A hooked or a knotted rug consists of a pile surface attached to a rug base.
The main difference between the two types of rugs is the way that the pile is attached to the base.
With a hooked rug the pile is threaded through the rug base, while a knotted rug,is tied onto the rug base.
There are two ways of forming a hooked rug- with a hook or with a punch - needle.
There are also two ways of making a knotted rug,with a latch hook or with a tapestry needle and stitches.
Generally the pile of a hooked rug is short and,and most of the time it's loops are uncut.
The pile of a knotted rug is long and shaggy.
If a knotted rug is made with a latch hook, it will have a cut pile,if it is made with stitches, the pile can be cut or uncut.
Variations can be introduced once you become familiar with the craft.
If you are designing your own rug, you will have to transfer your design to the rug base.
There are four techniques of transferring a design, the method you choose will depend on whether the rug base is fabric or canvas.
If you choose a fabric base there is a choice of three transfer methods.
One is to re draw the lines of the design with a transfer pencil and apply heat to the re-drawn lines so they will transfer to the fabric.
Second is the pricking transfer method, in which pounce is used with a dress maker's pencil.
The lines of the design are separated and pounce is patted through the holes onto the fabric, the pencil is used to connect the dots.
The third fabric method is to trace the design with dressmaker's carbon paper and a tracing wheel.
If the rug base is canvas, transfer the design by putting the drawing under the canvas and using a wide tipped felt marker to draw the design onto the canvas.
To make a rug using the punch needle method, you need a base fabric,yarn,and a punch needle.
The pile is formed by bringing the needle in and out of the base of the fabric.
Burlap makes a good base material.
The yarn does not need to be any certain weight or texture, but rug and tapestry yarn works best.
Punch needles come in many different sizes to suit many different weights of yarn.
Always make sure that the yarn can pass easily through the eye of the needle.
A knotted rug made with a latch hook is one in which the yarn is tied onto the canvas with a latch hook.
The pile is determined by the type of yarn used and it's length before knotting.
Rug yarn is heavy and smooth.
If other types of yarn are used, they must be cut into pieces that are twice the desired pile length for the knot.
The knotted method is better for undetailed designs.