I need a GREAT big rug...Rug finished, see first post for pics.

[shelain22]

I have hard wood floors in every room in my house, and no rugs. We have never been able to afford one, and now that we can, I have been putting it off because I want to make them myselfe. I have a large living room and 4 kidos as well as 2 others that I babysit, and I desperately need something to soften falls. I like tis pattern http://www.freepatterns.com/fp_pdfs/Other/Crochet/Easy_Scrap_Rug.pdf

But it needs to be at leastdouble in size, how would I do that? Also, what are my options with rag crochet? I have wanted to try it. I like the look of rhe braided ruggs like this http://rugsusa.com/150wheat.html , can those be hand made? Any help would be apreciated!

huggs

Val

 

well, its not exactly round, it still needs a backing, but the kidos like it and it was for them anyway!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/shelain22/therug.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/shelain22/theylikeit.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/shelain22/01010034.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/shelain22/01010020.jpg

[cupcake]

Hi there,

a few years back I went through a floor rug craze. Here they are:

 

the blue round rug. Yes, that is my thong so you get a size perspective:

 

 

The apricot/pink oval rug:

 

 

.....and the multicoloured round mat in my daughters room, This is quite old and the colours have faded afters years of being thrown in the washing machine and hung out to dry! Because I am a show off, you might also take time to admire the colourful rug on the bed!

 

 

I have also made some smaller versions whcih I use in the kitchen to protect the bench top.

 

 

 

So, as you can see I have these every where!

 

My advise is :

 

Start small. A bench top project will give you an idea of what tension is required.

 

I sorted my colours because I am a bit of a colour fanatic.

 

I tore the strips. The threads crotchet in just fine and give a more rustic look.

 

I discovered that if I tore across to the last 2 cm, and then tore back, I was able to make some quite long strips without having to join the ends together. If you are using jeans, sleeves etc you may be able to spiral cut arround. As a rule, the heavier the fabric, the thinner the strips can be. I used about 1-2cm/1 inch.

 

Joins are a pain, but I did these on my trusty sewing machine when I needed to.

 

As for a pattern, I dont use one, but if you feel you need a guide, I suggest a plain round placemat or coaster pattern to get you started so you get the increase right. It really is only an issue of proportion.

 

The work can get quite heavy, so these projects are not for the weak wristed! Seriously, I am sure I built up my arm muscles quite a bit doing these.

 

Oh and I have 4 kiddos as well and these have really survived lifes rich experiences from puke to poo! The oldest rug is probably about 20 years old now, as my daughter has just graduated from Uni!

 

I hope this information is of some help. They are a lot of fun to make and very satisfying!

[TepperWear]

I bought a crochet rag rug book from someone on the internet. I started to make it, but I'm having such a hard time making the strips. If I cut them it takes way too long, if I rip them the fabric gets stringy and I tried using a roller blade and it's just too hard to cut long fabric. I bought all these sheets to use, and now they're just sitting there.

[yarnbunny]

I found the rug leaflet I was telling you about. It is Leisure Arts Leaflet 2269 Lace Rugs to Crochet Five designs by Anne Halliday. If you're interested and can't find it anywhere, pm me.

Zella

[lizc]

nice looking rug!

[shelain22]

Thanks so much, I would love the info on both accounts, and faith, I guess I just had a DUH moment. I didnt even look! Thanks fo rpointing that out for me.

[faithpa76]

It tells you in the instructions how to make it bigger! If the proportion is okay, you would just keep making more rows until it's big enough. If you need it longer, you'd just add to the number of chains at the beginning.

 

The other rug you like - I don't think that's fabric, but I have made something similar with fabric (a braided rug). It's pretty time consuming and the one I made was all handstitched. If you're interested I can see if I can find some instructions for you - they really do look beautiful and cozy.

[yarnbunny]

I have a rug pattern from a Leisure Arts booklet. I don't know the name of the booklet and I am at work now. I'll get that info to you later this evening when I'm home. Anyway, the rug is round and it is five feet in circumference. I've made two and just love them. They are completely washable and I can throw them in the dryer too!

 

I also like the rug you posted. You should be able to make it bigger by using a "Q" hook and 5 or 6 strands of yarn. Of course, that would make it a looser stitch. I would think you could just add more rounds, increasing stitches as you go until you get the size you want.

Zella

 

The braided rug you show can be handmade. My great-grandpa used to make them all the time out of plactic bread sacks--you know Wonder Bread and such. Anyway, he died when I was very little and unfortunately that art died with him. However, I have seen patterns for cloth braided rugs in the Annies Attic catalogs. You might check there.