Knit and Crocheted Rugs

It's May and I was under the impression that it should be warming up some.  Instead, when my feet hit the floor this morning, they got chilly quickly.  So I'm think about rugs of some sort.  Just a little something to keep my tootsies warm. 

I checked out http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/rugs.php  and found 89 crocheted rug patterns.

The sister site http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/rugs.php had 25 knitted rug patterns.

Ravelry.com is another huge website for several kinds of crafts. You have to sign up to get a screen name and password, but then have access to patterns, ideas, community chat, etc.  When I went to http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/  and put "rugs" into the search bar, I found 20 pages of patterns.  I loved some of the crocheted "quilt rugs".  The piecework was beautiful.

The Lion Brand yarn website has 9 knit patterns and 7 for crocheted rugs including this spiral one which rather intrigues me.  If I were to make this rug, I might extend the last taper a little more to smooth out the edge.  If you wish to look at this pattern, it is called "Shaker-Inspired Rug".


Happy crafting,

Kathi

Cold Floors

Winter. When I hit the bare floors with my bare feet, I know for certain which season it is. So maybe crocheting can provide me a remedy.

If you have any old clothes hiding in the back of the closet, you can cut them into strips. www.about.com suggests that your fabric be cut on the bias so it won't ravel too much. Sew the ends of the strips together to give the best strength and the longest wear. Single crochet the rug in any shape that suits you. The oval ones are pleasant to look at but might not serve the purpose for which you are making it. For instance, I might be inclined to make a simple rectangle to lie in front of the sink. www.crochetcentral.com has patterns for using yarn to make rugs. There are dozens of patterns. Some have loops, or designs crocheted into the body of the work, or simple and fast ones.

If you want to try another type of craft with the same strips, you can try your hand at a braided rug or a simple woven rug. The library can furnish you with patterns and techniques for all of the above either in-house or borrowing from another library. www.youtube.com has videos showing how to make rugs on looms or with braids, and www.ehow.com shows how to make a braided rug lay flat.