You are reading

Hooked: Crystal Ross’s Playful Handmade, Hand-Dyed Wool Rugs

SearchJoinLogin
Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Hooked: Crystal Ross’s Playful Handmade, Hand-Dyed Wool Rugs

SearchJoinLogin
Advertisement

Hooked: Crystal Ross’s Playful Handmade, Hand-Dyed Wool Rugs

by Published: July 27, 2023

Many of us took up a domestic art or two during the pandemic—cooking, knitting, gardening—but most of us can’t say that we grew our hobby into a business. Crystal Ross can.

“It took me a while to find my way, so I tend to credit the pandemic for giving me the time and space to evaluate my path,” says Crystal. A trained fine artist, she started hooking rugs as a creative outlet when seemingly the entire world shut down. The craft wasn’t exactly new to her, though: Her maternal grandparents, Gérard and Annie-Rose Deveau, were both revered rug-hooking artisans and educators from Chéticamp, Nova Scotia, a community known as the birthplace of rug hooking.

“They were almost always working on something when we’d visit, with a rug set up on a hooking frame,” remembers Crystal, who tried the handicraft as a teen but “felt intimidated and insecure, as teens often are.” Given her birthright, it was almost inevitable that she would find her way to rug hooking again.

“In my early art-making days, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just contributing to the ‘stuff’ in the world. But rug hooking quelled that feeling by checking all my boxes: It gave me creative freedom, used sustainable, hard wearing materials that could fully biodegrade given the right environment, and it was a craft that I really felt connected to,” says Crystal, who makes her rugs in her home studio in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Does she see her rugs and pillows as art or utilitarian objects? “Both! That’s the thing about craft, isn’t it? That said, I do get a thrill when people stomp their feet on my work—it’s built for it, and I think it’s such a fun connection point.”

Here’s a sampling of her cheerful and whimsical work.

Photography courtesy of Crystal Rugs.

crystal&#8\2\17;s designs have folk art roots but feel modern thanks to bri 17
Above: Crystal’s designs have folk art roots but feel modern thanks to bright and unexpected palettes. “I’ve got a lot of influences, the biggest being older generations of Nova Scotian folk artists, and the very early days of rug hooking—when commercial patterns were scarce and women would draw their own designs based on what they saw (or imagined). Such an earnest way of bringing art into the home, and a really exciting time in craft history.”
&#8\2\20;i&#8\2\17;m drawn to a playful look that embraces warm color,  18
Above: “I’m drawn to a playful look that embraces warm color, texture, subtle imperfection—or, as I like to think of it, the mark of an individual craftsperson pushing against machine-made reproductions.”
Above: In addition to flower motifs, Crystal often incorporates domesticated animals like cats and horses into her pieces.
like her grandparents, crystal dyes the wool herself. she uses cotton backing i 21
Above: Like her grandparents, Crystal dyes the wool herself. She uses cotton backing instead of the the burlap/jute they used, though, which can degrade when exposed to moisture.
a sweet pompom&#8\2\17;d rug. all of crystal&#8\2\17;s hooked pieces ar 22
Above: A sweet pompom’d rug. All of Crystal’s hooked pieces are made without the use of adhesives, which, according to her website, “eat away at wool fibers, and make cleaning, repairing, and restoring extremely difficult.”
crystal also makes pillows and these nifty wool trivets. 23
Above: Crystal also makes pillows and these nifty wool trivets.
crystal setting up a new rug on her frame. she sources all her wool from the ca 24
Above: Crystal setting up a new rug on her frame. She sources all her wool from the Canadian Maritimes and mixes her own dyes on the stovetop. “I’m working through commissions and a book at the moment, so new work is sporadic, but come 2024 I’ll have lots to show!”

See also:

(Visited 5,715 times, 2 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Frequently asked questions

Hooked rugs are a type of rug that is created by pulling loops of fabric or yarn through a backing material using a hook tool. This technique results in a textured pile surface that can be both durable and visually appealing.

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation (0)