Are you wondering which book is right for you?
Book 1, The NEW Joy of Hooking With Yarn! is perfect for people just starting out. Everything you need to know to get started, from step-by-step instructions on how to hook, which yarns work best, which backing to choose, how to make your own rug hooking frame and practice projects to build your skills.
Book 2, Rug Hooker's Guide to the YARNIVERSE! takes you beyond the basics, with info on different styles of hooking, from primitive designs, realistic shading, fine detail, the wonders of natural colors and handspun yarns and dozens of templates to practice these techniques.
Book 3, T-Shirt Treasures- Creating Heirloom Hooked Rugs from the Humble T-Shirt is a great choice for people looking for more economical materials for hooking. T-shirt rugs are just as long-lasting as rugs hooked with yarn or wool strips, and they're also machine washable. A great choice for people who'd like to hook rugs but are sensitive to wool.
Book 4, Breaking the Boundaries, The Rug Hooking Artistry of Sharon Johnston. Sharon is an extraordinary artist, who brings her experience with painting, collage, quilting, embroidery and more to create fine art with rug hooking. You will be amazed at her ingenuity and creativity, hooking in 3-D, layering, trapunto, reverse hooking, uneven edges and realistic tree-wrapping. 5 practice projects to try out her signature techniques are included.
Book 5, Save That Rug! A How-To Guide for Repairing Hooked Rugs provides common sense techniques for repairing heirloom rugs. Let's face it, when you put a rug on the floor, stuff will happen to it! It can be stained, moth-eaten, cat-scratched, dog-chewed and worn on the edges. This book shows how you can use your rug hooking skills to repair these treasured old rugs so they can be enjoyed by future generations.
Book 6, The Boy Who Wrote Poetry. Okay, this isn't a book about rug hooking per se (although some of my rugs are in it!) , but it is about the importance of our art, and the ability to connect with other people who we don't even know and even long after we ourselves are gone. That's true for rug hooking especially. The book tells the story of my brother Mark Ford who tragically died at the age of 18, but he left behind a legacy of poetry that is as transcendent and uplifting as it was the day he died in 1970. Here's a sample of his writing:
I hope that when my last account is due
That I may cleanse the coarseness from my view
May give so pure a gift of life to youth;
And may the child be wise, at least that day
And realize the depth of truth before
The memory forever fades away; and may
He have the wisdom not to ask for more.
