The Knitted Rug

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The knitted rug is another rug which has reached the satisfactory standard of modern craftsmanship and is also a striking example of how successfully a rug based on a humble craft can be made if well-planned. Surely to paraphrase a familiar quotation, "The plan's the thing." The craft of knitting cannot be said to possess any technical difficulties. Almost any one can knit, though to be sure even so simple a performance as this can be done more or less well. But anything that is easy finds inexperienced enthusiasts, so the knitted rug of the hit or miss variety is more frequently met with than one which is care-fully planned.

Before the present revival in the handicrafts the old Colonial looms on which the farmer folk did their own weaving were discarded as old-fashioned and cumbersome and so when rugs or carpets were needed and there was no carpet weaver conveniently enough located to weave up balls of cut rags, the knitting needles were resorted to and the knitted fabric took the place of the woven one.

Like the braided rug, these rugs are made in several shapes. They are square, oblong and round; one sees the angular ones more often than the circular, possibly because the circular form is somewhat more difficult to make. The knitted rugs are also rather heavy and there-fore are practical for an entire floor covering. When used for this purpose they are made like runners in any desired length when laid side by side on the floor without being fastened. The lengths are not sewed together or nailed down, so they can be easily taken up and shaken.

The materials generally used for making knitted rugs are old rags of , either wool or cotton. This accounts to some extent for their somewhat uncared-for appearance as the design cannot be as well controlled as when just the kind and color of material wanted can be picked out. It requires much ingenuity and experience to make the best of what is in the house, and handicraft produced under such conditions is apt to suffer. Then, too, the preparation of these materials is often careless. They are indifferently cut or torn into strips of varying widths, sometimes even on the bias. This lack of care in the preparation of the material of course weakens the knitted fabric and sooner or later a thread will break and become unraveled with disastrous consequences. The experienced worker never takes risks of this kind but prepares all materials with that exacting care which will guarantee the rug a long career of usefulness.

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The Craft Of Handmade Rugs - View The Rest Of The Book

Introduction - Some Old Time Rugs - A Word About Dyes - The Braided Rug - The Scalloped Doormat Or Tongue Rug - The Crocheted Rug - The Hooked Rug In Cotton And Wool - The Needle-Woven Rug
The Colonial Rag Rug - Some Applications - Newer Methods Of Stencil Making - The Tufted Counterpane
Old Time Lights - The Batik Or Wax Resist Process