How to create your own Texture Sampler

Textured wool (anything that is not solid) can be tricky especially if the repeat is large, but these wools often make the most interesting backgrounds.

When I first started teaching in 2000, I was the only teacher with textured wools. My students had not been exposed to them and many did not know what the textures looked like hooked.

I created my first texture sampler so that when I suggested a wool, I could also show the student what the wool looked like hooked.

Different parts of a plaid will look differently. You can create a block for each section if you like.

*Most of the wools on this sampler have been discontinued.

How to Create a Texture Sampler

1. Use a scrap piece of backing. An old pattern on a backing you no longer like to use or a design that you will never hook is a great source.
2. Draw lines. I like a block of hooking that is 1.5″ x 1.5″ and a flat area that is 1.5″ x 3″.
3. Roughly sew down the piece of flat wool.
4. Hook the square.

*This is a great project for group meetings or the twice a week hook-in. Here’s the next event:

Other Texture Samplers

Experiment and get creative!

I never finished this one but I did have fun experimenting with Kris Miller in making some creative stitches. More training on creative stitches in in the course included in The Rug Hooking Journey.

Here’s the sampler for that course so far:

Does not need a fancy finish

You can tell that over time, I paid less attention to making my sampler look good. No wool binding on this one but it has served me well. The edge of the rug warp is zig zagged but no other finish has been applied. The texture sampler works just as well!

No flat piece

This one was an epic fail. I was very familiar with the wools be I noticed that I occasionally had trouble recognizing which wool I planned to use. The plan was to have every square have its own number A1 or K9, etc. and then have a key that told me which wool that was. You really need the visual trigger next to the hooked wool to tell you what that wool looks like flat.

Someday I will cut this up and make a small mat or two.

The Results

The amazing thing is that over time you will begin to predict what a wool will look like. A blue check and a red check of the same size will create the same type of pattern. Creating a texture sampler could actually save you money because you will know or at least have an idea of what the wool will look like.