A Week in Rugs

I’ve been busy, busy, busy making a variety of rag rugs and a weaving over the past week. I thought I’d just post some photos of my creations.

 

Wednesday Night Project 161209 – A Little Late – introducing howies

This weeks Wednesday Night Project takes an unusual format. Instead of providing inspiration for the forthcoming weekend I thought I would let you know what I’m working on at the moment and hopefully provide you with some inspiration too.

I’m currently working on producing a few of my rugs purely from recycled howies fabrics. If you aren’t familiar with howies then why not visit them here and learn more.
About howies

our beliefs

A higher quality product will invariably last longer. It will keep on performing as it was designed to for longer before it finally needs replacing. And so over its lifespan it will have consumed less valuable resources than an inferior product that will have been replaced many times.
That's why we make the best quality products that we know how. Because ultimately the best thing we can do for the environment is to make our stuff last a real long time.

Functionality

We believe in making products that serve a purpose and that stand the test of time. We avoid the fashions of the day and just ensure our products are as functional and as simple as possible.
'That which has the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty'.

Our Purpose

Why are we in business? For us it is not as simple to make a profit. Like any company we require a profit to stay in business. But it is not the reason we are in business. The thing that has not changed from day one is the desire to make people think about the world we live in. This is, and always will be, why we are in business.

Earth Tax

We pledge to give 1% of our turnover or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-root environmental and social projects. To find out more about our donations, please visit the website. It is only a small amount but as our company grows we will be able to give more. Which gives us a nice reason to want to grow.

Fun

We are trying to get the balance right between work and play. Whenever a real nice day comes along, it'd be a shame to waste it. So if you phone up and no-one answers, don't worry. We are out there doing what we love. So leave a message and we'll get back to you in a while.

The rocking chair test

Every product we make has passed the 'rocking chair test'. This is something we use to guide us along the path we are taking. So when we are old and grey and sitting in our rocking chairs, we can look back on the company we created with a smile. That's why we go to the trouble of using the best quality materials to make sure our clothing lasts longer. The longer our products last the less impact they will have on the environment, and the bigger our smile will be.



Why not order yourself a copy of the fabulous howies catalogue here?

OK so back to the rugs below I include various pictures of WIPs (Works in Progress) for your eyes to feast upon. As many of you will know I’m passionate about recycling and I would say up cycling but that concept just grates. I like make do and mend, I love the idea that everything has a possibility of a new life beyond our restricted beliefs of faddy consumerism. Don’t throw it away, don’t bin it and don’t jam up our land with landfill.
Look at things differently, see the possibilities, go create. Repair, reuse, donate don’t dump. So why would you put all you old clothes and fabrics in the bin ? when you could create enduring, and I believe, beautiful pieces that are functional and good to look at, just like my rugs. I’m pleased to be working with howies fabrics and it’s brings further reinforcement to the howies ethos and range of howies Hand-Me-Down.
We live in times of limited resources but unlimited desire to consume them. The answer though is real simple: to consume less as a consumer; to make a better designed product as a manufacturer.
Going forward we will have to take more responsibility for our consumption. The manufacturer and the consumer will both have to share that responsibility.
We live in interesting times.
From where we stand as a manufacturer, a product that keeps working for longer uses less-resources in the end. The key ingredients to this are quality and good design.
To make something well, you know, the best you can do, means going that extra mile. Every stitch, every zip, every little feature considered. The weakest points made strong. Then, and only then, can we say that we have fully understood the responsibility of making something.
This product is guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years from the date of original purchase. The chances are it will last a good deal longer than that. So now you have to decide whom you’d like to hand this product down to? Err??


 



 

And just in case you hadn’t quite got it yet – the reasons why I love howies…

They are genuine

They are authentic

They share a lots of my values

They like to have fun

They walk the walk not just talk in’ the talk

They believe in fun (just like the Cat in the Hat)

My Howies football – 100% recycled for a good kick about.

They have a really fabulous catalogue that is about people, beliefs, ethos and fun – not just trying to sell product.

They listen to their customers

They actively encourage you to think check out brainfood

Oh and they have some great clothes especially popular at our house are t-shirts. The most coveted, faded, worn- almost-to-death or hidden are:-

Life For a Limited Period Only

Brand New Logo Same Shit Company

Pick up your guitar and play

Check their site out howies co uk

Flower Rag Rug Crochet

Here we have the results of my experiment with the various shapes that can be created and achieved with rag rugs. Here I began with a circle for my rag rug tutorial you can read it here
I decided to try out making a flower as it isn’t something that I’ve seen before in the rag rug world. I love the whole practice of working with recycled fabrics and sustainability. I love the exploratory nature of design and construction. The rugs themselves become little works of art that will last for years and years to come. No one has been exploited in the process and no materials are wasted.
I happen to think they are particularly interesting and pretty to boot. I recently set up a group on flickr for other rag rug makers to contribute to. Please do go and have a look there if you are interested in rag rugs either to look at or to make. You can find the group here

Here is the rug before I had a play with the photograph.

For more exclusive patterns and handmade creations please click here http://www.folksy.com/shops/Thesunroom

Circular Crochet Rag Rug – Instructions

Circular Crochet Rag Rug Tutorial

This pattern is for a circular rag rug to illustrate the process of crocheting a rag rug in the round. Once you understand this concept you can then choose a variety of patterns to work with - ovals, squares, rectangles or even a hexagon.
A rag rug crochets up fairly quickly but the time consuming aspect is in the preparation. You will need to gather a variety of fabrics to cut and turn into your yarn. Think about the properties of any particular fabric you choose - is it stretchy, flexible, coarse, closely woven. Is it likely to fray? Although most fabrics do initially shed some fibres some materials are worse than others.
You will need a fairly large hook I always use 10mm but anything between 10mm and 15mm would be suitable. I find a 15mm hook a tad unwieldy in the hand.
Your next job is going to be to cut the yarn into strips with as few joins as possible. To avoid too many knots cut in a zigzag style from side to side or cut from out edge in a spiral manner to the centre. The fabric should be approximately 2cms wide or 1”. This measurement is not cast in stone and there will be slight variations in the width which is a natural property of any handmade crocheted rag rug. Roll the yarn into balls. It is difficult to estimate the amount of fabric required but I always find it is more than you might initially anticipate. If you prepare approx 5 different colours/patterns to begin with you should then be able to estimate how much more is required to complete the project.
If you are not used to using your hands intensively you may end up with aching hands during the cutting up stage - I think in my eagerness I even ended up with a blister or two. It is worth preparing the yarn in advance as it can become frustrating to have to stop crocheting to do more cutting up. It will also take a while to get used to working with such a large hook and fabric as it it is a very different experience to crocheting with yarn.
As you become more familiar with the process you will learn to assess which fabrics work best for you and your design. You will also learn when you need to make additional increases etc to stop the rug curling. The structure of a crocheted rag rug is synergistic each separate stitch is dependant upon all other stitches and the properties of the fabrics used.
1. Chain 3
 
2. Join the ring with a sl st, ch 1 and then sc x 5 into the ring, join the circle with a sl st.

3. ch 1, (It may be useful at this stage to start marking the beginning of your round with a safety pin). sc x2 into each st,then join with a sl st.
4. ch 1, *sc twice into next st, sc 1 in next st* ** rep to end, join with sl st.

5. ch 1, *sc twice into next st, sc 1 in next st* ** rep to end, join with sl st.

6. Now begin working in the round (no more ch at beg of row and no more sl st) *sc twice into next st, sc 1 in next st* ** rep to end.
7. Continue to use pin to mark your rounds. 1 sc into each st. 

8. 1 sc into next 3 st, sc x2 into next st and every 4th st to end of round.
 
9. 1 sc into next 4 st, sc x2 into next st and every 5th st to end of round.

10. Complete 1 round 1 sc in each st to end.
11. sc x 2 into 1 st, sc for next 3 st, sc next st and every 4th st to end of round.
12. Complete 1 round 1 sc in each st to end.
13. sc x 2 into 1 st, sc for next 3 st, sc next st and every 4th st to end of round.
14. Complete 1 round 1 sc in each st to end.
Continue with these rounds (13 & 14) until work measures required diameter.
At this point my rug measures 19” diameter.

You can keep going here for as long as you like – but be warned they can become difficult to work with after a 4-5ft diameter.
Here is one of my earlier rugs and this reached approx 6ft.
Note: If your rug begins to wrinkle you are increasing too often – reduce amount of increase for 1 round.
If your rug begins to curl upwards, like a bowl you are not increasing enough. 
Happy Rug Making.

Heart Rag Rug Crochet

Here we have it my newest crochet rag rug. I started and completed this yesterday and think it’s exceptionally pretty and so I’ve named it ‘Pretty in Pink.

As you will see I’ve been experimenting with photographs and making mosaics. I think I’ve been avoiding doing Isaac’s blanket – which needs to be finito by Friday, yikes. I was working on his blanket before 7am this morning in an effort to gain some ground.
Much as I love this pretty in pink heart rug I have decided to sell it. If you are interested in purchasing this rug please email me for details.

 Available to purchase SOLD

This rug would be perfect for a little girl, teen girl or a big girls boudoir, I really do love this one off and the colours are sublime.

I will be blogging a ‘crochet rag rug tutorial’ next week so get cutting your fabric and check back soon.

Rug Pattern Inspirations - Vintage