rags

I'm always looking for interesting ways to use up fabric scraps. You can read a couple of previous posts on the subject here and here. Recently I bought a stylish book of simple knitting patterns compiled by Erika Knight (London: Quadrille, 2010). Among the selection of patterns for scarves, hats, pillows and throws in the book, I spotted a pattern for a rag bag made from fabric scraps knitted together.  Ever since I bought a beautiful rag rug by Auckland textile artist Alison Milne about ten years ago, I've been keen to have a go at making one myself, so I've made a start using Erika Knight's instructions as a guide.

In the illustration above you'll see instructions about how to cut a piece of scrap fabric in such a way as to generate a single length of yarn. After doing so with a piece of lightweight printed cotton, I cast on 12 stitches onto 12mm needles and started knitting my first rag rug strip in simple stocking stitch.

Knitting loosely, the piece grows quickly, which is always satisfying. I can see it's going to be a fun project to chip away at in the evenings after a tiring day of teaching. I plan to leave a length of fabric yarn at the end of each completed strip to use to sew all the pieces together when I have enough to make a rug.

Useful Tip: Put a towel over your clothes when you are knitting rag rug strips. You tend to get covered in frayed fibres from the yarn.