| The art of hooking wool rugs is centuries old, | | | | sprang up across the continent. |
| although the exact date cannot be traced. A lot | | | | By the mid 90s wool rug hooking had become a |
| of ambiguity still exists regarding when and where | | | | well-established pastime in the United States and |
| the craft actually started. Certain wool rug | | | | Canada. Today, it has evolved into a popular |
| hooking history records claim that descendants of | | | | means of individual expression as well as a |
| the ancient Egyptians made the first hand-hooked | | | | pragmatic pastime. Rug hooking makes use of a |
| rugs between the third and seventh centuries. | | | | hand held hook, which looks similar to a crochet |
| Other history records state that rug hooking | | | | hook to form a looped pile from textile strips or |
| originated in China or Europe. However, few | | | | wool on an even-weave base fabric. However, |
| authorities now believe that rug hooking is | | | | rug hooking should not be mistaken for latch |
| America's original folk art, with the first hooked | | | | hooking, which uses a hinged hook to form a |
| rugs appearing in Atlantic Canada and New | | | | knotted pile from short pieces of wool. |
| England. | | | | Over the years, many people have followed |
| It is known for certain, however, that wool rug | | | | hooking wool rugs as a trade as well as a hobby. |
| hooking experienced a sudden rise in the | | | | Original hooked woolen rugs can be obtained |
| mid-nineteenth century in the New England states | | | | through professional dealers or private collectors. |
| and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Born | | | | Apart from this, many Internet websites also do |
| primarily out of necessity, hand-hooked wool rugs | | | | provide a great deal of information on the same. |
| were created by rural women to cover the bare | | | | Woolen rugs are generally preferred as they are |
| floors of their homes. Later, people began selling | | | | resistant to dirt and do not absorb soil. However, |
| and trading hooked wool rugs, and in due course | | | | on purchasing a wool hooked rug, people should |
| cottage industries making these unique items | | | | take adequate care to maintain the same. |