Jo Wick Shares Her Rug Hooking Journey

Jo was inspired by Alice Strebel & Sally Korte of Kindred Spirits in Dayton, Ohio, and had taken several classes from them.  As luck would have it, their booklets with wool applique also had rug hooking projects in them. 

Jo's childhood friend Dalene McIntire and she had done lots of crafting together ~ quilting, macrame, etc.  Then they decided to learn how to rug hook. A Nancy Miller pencil hook was purchased from Kindred Spirits.  So they got together one day and tried rug hooking using one of Alice & Sally's books.  That led the gals to sign up for a class with Kindred Spirits at their shop in Dayton & the rest is history!!

Interesting side note is the fact the Kindred Spirits mitten above was the very same first project with which I learned to hook also.  

Above is the booklet which both Jo and I began our journey into rug hooking; you can see the mitten on the cover.

Jo is led to the primitive style so those are the rugs that grab her attention.  She has a few rugs in the house which were made specifically for a location.  They were hooked due to their large size or made bigger to accommodate a large wall.  When taking a class/workshop she likes to hook a rug that has been designed by the teacher.  However, most rugs are hooked because she likes them and then decides where to put them. 

Her favorite colors are primitive red, mustard, brown/black, teal & a touch of purple. (A Barb Carroll signature!). 

In 2007 Jo says she was privileged to attend her first Barb Carroll workshop with friends at Barb's home. Until that time she had hooked only small mats and not on a regular basis.  She hooked her first large rug with Barb and her love for primitive style began.  

Name of the first large rug above is 1885 Horses and can be purchased from Woolley Fox.  Jo says she has learned so much from Barb ~  from learning there is no rights or wrongs in rug hooking, hook what you love, less is more (Emma Lou Lais) and build a rug as you go - and the color planning of a rug!  

More recently, Jo has hooked "neutral" rugs with Barb Carroll & Jayne Hester and is now drawn to those primitive rugs.  The rug Olde Nutfield (above) was hooked with Barb Carroll in 2015, a design by Ruth Hall.

Some advice Jo has for newbies is....don't pack your loops & don't worry if the loops aren't perfect.  Loosen up and just enjoy hooking!  She is wanting to hook more antique looking rugs and likes the "higgedly piggely" style. It took a while to get away from the perfect, even lines and to hook haphazardly in the antique primitive style. 

Jo hooks in the living room on a stuffed wing back chair with a floor frame & good lighting.  An antique butcher block table beside her holds necessities.  Jo prefers the quietness with her best time in the winter with a fire in the fireplace. In the summer, like Elaine, she likes to hook on the deck with the birds and natural light.  

She belongs to a rug hooking guild and joins friends periodically to spend the day hooking & sharing.  Jo says she still attends monthly evening hook-ins at Ali Strebel's and is fortunate to have her live close by.

More advice for a newbie is to join a guild or find hook-ins, especially if money or time to go to camps is difficult.  Jo says the motivation, inspiration & ideas from her hooking buddies is priceless. She has formed valuable friendships with rug hooking gals that will be her life-long treasures! 

Another suggestion for newbies:  keep a photo journal of your rugs. She has a photo album that is updated regularly and is working on her second photo album.  Each picture includes a description of rug, including title, designer, size and date.  You will forget and will want to look back on your rug hooking journey!!

Here is a clean sample of the form Jo uses if you'd like to copy it.

Thank you Jo for sharing your valuable information.  I'm sure everyone will enjoy your journey as much as I did.

In any of you would like to participate in this 'getting to know you' segment visit the original post about the Questionnaire.  Have a wonderful evening.

Saundra