Rag Rugs

With winter firmly planted upon the plains, my thoughts turned this year not to weaving, but to rag rugs created by other methods.  I'd bought a used book last winter which broadened my rug-making horizons, and I wanted to try my hand at something other than weaving.  In August, Little Loo had chosen from my stash of sheets ones which would complement her home decor, so I might make her some area rugs, when choosing a seat by the woodstove made the most sense to frosty toes and other chilly parts.

Tiring this past week of inhaling fabric dust, blinking away bits from my eyes, and sneezing, I halted the sheet ripping process and sat down with the color strips I knew I wanted to begin and end her first rug -- a toothbrush rug -- as well as the tool Charles made out of a clothes hanger and electrical tape.  The toothbrush rug was chosen during the hours it required to sort through 1" strips of 3 sheets, removing unraveled threads and clipping the ends for later joining, for I'd pause intermittently to study rug-making in Country Rag Crafts, and reflect upon the reward I'd eventually receive from all this rote, dusty work.  This went on for hours, until I'd finally made my choice, and once the choice was made, I was ready to stop cleaning and clipping strips for a while, even though the 5 colors chosen were not all ready to roll.

As it turns out, halting the preparation process was a grand idea, because it appears this particular rug can be completed and present enough interest with the use of a single sheet.  That's owing to the sheet having had one decorative end, which presents itself intermittently throughout the rug.

But a girl can only tie so many knots before she's feeling a bit like she'd rather be doing something else for a while, so I took a break from the rug and spent an entire day studying online other rag rug-making options, and doing a little brainstorming as I stared at that knitting loom I brought in here a couple of weeks ago — having no clue it double knits, a use for which I can think of nothing appealing to me at the moment — and realized it could, without compromising the integrity of its intended use, be refashioned into a weaving loom.  So weaving a rug on a frame loom may be the next (or simultaneous) project.  And I ordered rug canvas yesterday with the eager intent to make a lock loop rug.  Again, Charles whipped out my locking tool, using his trusty knife and a wooden candy apple stick.  "What are these, and why do we have them?  I don't want to have you carve one up, if they're important."  Someone was able to recall they came to us in a bag of caramels, so they could be mine.  All mine.  I can hardly wait to tackle the lock loop project.

So ragging and rugging will be this winter's go-to projects.  And when I was asked on my recent birthday what fun things I wanted to do, I pondered only a moment before I realized my life as a keeper at home is wonderful.  Nearly every day I spend doing the things I like most to do.  Doing those things on my birthday would be perfect.  How blessed could a girl be?

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Titus 2:3-5