After you've mastered the basics of hooking and designing rugs, kick your art up a notch with your own artistic vision and personal touches. The creative approaches and techniques in this book will help you make every piece extra special and uniquely yours! • Hooking realistic portrait rugs • Awareness rugs—create art with a message • Special borders and embellishments • Steampunk designs

Top artisans have added technically innovative methods to this traditional craft and the results are visually stunning. Using many magnificent examples of finished works, from landscapes to whimsical animals to flowers and fruits, a longtime rug hooker shows how to incorporate alphabets and adapt patterns and borders, deleting what you don't want and substituting what you like. Play with texture and color, following the tips of four unique craftswomen. Put the guidance on stitching, designing, and developing a style to work instantly, on 10 original projects, plus sample alphabets, all created by these creative professionals.

* Design elements every rug hooker should know

"Everything's readied for the first-time hooker, from color photographs to information on hooks, frames, wools and dyeing, among other topics."--Booklist, Top Ten Craft and Hobby Books "One of the best beginner's rug-hooking books to come along in a long time."--Library Journal With these easy-to-follow instructions, plus dozens of photographs, worksheets, patterns, and projects, any beginner can make beautiful rugs and other hooked decorative items. From preparing and dying the wool to producing and transferring patterns, all the fundamentals are here. Hook a simple design on a Checkerboard Pillow. Add a border and practice finishing techniques on a Circle and Star Rug. Create a face on a Rug Doll. Or go beyond the basics and try larger projects, such as turning rugs into wearables and crafting coordinated room d�cor.

Finishing techniques from expert teachersStep-by-step photographsCare and cleaning of hooked rugsIncludes whipped, knit, crocheted, and braided edges Every rug hooker needs a resource for edge finishes. This comprehensive book covers eight different techniques, providing helpful tips and suggestions for professional looking edges. Includes a range of styles from simple whipping to complex combinations of hooking and braiding. Contributors are teachers, designers, and artists well known for their fine work and innovative techniques. Step-by-step color photos show you how. A must-have for rug hookers everywhere.

Anne-Marie Littenberg is a well-known author and fiber artist. She teaches how to capture personalities and likenesses in wool in hooked rugs, an exciting current trend. Tips and tricks will add depth, dimension, and emotion. There is also a section for capturing the personality of your dog or cat.

Rug hooking tools and equipment made simple, from advice on choosing the perfect wool to finishing your hooked rug. • Step-by-step instructions on how to hook a rug • How to draw your own pattern • Troubleshooting and tips for new rug hookers • 8 projects with patterns and complete instructions