The art of rug hooking is centuries old, although just how old is debatable.
Theories abound regarding when and where the craft actually started.
Some rug hooking history books state that descendants of the ancient Egyptians made the first hand-hooked rugs between the third and seventh centuries. Other historians maintain that rug hooking originated in China or Europe. However, many authorities now believe that rug hooking is America s one indigenous folk art, with the first hooked rugs appearing in Atlantic Canada and New England. We do know for certain, however, that rug hooking experienced a surge of popularity in the mid-nineteenth century in the New England states and the Maritime provinces of Canada. Born initially out of necessity, hand-hooked rugs were created by rural women to cover the bare floors of their homes.