There are many different rag-rug designs out there from tufted/knotted rugs to woven rugs. I didn’t want to spend any money making this rug so unlike the common knotted rag-rugs where you need to buy a special backing, I wanted to use what I’ve got laying around the house. On Pinterest I found these cool rugs made by creating your own structure with the help of a hula-hoop. Oh and I forgot to mention that this will be for my very old cat of 17 years! and not for Hansel who photo-bombs my pics.
What you need :
- 2 – 3 of your boyfriend’s old t-shirts (or ones you hate), depending on the size of rug you want to make.
- Hula hoop
- Fabric scissors
Cut your t-shirts up into continuous strip roughly 2cm in width, I found that 1 x t-shirt made a big ball of yarn.
Then tie an odd number of strands of yarn to your hula-hoop (I did 27), trying to make sure that they are evenly spaced. Notice that I’m a messy crafter and I’ve not really been too neat or evenly spaced them so chill out if it’s not mm perfect, it is a rag-rug after all.
Starting from the centre, weave your ball of t-shirt yarn in and out of your hula frame. Try not to do it too tight, do it slightly loose and then knock the yarn towards the centre. This makes a fluffier rug rather than a tight weave.
Beware, putting it down may attract naughty cats, they will try and slow down your progress.
Once you have got the rug to the size you’d like, cut the supporting yarn off the hula-hoop and tie the loose strands together. Not pulling too tight as it will curl up. This will now look a little messy around the edges but with some more yarn and a big crochet hook, crochet two rows around the edge. When you have done the first row, flip the rug over and continue to crochet a second row.
When I got to this stage it was much more solid but I found that there were a few areas that I could tighten up, so I did neaten it up with a needle and thread. Just a simple running stitch in the areas of concern. Now it’s perrrrrfect for my very cold and incredibly old cat named MAN.
And here he is, Man the cat himself LOVING the rug.
If you need any craft supplies such as crochet hooks or even want to try this technique with bought textile yarn, these supplies may help.
Boodles Textile Yarn , Bamboo Crochet Hook , Rag Rug making book
Enjoy! If you make any please send me the pics!
Hx