It has never ceased to amaze us how a little town by the name of Cheticamp, situated on the bluffs of Cape Breton's windy west coast, has become so well known across Canada and indeed the continent. Cheticamp is a closely-knit French speaking community originally settled by Acadians. Hugging the treeless windswept coast, the houses in the town are full of pride - all very neat and carefully kept. Just as the fishing boats keep the men busy during the year, hooking keeps the ladies busy.

Although the exact origins of the craft are unknown, it is likely that originally, scraps of worn clothing were cut into strips and drawn through a hand-woven linen backing. Later, burlap was substituted as the backing material and sheep's wool was carded, spun, dyed and hooked through to create finer, more elaborately patterned mats for the pioneer homes. The French Acadian settlers tended towards subtle floral designs and these designs became more and more popular over the years.

Although the hookers now purchase rather than hand-spin the wool, the ladies of Cheticamp still dye the wool themselves to achieve the traditional shades of colour. The backing material is still burlap which is stretched over a wooden hooking frame. The very fine two-ply wool is held under the burlap and drawn upwards between the burlap fibers with a hook resembling a tiny crochet hook. The pattern is therefore worked from the right side and unlike the latch-hooking , the strands of wool used in the Cheticamp style of work are continuous.