How to Crochet a 'Rag Rug'

March 6, 2011:  I've been wanting to add some "quick" videos to show the process for using flat and fitted sheets to make continuous balls of materials to crochet rag rugs, and show some basic techniques around increasing, decreasing, and changing colors, too.  I finally did the "first draft" of these videos.  I had hoped they would be just 2 or 3 minutes each (I have the attention span of a gnat!) so if you watch the videos (found here) please do let me know in the comments if it was worthwhile, too much, too little, etc. as I would like to make another more 'polished' round of videos, or eliminate anything that doesn't work.  Making crocheted rag rugs is SO FUN!!! Enjoy...

The original post I wrote about crocheting rag rugs can be found in its entirety, below. 

Edited to add: Quite a few people have found this page searching for 'how to crochet a rag rug', so I went back and saw that I could add a few clarifying things that I hope make it helpful to use. If you're considering making a rag rug this way, I highly recommend it! They are beautiful, homey, and so practical. I make mine out of repurposed bed sheets, and so they easily just pop into the washer and dryer for speedy clean up! Here is my favorite one that I've ever made; I made it for my friend, and, I should add here, they make great 'race tracks' for little boys to play cars on! :) If there are any questions/clarifications that would be helpful, let me know!

Another round rag rug I made as a rocking chair pad here.

I mentioned last week that I had crocheted a bath mat for our bathroom (tiny, tiny little bathroom!) and even though I had to take it apart twice, it was still finished by the next day. I made it too big twice, but third time was a charm. Here it is in action.





At the time that I had crocheted my very first rag rug, I had written about how to do it using repurposed sheets, so I thought I'd include that here too. Here it is, from my old blog:

I made it over three days, and it's actually almost four feet in diameter, though I think in the picture it could be misconstrued as a placemat. It's big and thick and so homely. It's exactly what it's supposed to be.





It started out as a bunch of thrifted sheets. I think I used 6 sheets, that cost anywhere from 2 to 4 dollars each. It was probably about $15 worth of material. (Though there was lots left over! I've actually made 3 rugs using this material.) Grams's favorite color is blue. She loves it. She hates yellow.




I was way not looking forward to cutting all these sheets up into long strips (you can see how I had to roll the strips up into balls in the photo above. hehe I said "balls" hehe). You have to cut almost all the way to the end, move over an inch or more, then cut almost all the way back to the other end, over and over. Ugh. But, like paper, material has directionality, and it turned out, with maximum annoyance to my husband but minimum output by me, that I could cut a starter and then just RIP the sheet all the way to the other end. Awesome. Edited to add: Two things:

First: See in the picture, how at this end I tore all the way to wear the fold/hem is? That's great! Sometimes on the other end, where there is no thick hem like that, you fly right off the edge with overzealous tearing. That's okay, you'll just have to 'reattach' all the bits before you roll them into a ball. By 'reattach' I mean 'tie together'. Some people might sew them together, but I like the rustic look, and when you're crocheting it all just gets wrapped in together anyway so you don't even know. Sometimes, the hem is so deep that stopping there leaves a way too big 'flap' at the end. I just keep scissors handy when I'm crocheting it together, and when I get to a spot that's way too thick, I just trim it down as I go along.

Second: Flat sheets are best, but you can use fitted sheets. The biggest problem I've had with fitted sheets, is that the weave is 'unpredictable'. This means that the 'directionality' I mentioned above is sometimes hard to find, or changes in the middle of the action. If you have a great pattern or color on a fitted sheet (or, for example, are already using the matching flat sheet) I would still say it's fine to use them. I cut away the elastic parts and then pretend like I can figure out which direction to start by scrutinizing the weave pattern. I cannot. Eventually, I just start a cut and tear as far as I can (stop one inch from the end, if you get that far!). If I get to the other end, I move over about an inch and start a new cut then tear back, leave about an inch at the end, move over about an inch, start a cut and tear back (stop at within 1 inch of the end), etc. If the tear goes wonky (veers off or dead ends) then I just pick a new spot and make a small cut and tear again. There's a little bit of material waste this way (sometimes I've ended up with scraps that just aren't worth tearing further), but it's quick and easy, so that's your trade off.

Then I just used those strips ~ along with this ENORMOUS crochet hook (Edited to add: S Hook) ~ and used a simple increasing-rounds pattern and a simple double-crochet stitch, around and around and around, changing colors as I ran out, mostly, but for asthetic, occasionally. I later found out through some research that "traditional" crochet rag rugs mostly use a single crochet, but really, I love it just the way it is. Edited to add: To 'change' colors, I just tie the new end to the old end and keep crocheting! So simple.

I left all the stringy-parts and rough edges and tied pieces (which you can only see on the back side) because I thought it was all part of its charm.







Adding the Technical Part, assumes basic crochet ability

Basic increasing round pattern: I just started with a chain 4, and slip stitch to make a ring. Then, either sc, hdc, or dc (pick your poison) 8 stitches into the ring. Always slip-stitch the last one to the first one that started that round (do not count this slip stitch in any stitch counts), then chain 1 (for sc) or 2 (for hdc or dc) and start the next round, without turning. Increases are made: 2 stitches in each of the 8 stitches. Next round increases are made: two stitches in one, one in the next one, two stitches in one, one in the next one, all the way around. Don’t forget the slip stitch (and don't count it as a stitch)! Make your chain (for sc) or two chains (for double or half double crochet) and do not turn. Next round increases made: two stitches in one, one in each of the next two, two stitches in one, one in each of the next two, all the way around (sl st to end and don't count it as a stitch). Make your chain (for sc) or two chains (for double or half double crochet) and do not turn. Next round increases made: two stitches in one, one in each of the next three. Etc. The pattern grows just like that, until you’re at the size you prefer. Can of corn!
For the shape of the rug in our bathroom: I sort of wing it on this one, so you’re better off searching for one online. You can also usually use any rug pattern in an oval shape, just use the fabric strips and the huge hook, but the pattern will usually be the same. Edited to add: I think you could use Futuregirl's Starling Handbag pattern, just the part for the bottom of the purse, to make a rug roughly this shape. Isn't that funny? But it's basically what I did, except I'm sure with mistakes, since I was just fooling with it. But that's good, because you can see that even with mistakes, it's a smashing little rug! The only problem is that you have to experiment with the number of chains you start with. For example, in the rug in my bathroom (picture at the top) I wanted it to be about 24" long by 18" wide. When I first did it, I made 30 chains to start. Wayyyyyy wrong! (It made a huge rug.) Tore it out. Then I made 22 chains to start. Still sooooo wrong. Tore it out. I think I ended up with about 14 or 15 chains to start, and it was just right. The good news? The crocheting goes incredibly fast on these things, so tearing out a few rounds or starting over is not the same drama as when you are using a size D with cotton thread.

Any rug pattern can be followed ~ just use the S Hook and the materials you prepared. Here are a bunch of free rug patterns. I got started with an old rug pattern book my aunt had, and I just used my material instead of yarn. All good!
Best advice: Don’t be a stickler! If the rug is not laying flat, or not shaping properly, do not be afraid to break from the pattern and put in extra stitches (or take out others by stitching two together as one (known as a ‘decrease’)) and you’ll be very happy indeed with your finished rug!

Round Robin ~ Brit

I finished Brit's block. It's actually been done for awhile now (I finished it on Monday) but I had to sit with it before I realized it really is done. It's not exactly how I pictured it in my head; my skillz aren't that closely aligned with my imagination! I just have to put my hands up and say it's done, otherwise I'll worry it and stress over it until I literally make myself sick! (Have I mentioned how fun a round robin is? Because it is! It's fun! Just. It's stressful too!)

When Pippa and I were working on our swap project, she mentioned that it is a tradition, when swapping, to use the opportunity to try something new. I really took that to heart; in this case, I've always wanted to applique. It appeals to me, as I like to do hand-work, and I like to worry about little details. My friend Monica showed me how, and she's a great teacher so I was off and at it in no time at all.


I was inspired by the center block that showed her whole family running (via the magic of embroidery!) across the landscape. I knew I wanted to add turtles, because of The Turtledash Half Marathon that they host every year, and my original idea was to also applique leaves of some sort, since The Turtledash happens in the fall.

I fooled around quite a bit with pattern, fabric, and placement. Making these two turtles (they are Brit, and her husband, Scott) was a no-brainer.








And these wee little turtles were uncontroversial, as well. They are Moo and Wah, their adorable boys.







Everything else was pure drama. I decided at some point that appliqueing the leaves would be way too busy. Just too much. So I picked up on the embroidery from the center block by mimicking the trees in three of the border squares, and embroidering a heart in each of the corner squares.




Just today I decided to use french knots to put an eye on each turtle. But I think that's it. Unless she hates it. In which case, I'm prepared to take the whole thing apart and start over. Because did I mention it's not 'due' until August 1st? Yeah, I'm a badass.

Summer and Surprises!

What did happen here? No, it's not a crime scene, it's my kitchen. Yesterday. I can tell by the yellow dustpan on the counter that I had probably thought I would start cleaning it up.






Except there was watermelon to be eaten. And apples to core and peel. Dough to be rolled.








Maybe I thought I would unload the dishwasher? Or do more than toss those dish towels and kid clothes into the corner? I don't know, maybe I thought I would move that pile to the washer?

But then that picnic basket was there...calling us.




Surely, the only reasonable response, was to load up the bikes and head to the lake for some lunch and some hanging out on the dock?
















It's not like the dishes are going anywhere. We can do them... later? Do you see there, how I can't be bothered to shut cabinets when I'm rushing about the kitchen? Do you also see how dang cute my valance is? It still makes me so so so happy! Even dangling above the disaster that is my sink, after a mere 24 hours of letting dishes slide, it makes me happy.




I thought I'd get started on the clean up while I was making the apple pie, but it turned out that I had helpers. Oh, summer bedtime, you just don't exist, do you?






Holes needed to be made. In the extra dough. With a screwdriver. These things can't be rushed.







But, eventually, the pie was in the oven, the boys were settled in for a movie, and Erik was out from under my feet with his own project. So, around 9 pm, it's time to roll up the sleeves and get it done.





I was finishing the cleaning just as the pie came out of the oven. I wonder....can you live on pie? And watermelon? Let's find out, shall we?






There is a clue in this picture as to how I was able to turn that mess into this haven, in less than an hour (and that includes washing the windows and mopping the floors!). Do you see them there? In the basket in front of the window?





See, here's where I'm going to get all exclamation-pointy. Because for no reason whatsoever, this plain (nearly! cute stickers!) brown package showed up in our mailbox. I'm pretty sure I didn't order porn. The return address, though prominently displayed with a cute little sticker, offered no clues. I'm sorry, I do not know this gentleman. Though, curiously, he does share the last name of a dear friend. Is he related? Should I know you, sir?


And what's this? No, seriously, what is this? I slid them out of the end of the package that I had cut open, and these are SO SOFT and so lovely. Like the softest, loveliest wash clothes you can ever imagine. Did I...did I order soft, lovely wash clothes? I sat and petted them for a few moments. Surely, there is some other clue as to what these are?



Something still in the package, perhaps? Yes, here we go!








Microfiber cleaning wipes. Oh! Oh-oh-oh!!! Microfiber cleaning wipes! Microfiber cleaning wipes! I know what these are!







And a sweet note from Sister Carol puts an end to the mystery!








Why are people so wonderful? So, since I've always fancied myself a bit of an amateur sleuth, I will now fill you in. Carol is Kelly's mom. Kelly is married to my cousin, Moose. Well, you'd probably call him Robert, but I cannot bring myself to do so. Anyway, that's why I didn't recognize the name! It's Kelly's family name, whereas I know her as sharing the last name of Uncle Whitey (What can I say? We're very big on nicknames) and Aunt Patti.

And there are 8 of these beautiful cloths, 4 white and 4 blue. I used them in the kitchen last night, and also to clean the front living room window. I cannot describe what these are like. Like buttah, I'm not even kidding! I just used a damp one and a dry one, and it was one pass cleaning ~ just hot water with dish soap cleaned everything ~ and I mean it, in one pass! The sink, the stainless steel appliances (which get water spots and are impossible to keep clean) and the windows. Oh my. The windows! I could swoon, really! Our living room window looks out over the neighborhood and the bay/peninsula. It's the running joke among our neighbors that our window is permanently smudged from Little Boy noses and hands being constantly pushed up against them. A damp cloth wiped it down, a dry cloth finished it off. Two minutes, I kid you not. The bright light, unfiltered through the cruft of my kids, is dazzling this morning!

I used 3 towels to clean last night. (One, I used in an area where I was killing ants, so I had to put that one in early retirement until I run it through the wash.) At first I thought maybe I had enough to share a couple with my mom, but, um, I might not be a good enough person. I'll probably want to keep 1 to 2 in each bathroom, plus 3 in the kitchen, just in case, plus if I haven't run the wash I'll need an extra set...so no. I can't spare a square.

I've just spent the last few minutes trying to search online for a mop made out of this same material. From what I can see online, do try to get the Hometex brand of microfiber towels, and they are used a lot for auto detailing, so be sure and check those aisles of your variety store of choice. You can bet I'll be keeping my eye out for them, too, inspired by Carol's generosity to pay it forward when I can!

I cannot thank you enough, Carol, for such sweetness! A proper thank you goes out in the mail today, but thank you thank you thank you!!!! still. :)

Making Tomato Sauce

Last weekend I was at my friend Monica's house, and we had such a lovely visit and she taught me to applique. It was so fun! Plus, she sent me home with a mini peach pie (Tommy loves pie!) and plums from her backyard tree **, and a dozen beautiful tomatoes and two gorgeous green peppers. Between her and my mom, I feel so lucky!



** What is up with the plums? Two weeks ago my friend and I were at her mom's house and she has this incredibly prolific plum tree in her backyard. She sent me out with a bag for harvesting and the instructions to "help yourself, take them all!". Will do. But when I got out back, I thought, "Oh, too bad, none of them are ripe yet." Turns out, no, they are supposed to be yellow. I eat one and it's so juicy, so sweet, so incredibly yummy! I fill my bag and promise to be back for more. We ate them all, so I was very happy when Monica replenished my stock. Her plums are the expected dark purple, but they are so small. Seriously tiny. Like, 10 in a handful! And, again, though they look like they will be sour, they are incredibly juicy, sweet, and such a bite-sized goodness. Who knew?

As much as I love tomatoes there is no way I could eat all these tomatoes this week. So I took 8 or 9 of them and made tomato sauce. Pippa had asked what recipe I use, and this is generally it.

I had tomato overload last season and I called my mom to ask her how to make tomato sauce that I could freeze. Her answer involved lots of colorful cooking phrases like "throw in some" and "you'll know you're done when it tastes good". This. This is what you get when you ask an Italian for spaghetti sauce. So, this recipe is how I do it, but it really does depend on how you like it. The way I figured out how much of the spices to add was to put in half of what I thought it would need, simmer for 10 minutes, taste, and start adding more. So this is where I landed, but don't worry if you do it different because honestly, there's no wrong way.

BTW, Every person who comes into my house asks me about this faucet over my stove. "Oh! You have a pot filler! Do you use it?" Every person. Exactly this question. I will tell you now, the answer is, "Yes, I use it. Because it's there." Do I need it? No. But it's there, so I use it, and yes, I like it, but I guess if it wasn't there I would not once ever think, "Man, if only I had a pot filler!" Having to schlep my pots to the kitchen sink never stopped me from boiling water.

Mom's Tomato Sauce

8 or 9 medium tomatoes will make about a quart of tomato sauce. Boil the tomatoes until they split and the skin starts to peel off (5 - 10 minutes). I take them out of the water and let them get cool enough to handle.

Peel off the skin and cut out the stem/core from your tomatoes (Honestly, I start the recipe here but you could do this whole thing with canned tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes). Put at least half of the tomatoes into a food processor and puree them. Chop up the rest into big chunks. Or, if they're sort of 'loose' from boiling, don't sweat it; just leave them alone.



Dice: 2 cloves of garlic, a green pepper, and 1/2 an onion (red or yellow, whatever you have) and cook all that with your seasonings until it's tender (8 or 10 mins.). I use the following for seasonings: a few sprigs fresh oregano, a sprig of fresh rosemary, both chopped finely, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and I add a little bit of cumin. If cumin sounds weird, just leave it out. I like it. Also, if you don't have fresh herbs, you can use dried, but when I do that I have to use google to find out conversions.

When it's all cooked up, combine the pureed tomatoes, the chopped tomatoes, and the veggies you just cooked, into a pot. Add at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some basil leaves. For one jar of sauce, I use a couple of tablespoons of torn basil leaves.

Let simmer for 30 - 60 minutes (when it's the consistency you like, it's done).


Bob's your uncle! When I'm ready to eat the sauce, I heat it over low heat with a splash of balsamic vinegar. It's now ready for you to add sweet sausage or meatballs, but it's so tasty vegetarian style you might not even want to!

Cold June Gardening

I'm not sure what this is! It started growing in my front yard this spring, and there is only one plant. I'm sure I didn't plant these seeds. I don't think this came from a bulb, but I did think there were some ranunculus bulbs in this planter that never did anything.

Well, the point is, I think it's beautiful!


The flowers themselves are papery and sweetly shaped, and they unfold from their blooms so magically. Hmmmmm....this one was looking a bit raggedy....






Yep. Aphids. I see you, and your friend. But I'll let you live. Maybe I should get some ladybugs to go in the flowers. It's funny, I see them occasionally, but there just aren't a lot naturally. That seems strange for the area.






My poor veggies. June was just cold and wet. And not even that wet, just mostly drizzly and overcast and blech. So my veggies are growing (which I can tell because I took a picture of both beds when I originally planted; seeds have sprouted, and starts are indeed tripling in size) but not very fast. It's been warm for a couple of weeks, and downright hot this week, so I'm hoping that I'll see some good growth this month. Ask me in two weeks if I'm disappointed in my garden this year!


I noticed that my wee-tiny tomato plants (still half-the-size they would be if there were to need caging, for example) are actually making tomatoes. It shows a real leap of faith that I plucked those tomatoes off.

I learned last year, from the garden teacher at one of my schools (a lovely young hippie who lives in an urban homestead commune sustainable living community in Oakland) that when the tomato plants are small, if they are flowering a ton or producing tomatoes, you have to pinch all the flowers off and pluck off the fruit. Basically, the plant only has so much energy, and if it's small, you have to eliminate the flowering and fruiting that is sucking away growing energy. She was proven quite right last year, so I have my fingers crossed again!

Next time I'll take pictures of the strawberries I planted! They are also producing lots of fruit, but you may never get to see. There is no time for a photoshoot between the plant and my mouth. Ahem.

Problem Solving

It's funny how a child's personality will unfold over the years, right before your very eyes. In the beginning, every raised eyebrow and giggle and frown and curious look is entirely left up to your interpretation.

As they get older, more and more of who they really are will be revealed, in both small and awesome waves, over and over again.

If you have two children, it's a little surprising that they aren't exactly the same. Did they not come from the same two people? Then how did they get to be so different? Scotty will be 4 next month, and I can't help but compare him to Tommy, who was 4 almost 5 years ago.

Tommy loved Blue's Clues, Scotty loves Fireman Sam. Tommy loved crayons, Scotty loves paint. Tommy loved Cars, Scotty loves Speed Racer. And, Tommy loved Star Wars while Scotty loves Star Trek.

Oh, how Scotty loves Star Trek! Erik is...well, frankly....Erik is pretty stoked. Erik and I argue, regularly, about which is better: The Next Generation or Star Trek. Unless you're a complete dork (and we are!) this argument is pretty moot. Also, you'd have to be a fool to pick the original series over TNG. Just saying.

Scotty watched Star Trek III this weekend for the very first time. He's seen Star Trek II many times (more than 5? Yes. more than 10? I don't think so...) and goodness knows we would never subject him to the hot mess that is the original Star Trek movie. So III is next. He watched for a few minutes, and then started gathering his gear...the large Enterprise, the tiny Enterprise, his Spock and Kirk action figures (from the new movie), his transporter room play set, and his phaser and communicator. Once he had all his accouterment in order, he hummed the theme song and played along, a miniature theater version of the film he was watching.

At some point, Erik and I exchanged a concerned look. Hmmm.....you do remember what happens at the end of Star Trek III, right? Where the Enterprise is blown apart? Oh dear. We whispered over his head, wondering what would happen.

He might completely fall apart. He might cry. He might whine and complain and ruin the rest of our weekend, unable to comprehend the horror he had witnessed.

But, once again, Scotty revealed who he is, and who he is destined to be. That kid didn't bat an eye. He watched in awe as the Enterprise NCC-1701 was blown apart.

Then he picked up his own tiny version, busted off one of the tails, and said, "The Enterplise is bloked. It got blowed up."


And then he went about his day. Scotty is not an hysteric. Noted.

Removing Permanent Marker

I am a teacher, plus, for the last few years, I've been working with teachers, doing a lot of professional development and curriculum/writing around teaching mathematics, and how young children learn mathematics.

As a teacher, I learned a great tip for getting permanent marker off of white boards and overhead projectors. This was because each medium has a separate writing tool (vis-a-vis wet marker for the overhead, expo dry marker for the white board, and permanent pen for fools who keep permanent pens near small children) but it was so easy to cross over and find yourself with an equation, lovely as it may have been, unmoveably etched across the board.

As a professional development presenter, I often share this tip with teachers in my sessions. It packs a punch in terms of return on investment and retention.

But it wasn't until Erik and I finally bought a bedroom furniture set that I realized the tip also worked for wood and furniture. For the first 15 years of our life together, we slept on a cal-king matress on a metal frame, dorm style. Erik was still using the dresser his parents bought when he was eight, for his childhood bedroom. I was also using an antique dresser my mom bought me when I was a freshman in high school. Nothing wrong with any of this, in my humble opinion, but a few years ago a wedding anniversary coincided with a consultant's fee that resulted in a major upgrade for us.

Four days after the furniture and new mattress were delivered, Scotty took three different colored sharpie markers and completely covered the three drawer fronts on the left side of my new dresser.

It was pretty spectacular. And I started to be devastated, but it was only a few minutes before I realized that I'd just have to move on. It's just furniture, afterall. I've never been one to get unnecessarily attached to a material possession. Was I happy? No. Was I going to get angry and uptight and unwound? Nah. Then, within a few days, the white board solution was worked on the dresser (who cares? how much worse could it get?) and now? Now you would never know it had ever happened.

So here is the solution, in its entirety, to permanent marker on just about any surface, from what I can tell.

If you have two young boys at home (or, even, one drunk husband), you may know that feeling of dread when you realize you've left a Sharpie marker in harm's way.

And you never know where a young artist will choose to develop that masterpiece, but you do know you will stumble across it, someday, and you will cry.






Because you also know that no amount of scrubbing, rubbing alcohol, window cleaner, degreaser, baking soda, white vinegar, or furniture polish will ever, ever, remove (or even fade!) The Dreaded Sharpie Marker.





If the Sharpie is the Shark of the pen world, then the Expo dry erase marker is the Dolphin...a seemingly benign second-cousin, who alone can defeat the toothy destroyer.






Completely cover the Sharpie Scribbles with your own Expo dry-erase scribbles. At first, it will look worse than ever, and you may second-guess yourself. Do not waver.






Rub off the Expo dry-erase scribbles...and magically...the Sharpie permanent scribbles disappear with them!







Standard Household Rules Apply:

1. The sooner you get to the Sharpie Disaster, the better your results will be. (Though my dresser sat for almost a week before I did this, and who knows how long this was sitting on the inside door of the tv cabinet?)

2. After rubbing with the dry towel, there may be some residual Expo dry-erase markings; but a damp cloth or spritz of any type of cleaner will whisk it away, spotlessly.

Enjoy!