There are many ways to handmake rugs. Hooking and tufting methods include rug hooking, punch needle, locker hooking, latch hooking, proddy, and tufting. These techniques create plush, looped or tufted surfaces for rugs, wall hangings, pillow covers, and more.


The oldest known rug, the Pazyryk carpet, was woven around 500 BC in Siberia, so handmade rugs have warmed cold floors for millennia. Machine-made carpets emerged during the Industrial Revolution and became fashionable in the early 1800s. Those unable to afford these new luxuries improvised, crafting their own floor coverings from fabric scraps and burlap sacking.


Rug hooking, as we know it today, developed along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and in Atlantic Canada during the 19th century. Around the same time, proddy (or proggy) rug making emerged in northeast England. As tools were invented to speed production, new techniques followed:


  • 1881: Ebenezer Ross patented the first dedicated punch needle tool.
  • 1920s: The modern latch hook was invented in England.
  • 1920–1940: Locker hooking became popular in both Great Britain and America.
  • 1930s: Modern tufting guns evolved from a modified Singer sewing machine.

Materials and Tools:

  • Backing fabric: Burlap, Monk’s Cloth, linen, rug warp, weaver’s cloth, rug canvas, or primary backing cloth.
  • Fabric or yarn: In long, narrow strips or short, cut lengths, typically wool.
  • Frames or hoops stretch your backing fabric taut. Frames come in various forms (laptop, tabletop, and floor-standing) and often feature gripper strips on the inside to hold the fabric in place. Embroidery hoops can be used for smaller projects.
  • Patterns can be purchased pre-printed on backing fabric, transferred to it with transfer or tracing paper, or drawn freehand on it.
  • Scissors.
  • Tools are technique-dependent - rug hook, punch needle, locker hook, latch hook, proddy tool, or tufting gun - and serve to pull fabric or yarn through the backing material.

Terminology:

  • Back side: The "underside" where you see the backs of the loops/tufts of fabric or yarn.
  • Binding: Finishing project edges to protect them from wear and to support the outside row of loops/tufts. Common binding methods include sewing on binding tape and whipping the edges with yarn.
  • Blocking: Wetting and reshaping a finished piece to ensure it lies flat and has a more uniform look, especially for 100% wool rugs. 
  • Cut: Refers to the width of a wool strip for rug hooking, ranging from fine #3 cuts to wide #8 cuts.
  • Cutter/stripper: A machine that cuts wool fabric into strips.
  • Fine hooking is rug hooking with very narrow strips of fabric (typically between 1/32” and 5/32” wide) to create intricate and highly detailed designs.
  • Front side: The side of the foundation cloth where the loops or tufts show.
  • Gripper Strips: The sharp metal teeth in frames that hold the backing taut.
  • Lark’s head knot: Used in latch hooking to secure yarn to the canvas grid. Yarn is looped around the latch hook, passed through the canvas, and pulled through the loop to form and tighten the knot as the latch closes. 
  • Latch hook: A hand tool to knot short strands of yarn through a mesh canvas. It has a small, hooked end with a "latch" or lever that opens and closes.
  • Locker hook: A hand tool with a crochet-like hook on one end and a large eye on the other, used for locker hooking. It pulls loops of yarn or fabric strips through your backing canvas, while a separate yarn threaded through the eye locks the loops in place. 
  • Pile: The height of the loops or tufts of yarn or fabric visible on the front side of the backing fabric. 
  • Primitive rug hooking uses wider fabric strips (6/32" to 1/2") for a bolder, less detailed, and often more vintage or folk art style. 
  • Proddy tool: A simple, generally wooden tool, about 5 inches long with a pointed tip, designed to punch holes in backing fabric.
  • Punch needle: A hollow, pen-like tool to push thread or yarn through the backing fabric, creating loops on the opposite side. 
  • Rug canvas is a strong, open-weave fabric typically made from cotton, polyester, or a blend that comes in various mesh counts (the number of squares per inch). A higher number (5 mesh) allows for more detailed designs, while a lower number (3.75 mesh) is good for bolder patterns.
  • A rug hook has a metal tip set into a handle and resembles a crochet hook. The size and shape of the hook are chosen to work well with the width of the fabric strips or yarn being used.
  • Spring tool/bodger: A hand tool typically made of wood and metal, with a slim, pointed end that is spring-loaded. Used for proddy work.
  • A tufting gun is a handheld tool with a needle-like device that pushes yarn through a stretched cloth to form cut or looped pile. Both manual and electric tufting guns are available.

Process:

  • Trace or draw your pattern onto your backing fabric, if necessary, and stabilize the edges - hand or machine stitch near the edge, wrap the edges with masking/painters tape, or use fabric glue.
  • Stretch your backing fabric tightly in a hoop or frame. This is not necessary if you are using rug canvas.
  • Use the tool and materials dictated by your chosen technique to fill in your design section by section.
  • Complete your project by finishing the edges by hemming, binding, whipstitching, sewing on a backing, or, for tufted rugs, applying glue and backing fabric.
  • Wet finish if desired.

Variations:

The table below summarizes the similarities and differences between six hooking and tufting techniques:

Finished Appearance
Looped  Tufted 
Not Locked Locked Not Locked Knotted
Technique Rug Hooking Punch Needle Locker Hooking Proddy Tufting Latch Hooking
Tool Used Rug hook Punch Locker hook  Proddy tool or spring tool/bodger Tufting gun Latch hook
Backing Fabric Burlap, Monk’s cloth, linen, rug warp Weaver’s cloth, Monk’s cloth Rug Canvas  Linen, Monk’s cloth Primary backing cloth, Monk’s cloth Rug Canvas 
Materials Long strips of ⅛” to ½” wide wool fabric or yarn Long strips of yarn or fabric - from embroidery floss and thin yarn to ¼’ fabric strips and worsted- ½” to 1-½” strips of fabric, often cotton ½” to 1” wide by 3” to 4” long cut fabric scraps Yarn Short (2’½” long) precut pieces of acrylic or wool yarn
The side you work on Front Back Front Depends on tool: Work from the back with a proddy tool and from the front with a spring tool/bodger Back Front
Direction of Work Any direction Any direction Best to work in rows ny direction Generally, move vertically Any direction
Notes Technically, punch needle is not a hooking technique, but the end result of the two processes is identical. Tufting guns can also be modified to produce loop pile.

Beginner Project Ideas:

FAQ's:

  • Can I make part of my rug with a rug hook, and the rest of it with a punch needle? Yes! Just remember that you use a rug hook on the front side of the rug and the punch needle on the back. You might want to have your design on both sides of your backing. Some people like to do the punch needle part first, and then do the actual hooking to match the loop height of the punch. Others prefer to do the hooking first and then choose a punch needle size that matches their hooking.
  • How high should my loops be? There is no rule about loop height. Aim for between ¼” and ½” and practice to find out what height works best for you.
  • Should I fill every hole in my backing fabric? No. Every second to third hole is a good general rule.
  • What kind of wool fabric should I buy from thrift stores? Look for 80 to 100 percent wool. Experiment to see what weight of fabric you prefer - skirts, blankets, and coats are all options. 
  • Do I have to use wool? No! Various materials have different levels of durability and give different effects, so experiment and find the fabric or yarn you prefer to work with.
  • How do I fix common tufting problems? Start with this video.
  • How should I hang a hooked rug? You can pin or nail lightweight rugs directly to the wall. Alternatively, you can sew a hanging strip to the back of the rug and insert a rod to hang it from.
  • How can I repair or restore old hooked rugs? Check out the Repairing Hooked Rugs Facebook page and this Care, Cleaning, and Basic Repairs of Hooked Rugs blog post. Or, search online for a rug restoration service near you.

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