Get Hooked! Rug Hooking Basics

In Spin Off Winter 2025, Betsy Alspach shares one of her favorite winter pastimes—hooking rugs with handspun yarn. If you want to try it yourself, here are some tips to get you started.

Getting Started with Rug Hooking

All you really need to get started with rug hooking is some backing cloth, a frame, a hook, and some yarn. For small projects, a simple embroidery hoop is the perfect starter frame! Watch the video below to learn more:

Three Ways to Finish Your Rug

How you use your finished rug—as a floor covering, accessory, or wall art—will determine how you finish it. Here are three common options.

1. Finish Before You Begin If you are planning to sew your hooked rug into a bag or pillow, it often helps to have a border sewn on before you begin hooking. With those big loops of yarn, hooked rugs are often too bulky for most sewing machines, so a little bit of preparation goes a long way.

This method is very similar to sewing a border on a quilt. After marking the outline of your work, draw a second, larger border the width of your preferred seam allowance. To the right side of your foundation cloth, pin your fabric or binding tape right side down so that it covers up part of your hooking area and lining up one edge with the seam allowance marking. Stitch it down, then press outward. Once your border is attached, you can hook your design.

Once you’ve finished hooking your project, you’ll trim the excess backing cloth so that it is slightly shorter than your border. If you are using your hooked design in a pillow or bag, you can proceed with the rest of your project. Or, use the border as the hem, as outlined below.

2. Folded Hem A folded hem is a simple way to finish a hooked rug. Trim your backing cloth—or border, as outlined above—so that it is 2–3 inches wide. Turn your rug so the looped side is facing down. Fold about half an inch from the raw edge, then fold the border towards the center of the work. Sew down the edge.

3. Whipped Border I like this border for wall hangings, especially if I want to see a decorative edge. This method is not recommended for rugs that you’ll walk on, since it creates a raised edge that could be a tripping hazard or subject the rug to uneven wear.

To create a whipped border, I wrap the trimmed backing cloth around a cord, then whipstitch it with yarn threaded through a tapestry needle. The goal is to completely cover the backing cloth, so I often hold the yarn double. You will not be sewing through any of your hooked design—you are only stitching through the backing cloth.

If you’re a current Spin Off subscriber, your Winter issue—and Betsy’s delightful article—will land in your inbox on November 26. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you won’t want to miss out! Plus, get the new A Celebration of Scarves and Shawls eBook with 14 patterns, for free with any new subscription.

Resources

• Alspach, Betsy. “Rug Hooking with Handspun Yarn.” Spin Off Winter 2025, 74–77.
  
• Tyler, Amy. “Rug Hooking with Stash: Something Old, Something New.” Spin Off Spring 2015, 88–92.
  
• McQueen, Deborah Coder. “Rug Hooking with Handspun Yarn.” Spin Off Spring 2014, 88–91.