How to Create a Felted Weaved Rug

The popularity of crafts is constantly revolving. Knitting and crochet has spread into felting. Felting is a washing process that turns your knitted or crochet works into felt. Weaving is also making a come-back, and this project combines knitting, felting and weaving. Weaving is all around us. Your dish towels, scarves, table runners, potholders, and even some of our clothing material are woven. Weaving can be simple or complex. This project is rated in the simplest of forms. Here is a great rug project that any crafter can make and pass on to others.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 large pieces of felted material
• Sewing needle and thread

How to Create a Felted Weaved Rug

1. Create your fabric. Your fabric is knitted or crocheted pieces that are larger than your desired finished project size. The felting process needs to be tested with the yarn you are using, since each yarn's felt shrinkages is different. Cast on the amount of stitches that will give you the desired size of rug you want. Cast on 101 stitches. Knit in stockinette with 100%-wool yarn or any kind that allows you to felt with it. Knit to the size you want and felt the fabric.

2. Cut the felted fabric into 2-inch strips.

3. Start weaving the vertical strips through the horizontal strips. Using the over/under pattern. Then alternate with the under/over pattern. If you want a different look, you can alter the pattern by changing the use of the over/under and the under/over patterns; for example, 2 rows of over/under and 2 rows of under/over.

4. Fold each alternate vertical strip over the edge of the top and pin down each vertical strip. Once you have your design, sew across the folded tops with a sewing machine or by hand. Sew completely around the rug using an alternate color than the main color to make an eye-catching border for your rug.

Tips & Warnings

• There are some many choices that you can use to make different rugs with this simple technique. You can make two pieces of different colored felt material. You can also use variegated color yarn to create a surprising pattern results.
• The next way to make the rug different is to incorporate other fibers into your weave, like a smaller ribbon than the strip of felt. It will be held in place when you sew the edges.
• You can also just cut the strips wider that the original. This simple pattern can also be used to create other projects from table runners to pillows to even the base of a bag.