Dates: Saturday, August 22

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Instructor: Linda Raether

Ages: 8 and up

In this multi-age workshop, participants will learn the basic hand-hooking stitch and proddy. Proddy is a stitch used in hand-hooking to give dimension and is often used to make petals. Students will hook and prod one six-inch, daisy-like flower from various colors of wool cloth. A large selection of colors will be available from which to choose. Students will hook the center of the flower, cut flower petals from wool cloth, and prod them into the linen backing. Students can choose to finish their flower as a garden poke or a pin. All supplies and materials are included. All skill levels are welcome!

Proddy is a special technique used in hand-hooking rugs to give a shaggy, three-dimensional texture. Short strips of wool, often cut in various shapes, are poked or prodded through a linen backing. Unlike the smooth finish resulting from hooked loops of fibers, proddy produces a fluffy, shaggy look.

Instructor Bio & Artist Statement: Linda Raether – Fiber Artist:

Although a biologist by training, Linda has always dabbled in fiber: sewing, embroidery, quilting, cross-stitch, knitting, crochet are all a part of her life and her family history. When she stumbled onto rug hooking a decade ago, she was instantly smitten. Currently, she teaches rug hooking classes, designs rug hooking kits and patterns, and hand-dyes most of the wool fibers she uses in her work. Her hand-hooked landscapes have been exhibited at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts, the Museum of Wisconsin Art, and the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. Her work has also been published in Uppercase Magazine and in the ATHA (Association of Traditional Hooking Artists) Art of Rug Hooking magazine.