Grippers and double tape or sew to back of rug to prevent slippage. Care and cleaning are not a big deal.
The best way to clean your rug latch project is to fill your tub with lukewarm water with some liquid laundry detergent or dishwashing liquid and lay your rug in and swishing side to side or back and forth. I also lift up and down through the water in the tub as well. Then rinse doing the same thing as lifting up and down and swishing side to side before laying it down flat to dry. I like to lay mine out on a table in the sunshine. It will dry in no time and be fresh and clean.
I hope you give rug latch hook a try. Just buy a small kit to work on outdoors on your patio and relax with your cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Keep Calm and Craft On.
