Crocheted rag rug: Part 2

About 2/3 of the way through.

Last time I posted, I wrote the first part of a semi-tutorial about crocheting a rag rug out of old t-shirts. The rug's now complete, so I thought I'd post pictures of the finished product and share a few more tips.

I crocheted the entire thing over the course of a weekend, and it's a great project to do while you watch a movie, since it doesn't require that much concentration or counting once you get going.

I used this basic tutorial for crocheting an oval, but of course you can do any shape you like--round, oval, square or rectangle (in the round or in rows). If you're doing a circle or an oval, once you get past the first few rows, don't sweat too much making sure you're doing the "correct" number of increases around the curve. Keeping the rug flat is more important, and since your "yarn" isn't going to be perfectly uniform in width, you might have to add or subtract increases to keep things even. No big deal! Just trust your instincts and adapt as you work.

Hobbes-approved, so you know it's good.

Overall, this rug took ten t-shirts (size adult small through extra large) and its final size is around 17 x 30." If I'd had more t-shirts, I might have kept going, but I think it's big enough. I used a Lion Brand P-15/11.5mm hook, but if I do this again I might use a bigger one. I tend to crochet pretty tightly, and by the time I was finished, my hands were aching a little.

Right now it's in the laundry room being used as a place mat for the cats--a glamorous use for a very glamorous piece of DIY home decor.

If you're looking for more rag rug inspiration, or more detailed instruction, there's a great rag rug Flickr group (of course there is!). Some of the tutorials I looked at include:

• This Vintage Chica's rag rug tutorial 
• Little House in the Suburbs's no-sew rag rug (it's braided, not crocheted, but it's still pretty cool) 
• Mia's Boys rag rug tutorial
• CraftStylish, how to crochet a rug out of t-shirts 
• Craft Passion demonstrates a slightly different method for converting t-shirts to yarn.
• Bonus link: DIY Life shows how to make a market tote out of an old t-shirt.

Plus, there about a zillion more links and videos to be found with a quick Google search. Happy crafting!