Stash Buster Crochet Basket

My husband and I are self-isolating at home, only going out for groceries or appointments. Like a lot of you, I'm trying to use this time to do activities I've been putting off and also to use up materials that have accumulated. I came across a nice video by Jayda InStitches called Big Beautiful Basket -

What To Do With Variegated Yarn. I'm trying to improve my crochet skills, which are so-so. I'm also someone who hates to have to count stitches on every row. I have had to do that on this basket, but it hasn't been as painful as I remember.

The video itself is well-done and Jayda explains each row on the base. It uses three strands at a time with a size N hook, so it goes fairly quickly. Using three different variegated strands together means you come out with an entirely different look, too. It's a great way to use up a lot of yarn for one project.

For this basket, I used three size 4 yarns to start the base and part-way up the sides: Universal Classic Shades Metallic, some old Plymouth variegated, and Universal Classic Shades Chili Peppers.

Halfway up the sides, I ran out of the Classic Shades Metallic and switched to Universal Classic Worsted Nostalgic Rose because I was out of the Metallic.

The crocheted handles are nice for carrying and it should pack flat if needed. I think this would also make a good crocheting or knitting basket, using the handles to run the strand through so the ball or skein doesn't take off on its own:). The basket itself is soft (made out of yarn) and has a nice squishy feel. The colors are so bright and really don't translate in the photos. Sorry, this is a dreary day here.

Now that I've had success with this basket, I plan to try a second one with some destash bulky yarns, so that I used two variegated strands instead of three. It should be fun! If you're looking for a new project, and have lots of yarn in your stash pile, check out this video! Jayda also has an adorable Etsy shop, so check her out!

Jelly Roll Rag Rugs

I have been on a roll lately, a jelly roll to rag rug roll. The jelly rolls that come already cut, measured and color-coordinated make rag rugs a lot easier to produce. I've accumulated several around our house. Each time, I think they would make a nice addition to my Etsy shop, theirresistibleewe, but they always find usefulness here at home. My last two ended up in my kitchen, one under the trash can to keep it from scratching the wood floor and the other under the pets' water bowl (Lemonade Fabric Roll). I love the deep colors and how they brighten a room.

I did try to take pictures of my process along the way. For the two kitchen rugs, I split the strips into thirds the long way.

  I then stitched all of the strips end to end, then folded the whole pieces in half, stitching down along the open side. This does not eliminate all loose threads, but this is part of the whole "raggedy" look of a rag rug. Some disappear after weaving, washing and drying, but if you're more particular, you can try another way.

Another benefit of folding over the strips is that you get the brighter side of the fabric appearing on both sides of the rug. When you place strip into the weaving without folding, the fabric naturally tends to roll over in spots, exposing the duller side of the fabric. Since I prefer brighter colors, it's worth the extra effort to me. You may prefer a more rustic, more muted combination. Some fabrics, such as batiks, tend to be bright on both sides, so you could eliminate this step if you like.

When I stocked up during one of Joann Fabric's sales recently, I bought all different rolls. I'm going to go back and buy one more to match one of the rolls I have on hand to try another way of folding the strips so that I can eliminate any loose threads. Hopefully, I'll be able to video this time to share splitting the strips into halves instead of thirds, then using a bias tape maker to fold all raw edges inside before sewing in place. Stitching the edges isn't necessary, but it does make it easier to wind onto a shuttle without extra wrinkles before weaving.

One shuttle wound with unsewn strips, one with sewn strips.

For the blue-green rug, I used blue and green rug warp 8/4 (200 ends - 10 green, 10 blue, etc.) and for the yellow-green rug, I used 3 colors of the same warp in blue, green and white (144 ends). For both, I used a size 8 reed. I had enough warp left on the blue-green rug and finished up a kitchen towel, shown on the oven door above, with rug warp and some left-over 8/2 cotton in white. The 8/2 caused a bit of curving in, which was interesting. I used a simple tie-up of 1-3 and 2-4 for plain weave (4,3,2,1,4,3,2,1,etc). With all of this texture and color, plain weave works really well for rag rugs. I did double my ends on the blue-green rug, but not on the yellow-green.

For both rugs, I used a ski shuttle to wind the fabric strips. There are rug shuttles for this, but as I don't own any, I made good use of the ski shuttles. They work well and allow me to try to keep the strips as flat as possible before weaving. Also, for both, I wove about a one-inch hem in 8/2 cotton to turn under after finishing and hemming on my sewing machine. It gives a more finished edge and less string.

You can leave a fringe of the warp, but with the pets in the house, there's less temptation to play with strings. Our cat, Kameko, loves strings, but as she has intestinal issues, we're very cautious about leaving anything exposed that she can ingest. Sadly, we lost her brother, Marble very suddenly to FIP this winter. It hasn't been the same without his sweet little soul. We're hoping to welcome a new playmate for Kameko and dog, Benjen soon.

I hope this has inspired my weaving friends to try making a rag rug. They're not difficult, just a little time-consuming for the prep work. The actual weaving itself is a breeze and a lot of fun to see the fabric patterns play into one another. You can combine all like strips or mix them up for some crazy patterns. They're also extremely functional and very washable/dryable in the washing machine & dryer. Smaller ones make nice table or counter runners and easily change the look of a room.

As mentioned before, I plan to make one more with video step-by-steps in the coming months. Hopefully, this will make a new Spring project to share with my readers. If you'd like some background on rag rugs, Tom Knisely has wonderful articles on the Handwoven website. Check out his Notes from the Fell.