The Bedroom Makeover Continues

My next project, as mentioned in the previous post, was to make shag rugs for the floor. I took to the Internet once again and came across making shag rugs from remnant pieces of material. After realizing that even with a rotary cutter this would take forever, I got the brilliant (insert eye roll) idea to latch hook my own. "Latch hook?!" you say. Yup! That old (and apparently) dying art from yesteryear.

So, off to the searching for info I went. Now, latch hooking itself is EASY! Even this old woman remembered how to do that. Finding information on how long to CUT the yarn so it would have a "shaggy" effect was NOT easy. Pre-cut yarn would be too short (2.5 inches). FINALLY I came across a site: http://ourtownusa.net/yarnyard/cutrugy.htm I figured that 4" was a good length. 

Deciding on the TYPE of yarn for rugs sent me onto another long search. End result: Wool is best. Acrylic blend is better. But you can get away with simple acrylic (most yarn compositions) if the rug won't have a lot of foot traffic. 

I also opted to cut my own since I didn't know how much I would need. Better to just be able to run to the craft store, rather than have to pay shipping and wait for the mail if I needed more. 

Turns outs 15,120 threads later...I would have done a LOT of waiting.

But to quickly cut this yarn I need something that would cut multiple pieces.

VOILE!!

Small piece of wood with two dowel rods

Yarn wrapped around the dowels

Finished yarn length 4"

I took a scrap of wood, measured 4" apart, drilled holes half way through the scrap wood the diameter of dowels and placed dowels in holes. You can glue them in place at this point, but I wanted to make it portable and able to "break down". Next I wound my yarn around and around and around (not too thick though, I still have to cut it). I made a mark in the middle of the scrap wood between the dowels, held the yarn (still on dowels) and cut. Done! 4" length of lots of yarn!! Now...they are not going to be EXACTLY all 4" but since you will end up having to give the rug a "haircut" at the end it isn't a big deal.

There are also several ways to bind your rug: 1. duct tape (not recommended) 2. rug binding tape or 3. whip stitch with yarn or rug thread (what I did).

For a super plush feel I hooked every rung and doubled the yarn. Yeah, it took longer (3 weeks). The FEEL of it was worth the time though. It's a good sign when the kids come into your room to just WALK on the rug. The rug is 11' x 48". Here's the finished product:

There ya have it! A latch hooked shag rug! One down. 2 left to go!  Any questions, feel free to ask! Hope this inspires you to make your own!