Things You'll Need
Wool yarn
Clothes pins
Darning needle
Polyester thread
Scissors
Braided rugs are a work of art, not usually designed at home anymore. Before the age of television, people had more time to work with their hands and were very creative with simple yarn. Here is a fun way to use yarn instead of rags to make a yarn rug that will add beauty and warmth to your floors.
Step 1
Make your yarn ropes by unwrapping each skeins of yarn around two chairs set about 6 feet apart. Tie one end to the back of the chair so it will not come unraveled. This will give you sections that are 14 feet long, approximately.
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Step 2
Cut the first six pieces of yarn, unwinding them from the chairs and clamp them together with a clothes pin. Throw it into a large basket.
Step 3
Cut the next six pieces of yarn, hold and clip them together, and add them to the basket. Continue to do this until you have used up the whole skein.
Step 4
Do Steps 1 through 3 for the other two skeins, using a different basket for each different skein, unless they are all the same color.
Step 5
Pick out three sections of yarn, remove the clothespins from one end, and tie all three together with a simple knot as close to the end as possible.
Step 6
Braid the yarn together tightly by bringing the right side section into the middle, then the left side into the middle, then the right side, and continue repeating.
Step 7
Remove the clothespins at the ends of the yarn strands and start a new section by tying another section of yarn onto the short end. If you are experienced at braiding, you can just overlap the yarns instead of knotting them.
Step 8
Continue braiding until you have a braided yarn rope about 56 feet long. This should be enough for a three-foot braided yarn rug.
Step 9
Start in the center and lay down a 6-inch section of braid. Turn it back beside the first section so that you have 2 6-inch sections laying next to each other.
Step 10
Thread a large needle, such as a darning needle with carpet thread that is the same color or complimentary color to the yarn used in the braids. Sew the two sections together with a simple slip stitch for every braid loop.
Step 11
Lay down the next section of braid and connect it by sewing in the same way. Keep winding the braid around the center and sewing it on, one braid loop at a time, until the whole braid is used up.
Step 12
Sew the end of the braid so that it is securely fastened and will not come undone. Keep all the sewing on one side, if possible.
Tip
Make longer braids for a larger rug. Use acrylic yarn if wool is impractical.
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