Rug of the Month: January 2019

In the spirit of the New Year (and new beginnings), Ania has decided to feature a project that she originally created to teach for a beginners rug hooking class. When she was tasked with finding a fun and easy project for beginners, Ania decided to teach them mug rugs!

Take a look at some of the mug rugs Ania has created below, and read the rest of the post if you’re interested in learning more about this project.

Examples of Ania’s recently completed mug rugs.

Why did you decide to create these rugs? 

At first it was for fun. It’s a simple easy thing to do. It’s an ideal project for a beginner class of any age. I decided they would be great for a beginner class I was teaching at my local library.

Is this project different from normal rug hooking projects? Did you modify the project to make it easier for beginners? 

The finishing is extremely easy. You completely bypass whipping. Instead, you finish it with a raw edge that doesn’t unravel and a felt backing glued on.

Otherwise, it’s ideal for beginners because it’s small and involves very simple hooking. All you need to do is pull loops through the backing. It enables beginners to get a feel for the process.

The felt backing is simply glued on.

What are the benefits to making mug rugs? Why might a more advanced hooker want to create mug rugs as well?

Outside of teaching beginners, mug rugs are a great way to quickly use up excess wool. For the mug rugs pictured here I just used left over noodles from my stash.

These also make great quick gifts!

Ania picked noodles at random to hook these mug rugs.

Is there anything else of note about this project? 

You can adapt this project to make it more advanced as well –  you can adjust the pattern so that it’s more intricate. You can make seasonal mug rugs for easy decorations – hearts for Valentine’s Day, pumpkins for fall or Halloween, etc. You could hook a mug rug for every day of the year!

As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below!