Rags to rugs

Before I left CA, I was able to finish the first crocheted rag rug and start a second.  I found the fabrics for the second rug at a discount fabric store up in Anaheim, and was able to get these fabrics for a fraction of what I would have paid elsewhere.  I'm going bright this time and it's a lot more fun to work on.

I have to stop here and say that my hat really goes off to all the women who have or still make these rugs from scraps.  It must take an eternity to gather enough pieces of clothing to render into enough strips to make a rug of any useable size.  Years ago, I remember reading about the itinerant rag weavers, a story that has stuck with me.  These weavers traveled the countryside with their looms in their wagons and went from house to house to offer their services.  In exchange for weaving the family's supply of rags into rugs, they received room and board.  While I'm sure this was a hard life, it sounds pretty idyllic these days, compared to long commutes, office politics, or worse yet, unemployment.  I have always loved the idea of bartering.

A great tip for stripping those long pieces of yardage into 2" strips...snip the width of your fabric every two inches, then hand one strip to your five year old grandson and let him a) either run like a wild child around the house while it rips or b) wind himself up in the fabric as it rips.  Technique b) comes with another fun part:  turning him into a top as you unwind the fabric afterward.