The rug is 22 1/2 inches by 31 1/2 inches. My husband does the design on paper from photos and then the pattern is traced onto the fabric. I then work from his design to try to keep the likeness. It is hooked in the traditional rug hooking method using just Cairngora in natural colors. Cairngora is Cairn Terrier hair blended with a small amount of sheep wool and then spun. It took about a month to spin the yarn and another month or so to hook. It is done with a continuous length of yarn that you pull through in loops from the back with a hook something like a crochet hook. I have been making rugs for about seven or eight years and use my own handspun yarn which I dye with natural dyes.

Nova Scotia and the whole of the north east is well known for rug hooking. There are several stores in my area that do nothing else from supplies, classes, finished rugs etc. They are quite expensive as they are very labour intensive. (Mine are in the $1000 range based on size etc.) Most people use woolen fabric cut into narrow strips. This is the traditional method and is done on a fine burlap mostly imported from Scotland or linen which I use as it is much stronger.

While this item is a rug, it would be gorgeous framed and put on a wall.