Haptic & Hue – "Hooky Mats and Rag Rugs: How the Art of Necessity Helped Define a Nation"

Host: Jo Andrews
Guests: Emma Tennant, Stephanie Kraus, Carol Christiansen
Date: November 6, 2025

Overview

This episode of Haptic & Hue dives into the world of hooked and rag rugs—textile art born from necessity and creativity. Host Jo Andrews explores how these handmade floor coverings, typically the work of women, evolved from humble, utilitarian objects into treasured folk art and an economic lifeline in homes across Britain, North America, and beyond. The discussion extends to the craft’s social history, the transmission and transformation of techniques, and the symbolic meanings stitched into these works, culminating in a fascinating look at Shetland’s mystical Tattit rugs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rag Rugs: A Tradition Rooted in Necessity and Community

• Origins and Functionality

  • Rag rugs, known as 'hooked rugs' in North America and 'rag rugs' or 'hooky mats' in the UK, were essential household objects, especially among working class and rural communities ([00:00–02:47]).

    “Making hooked rugs has been the work of women, and largely women whose names are lost to us… making ends meet, covering cold floors, cheaply replicating what they see out of their windows…” — Jo Andrews [00:18]

  • Though often made from economic hardship, rag rugs became vessels of creativity and even social ritual, marking transitions as they were moved through the household hierarchy ([06:16–07:22]).

• Community and Social Aspects

  • Rug making was a communal activity; frames would be set up and neighbors would gather to work, chat, and help each other ([07:22–08:05]).

    “It would be a sociable thing. People would chat like women love chatting when they do something with their hands... Quite a big thing and everyone was familiar with it.” — Emma Tennant [07:32]

2. Techniques: Hooky vs. Proggy

• Methods Defined
  • Hooky (hooked): Long strips of fabric pulled through backing to form loops—preferred for cleaner patterns.
  • Proggy (prodded): Short strips poked through the backing, resulting in a “shaggy” surface, more susceptible to dirt ([03:29–04:47]).

    “There's no knotting, there's no sewing of ends. It just holds itself together with the tension of the hessian.” — Emma Tennant [03:39]

3. Diverging Traditions: Britain vs. North America

• British Attitudes

  • In the UK, rag rugs remained associated with poverty for generations; once a family could afford a commercial carpet, the rag rug was discarded or repurposed ([08:05–09:32]).

    “As soon as you could afford to buy a rug, you bought one... For him, it was associated with, with poverty really.” — Emma Tennant [08:26]

• American Innovation and Prestige

  • In North America, hooked rugs were treasured and became heirlooms. Their designs grew more complex and highly valued as folk art, with examples preserved in major museums ([02:47–03:29], [09:01–10:52]).

    “Whereas in America they're treasured heirlooms and there's a lot of interest there...” — Emma Tennant [01:40]

  • Pre-made patterns, stamping blocks, and the influence of figures like Edward Sands Frost and Philena Moxley (Stephanie Kraus’ ancestor) standardized and popularized rug designs ([11:10–16:50]).

    “At age 19, she bought 500 of those stamping blocks from a gentleman from England... she made enough money so that she bought a piece of property in Lowell, Massachusetts, and had a house built so that her shop was in the bottom of the building...” — Stephanie Kraus [11:52]

4. The Commercialization and Artistic Recognition of Hooked Rugs

• Growth into Business
  • Rug making became lucrative: Philena Moxley’s story demonstrates how crafting could lift households economically ([11:52–12:50]).
• Kits, Patterns, and Americana
  • The American arts & crafts movement and rug collecting booms (1920s–30s) lead to widespread searching for old rugs, often decorating entire houses as folk art objects ([16:50–20:21]).

    “Literally thousands of attics and farmhouses have been searched each year in New England and Canada, and the supply in many places has given out.” — paraphrasing William Winthrop Kent [17:30]

• Restoration and Continuing Value
  • Old rugs are now professionally repaired and cared for; collections are prized by collectors ([18:40–20:21]).

    “All of these hook drugs came from New England, Pennsylvania, all along the Atlantic coast, and some into Canada... it's a job that I still have.” — Stephanie Kraus [19:00]

5. The Grenfell Mission and the Fine Art of Newfoundland Hooked Mats

• Economic Lifeline in Canada
  • Dr. Wilfred Grenfell’s mission brought professional patterns, fine technique, and market access to Newfoundland and Labrador fishers, turning rug-making into vital income ([20:57–21:59]).

    “He introduced rag rug making and got them sold at sort of proper prices... they are really beautiful.” — Emma Tennant [20:57]

• Distinguishing Features
  • Grenfell rugs: recognizably fine material and tight loops, with vivid northern motifs ([22:05]).

    “I can often tell when I see a Grenfell rug because it has very fine loops, more of a northern look to it...” — Stephanie Kraus [22:05]

6. Crossing into Art: British Rag Rugs and Modern Art Movements

• Influence of Artists and Collectors
  • Figures like Winifred Nicholson encouraged local British makers to see their work as creative and valuable, blending art and craft ([22:38–25:57]).

    “I think she'd say as I do, that there's no barrier between art and craft... the best of craftsmanship obviously becomes a work of art.” — Emma Tennant [25:04]

7. Shetland’s Tattit Rugs: Magic, Marriage, and Protection

• Special Case: Tattit Rugs

  • Tattit rugs from Shetland are pile bed covers made from handspun wool, sewn in loops onto a woven background, then cut to create a soft pile ([26:52–28:38]).

    “A Tattet rug is actually a pile bed cover… There's a woven ground… and as you go around again, you're creating a loop... The loops are then cut and this creates your pile.” — Carol Christiansen [26:52–28:38]

• Social and Symbolic Meaning

  • Often joined from two family halves as part of a marriage, these rugs bore geometric symbol patterns—circles, checkerboards, and crosses—serving as magical protection against night spirits and misfortune ([28:38–36:29]).

    “A checkerboard, by definition, has to have at least four squares. So the belief was that the Mara would count up to three and then have to start all over again...” — Carol Christiansen [33:40]

  • The symbolism of protection, comfort, and ritual persists—crosses as universal symbols of safety ([36:29–38:04]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the origins and social context

  "It played a role in defining an American vision of itself as a nation of homespun, self-reliant pioneers." — Jo Andrews [01:04]

• On poverty and pride

  “As soon as you could afford to buy a rug, you bought one… For him, it was associated with, with poverty really.” — Emma Tennant [08:26]

• On American rug collecting

  “Literally thousands of attics and farmhouses have been searched each year in New England and Canada, and the supply in many places has given out.” — paraphrased from William Winthrop Kent [17:30]

• On the transition from craft to art

  "I think she'd say as I do, that there's no barrier between art and craft...the best of craftsmanship obviously becomes a work of art." — Emma Tennant [25:04]

• On Tattit rug symbolism

  "A checkerboard, by definition, has to have at least four squares. So the belief was that the Mara would count up to three and then have to start all over again… and then they'd get so fed up with not being able to count all the squares that they would leave you alone." — Carol Christiansen [33:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–01:40] — Introduction and global context
• [02:47–04:47] — Tools, terms, and techniques (hooky vs. proggy)
• [06:16–07:22] — Social and ritual aspects in rural Britain
• [08:26–09:32] — Rag rugs and social stigma, expendability in the UK
• [11:10–16:50] — American family traditions, commercialization, and patterns
• [16:50–20:21] — Arts & crafts movement, rug collecting, and restoration
• [20:57–21:59] — Grenfell Mission and fine technique in Newfoundland
• [22:38–25:57] — Rag rugs and modern British art (Winifred Nicholson)
• [26:52–28:38] — The making of Tattit rugs, marriage symbolism
• [32:24–36:29] — Magical protection and folk beliefs in Shetland rugs
• [36:39–38:04] — Symbols of comfort, safety, and lingering meaning

Conclusion

This episode paints a rich picture of how rag and hooked rugs transcend their origins as mere utilitarian objects, bearing witness to women's skills, economic resilience, community bonds, and even universal hopes for comfort and protection. Jo Andrews and her guests show that through their tactility and tradition, these textiles continue to speak: as art, as history, and as vessels of memory.

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