Hook Me a Story: The History and Method of Rug Hooking in Atlantic Canada

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Fitzpatrick presents a blend of history and how-to as she introduces the
rug-hooking traditions of the Atlantic provinces. Starting with the
earliest examples of Canadian hooked rugs, she covers well-known
individual craftspersons, guilds, styles, techniques, and regional
differences.

Over the past 150 years, rags to rugs has been a home craft for
thousands of women, a means of providing care and comfort for their
families at no cost. What started as “a chore of poverty” has
evolved into a means of artistic expression, a creative outlet, and, in
some cases, a cottage industry.

Full-color photos of nearly 50 hand-hooked rugs add visual interest to
the book while illustrating the text.

Much of the work is a discussion—Fitzpatrick writes as if chatting
with the reader—of the components of a rug. She shares her thinking
about fabric type, textures, colors, hooks and frames, dyes, cutters,
backing materials, and bindings. All this builds to detailed, precise
directions for hooking a rug; a pattern is given for a simple, beginner
project.

Social historians and collectors will be more interested in the
extensive section on designs and shapes. Geometrics, florals, abstracts,
animals, and pictorials are reviewed and linked to their development and
traditions. Several innovative designs reflective of Newfoundland
culture are particularly appealing. Hook Me a Story is a welcome
addition to the growing body of material on eastern Canadian folk art.