A quick way to cut short strips to “proddy"
by Mary Jane Peabody *
* Mary Jane Peabody is a member
of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, in Vermont. She
also belongs to the ATHA and the Hilltop Rug Hookers, New
London, NH. She is a juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen and,
when living in England,
she
is a member of the Lunesdale Rug Hookers.
1. Get a 10 to 12-inch (30
cm) dowel ** about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter ***. A hard
wood like maple is preferable to a soft wood such as pine.
2.
Cut a 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) deep groove along the length of the dowel. (Have the
lumber yard or a friend with a router do this for you.).
3. Cut the wool into long strips, in whatever width
you require. I use 3/4-inch (2 cm) or so. Some
people use slightly narrower strips.
4. Starting with one end of the strip, just at the
groove of the dowel, wind the long strip of wool around the dowel, taking care
to overlap the edges of the wool as you coil it down the dowel. (It should look
like a corkscrew.)
5. After you have wrapped the wool strip, place one
end of the opened scissors into the groove of the dowel and cut the fabric you
have wound around the dowel. In this manner, you get several short strips of
wool ready to be “proddied” in your rug.
* Mary Jane Peabody is a member
of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, in Vermont. She
also belongs to the ATHA and the Hilltop Rug Hookers, New
London, NH. She is a juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen and,
when living in England,
she
is a member of the Lunesdale Rug Hookers.
** A dowel is a long, round piece of wood or
other material.
*** A
1-inch diameter (2.5 cm) dowel will produce strips that are about 3-3/4-inches
(9.5 cm) long. For thinner strips, use a smaller diameter dowel.
