The Knitted Rug Page 2

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Since the materials from which these rugs are knitted, make a thick thread when cut into strips, the fabric itself is heavy and to make it easier to handle the square and oblong rugs are made in bands from eight inches to ten inches in width, and are afterward sewed together. The oblong rug shown in one of the illustrations is made in this manner. It has a roughly chosen center and a border sewed on each side and at both ends. In the border a simple design has been attempted. It is a band of black interrupted at certain intervals by a bar of color. The idea in this simply planned border is a happy one, for the dark band sectioned by lines of bright color surrounds the hit or miss center, and by holding it in place adds stability to the appearance of the rug. The irregular effect of the center is balanced by contrast with the formal border.

In applying design to handicraft one always considers the surface of the object to be decorated, as a space for composition in spot and line. In this special case, the entire rug surface is the space for the decorative arrangement. It is a circular space divided into twelve wedge-.shaped sections or repeats by the peculiar technique of the rug. These sections are composed of knitted rows which begin at the center of the rug and run out toward the edge so that the effect is that of radiating lines. Decoratively speaking, radiating lines always suggest action, so the rows have a tendency to carry the eye of the observer in a direction of the outer edge of the rug's surface. In this case the action is so strong that an encircling line is especially needed to counteract the effect of the radiating rows and to hold them in the composition space. The encircling line when translated from terms of design to terms of handicraft, becomes the border which the craft worker adds to give the rug a necessary finish.

In the model rug this plan is successfully carried out and the appearance of the rug is improved by the narrow border surrounding it. These points of design may seem somewhat exacting, but in reality no detail is too small for consideration by the careful worker. Everything counts, and it is the attention given to minor points which distinguish the work of the experienced craftsman.

The type of knitted rug chosen for the model is a round rug because it is much more difficult to make than either of the other shapes, and cotton has been taken as the material in which to make it. This model can be used for either a bedroom or a sitting-room rug. It is de-signed in two shades of soft green.

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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