In a Little Cabin in the Woods

Pond Hockey, 37" x 26", wool and white cotton T-shirts. Designed and hooked by Alberta Haslett, New Brunswick, Canada, 2011. Alberta’s inspiration for this rug was a card: “I found that card way up in the country in an old, old house. I changed things around a bit. I put stuff in maybe that wasn’t in the original picture. I think I put in the dog and the cardinals.”

Alberta Haslett lives in New Brunswick, Canada, in a cozy cabin in the woods that she built, in large measure, herself.

“I have one big bedroom and one big main room, and I have my fireplace in the room. And off on the other end is my little dining room and kitchen. I burn wood, so I have the woodstove going, and it’s very nice. It’s lovely in the winter.”

If you think this sounds like a rug hooker’s dream retreat, you wouldn’t be far wrong. It’s a busy life, filled with care of extensive gardens much of the year. But evenings when she can, and always during the winter, you’ll find Alberta hooking rugs. She averages one rug a winter, and last winter’s rug marked the end of an era for her.

Sandy Oravec is a central Pennsylvania writer and editor, former magazine assistant for RHM, an enduring fan of the magazine, and an admirer of the work of contemporary rug hooking artists.

This article is from the March/April/May 2017 issue. For more information on our issues, check out our issues page.