You say you don’t have a creative bone in your body? Three local ladies beg to differ.

Judy Brock, 75, Holly Senek, 74, and Linda Mensching, 69, belong to the Rockin’ Ruggers of Western Colorado, a local chapter of the International Association of Traditional Hooking Artists, and all three used to believe they weren’t creative.

Mensching’s niece “forced” her into trying rug hooking, and soon discovered she did indeed have a free-flowing creative spirit just waiting for the right impetus to do so. And she was hooked.

Senek started with boxed latch hook kits 40 years ago but got tired of the preprinted canvases.

“I wanted to create my own patterns,” she said.

That inspired her to take up hooking five years ago, and she hasn’t relied on other designs since.

Brock also thought her watercolorist husband, Jim, was the only artist in the family. Then her sister-in-law, Bea Brock, a nationally renowned rug hooker, insisted she try it.

The Ruggers take inspiration from everywhere. Senek hooked a colorful representation of the aspen tree outside her window. It took her a year and a half to finish, working from photos. She attached magnets to the piece and now it greets visitors at her front door.

Brock and others love demonstrating hooking. The Ruggers provide small frames, wool, and hooks so that children and others can try it.

“They love looking under the canvas to see the way the wool comes through,” she said.

Many of the hookers qualify as seniors, and the group is not limited to just ladies. Once the very short learning curve is over, hookers find the craft relaxing. It’s also a forgiving medium. If you don’t like what you see, just rip it out and redo it.

This year, the Rockin’ Ruggers hosted the first hook-in by inviting hookers from Steamboat Springs to come here and craft with them. Next year, the Steamboat Springs group will host the event.

Both Brock and Mensching teach classes, and Brock has done presentations about the history and background of rug hooking, which originated on the eastern seaboard.

Brock and Mensching have had their work featured in the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists journal. Brock creates small over-the-shoulder bags that are all original designs. Mensching is proud of her large piece that depicts her three favorite activities: hookin’, cookin’, bookin’.

If you’re interested in exploring this fascinating fiber art, contact Brock at 261-5702, or Mensching at 303-817-4314.