Rugs are great accents for all parts of your home. They make cute kitchen mats, bathroom mats, or welcome mats. A crochet rug is easy to make, but you can make it as complicated as you’d like. They’re practical and fun, and you can use a variety of different materials for all kinds of different effects.
Crochet rugs also make great gifts. You can gift them for birthdays, Christmas, wedding showers, or for no reason at all. Let’s take a look at how to make a crochet rug with some fun tips, examples, and techniques.
Choose Your Style
You can typically pick a crocheted rug out of a lineup because it has a particular style. It’s round or oval, and it’s made from a distinct pattern or stitch. You can also construct rows to form a rectangle. What you choose to do will depend on its function.
If you put it in an area with a lot of foot traffic, you need to use a durable material that you can wash easily and pick a color that doesn’t show dirt. If you want to use it for decoration, you should focus on the right colors and patterns that will fit the space.
Yarn and Other Materials
Different materials handle differently so consider what you want to use it for before you start.
Yarn Rug
Using yarn to make a rug is a great way to get rid of extra yarn you have at home that might be too scratchy or rough to make clothes. Yarn that irritates your skin can feel surprisingly good under your feet. Look for durability and washability in your yarn for something that’s easy to care for and will last.
Bulky Yarn
It’s fun to make rugs out of bulky yarn because it’s easy and fast and the end product is very sturdy. They make great outdoor rugs because they can withstand the weather better than other types of yarn that are more thin and fragile.
Rag Rugs
Perhaps you never thought to make a rug out of old rags, but you can make a rug out of any old scraps that you can make into a pliable yarn-like fabric. Rags and old tee shirts are the most common items, and it’s a neat way to repurpose your old clothes.
Find a Rug Pattern
When selecting your rug pattern, you may want to consider things like skill level or adaptability. If you’re creative, you may choose to create your own, which is also a great option. There are many different free patterns out there to choose from.
Skill Level
The pattern you choose will have a skill level listed. If you don’t know what your skill level is, look at the stitches the pattern requires to make sure you know how to perform them. You can also find a tutorial on those stitches to see how difficult they may be to learn.
Adaptability
If you can’t find the perfect rug pattern, see how difficult it might be to adjust the pattern to your needs. Make sure you know how to resize it or use a different gauge hook and yarn. You also want to make sure the finished product will help you accomplish the goal of the rug.
Crochet Your Rug
The prep work listed above is critical to starting your project. At this point, you should be ready to crochet! Pay attention to all the instructions, so you don’t miss increases in stitches. If you’re making a circular rug and it starts to curl, add extra stitches with your row increases.
It’s important to stay organized while working on a large project like a rug. Use a yarn bowl to keep different colors from getting tangled. When you’re done, tie in loose ends, make sure your knots are secure and well hidden, and rinse and dry your completed rug before using.
Crochet rugs are great projects for beginners, but crocheters of all ages can enjoy making something they can use or give as a gift. There are plenty of free crochet patterns available for all ages, skill levels, and types of rugs.
