How to Make a Crocheted Rag Rug

Co-authored by Lois Wade

Last Updated: May 4, 2022

Crocheting a round rag rug is as simple as can be! This is a great way to use up old fabric from worn clothing, vintage cloths or other sources of fabric items which are looking a bit tatty. If you're handy with a crochet hook already, you'll find this project both straightforward and very rewarding.

Steps

1
Find suitable cotton fabric for making the rug. Old t-shirts, tops, bed linen, tablecloths, etc. can all be suitable sources of fabric, as well as your fabric stash.
2
Launder all fabrics to be used.

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3
Cut the fabric into strips according to the size of your crochet hook. Generally, 1.5 - 2 inches (3.8cm to 5cm) wide is a good width.
4
Sew the strips end to end. Iron the seams if desired––it looks neater in the end result.
5
Roll the "yarn" into a ball.
6
Begin to crochet "in the round" as usual, by chaining 6 and slip stitching them together in a loop. Double Crochet 6 and slip stitch the ends together. Increases start on the second round. An increase is made by making 2 dc in a same stitch.
7
Work 2 dc in every dc around the circle, in the second round.
8
Make an increase on every other stitch in the third round. (dc in one, two dc in the next, etc.). As the rounds become wider, there are more stitches in between each increase.
9
Crochet two DC stitches between each increase in round 4.
10
Crochet three DC stitches between each increase in round 5.
11
Follow the pattern for each remaining round until your rug reaches the desired size.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I know when I need to add or increase a stitch?

Community Answer

Generally, if your work starts to go too bowl-shaped, you need to do increases. If the work begins to ruffle a little when you try to lay it flat, you need to do decreases.
Question

What size crochet hook works best with the 2-inch strips of fabric?

Community Answer

Two-inch-wide strips of plain, medium-weight cotton (such as quilt fabric) will crochet well with an N or P hook.
Question

What is meant by increasing?

Non

Community Answer

To increase, just add one more stitch in the last stitch you made. This is called increasing.