Are you ready to see something really and truly amazing?  Because I had a fit of creative genius let me tell you, and I am feeling pretty pleased with myself.  Any Rag Rug is thing of beauty to be sure, but this – this my friends, is no ordinary Rag Rug.

This post may contain an affiliate link or two for your convenience

This week in the Earth Month Upcycle Challenge, the item we were challenged with up-cycling with, was fabric.  And what a good opportunity to go through my stash.  

When setting out meet this challenge, I had a good idea of what I wanted to do. I wanted to use an old sheet, and turn it into a floor mat, or rag rug.  I had two hurdles, first, I wanted to use knitting to construct it, and second, how does one knit a sheet?

My Brilliant Idea

I was pretty sure that I would fall out of love with my project if it required cutting a sheet into strips and then sewing them together at the ends in order to have a fabric strip that was long enough to work with. That’s too much work, and not my idea of a fun time.  My solution – wait for it – 

I sewed the sheet.

Yep, that’s right.  I folded the sheet in half on the long edge, adjust it so that there was about an inch overhang with the edges, and sewed the sheets long edges to each other.  Sort of like a sleeping bag with an open top and bottom.  See the image in step 1. And then I cut the strips.  Or rather, one very long strip. Easy peasy.

Hand Knit Rag Rug

Materials:

• Huge Knitting Needles – seriously these things are 25mm in diameter.  Just awesome.
• A twin sized sheet ready to be upcycled
• Sewing machine, and thread
• Fabric Shears, I like the ones with bright handles, because I lose EVERYTHING
• Basic Knitting skills, such as knowing how to Cast On, and make a Knit Stitch (clicking on those links will get you to the tutorials for the fundamentals of knitting ) and how to Bind off.  

Directions:

1. Fold your sheet over on it’s long edge, miss matching the edges and leaving a 1″ overhang. 
2. Sew the seam along the long edges – you will have a 1″ overhang at each end
3. Place your sheet, now a large tube, with the first overhang on your work surface
4. Take a deep breath
5. And begin to cut.  Cut a 1″ strip, beginning at the overhand, and carry on, around and around until you have a very long 1″ wide strip of up-cycle-able fabric, that is knit-able. ( See how I just make up words as I go along?  ) 
6. Take those gigantic knitting needles, and your newly cut ‘yarn’ and cast on 30 stitches.
7. Knit 37 rows.
8. Bind off, and secure and weave in ends.

Now was that not truly brilliant?  

More Smart Ideas

If I wowed you with this up-cycle, just wait until you see how I made the stencil for these Dragon Fly Crafts, and this Trivet and of course our other up cycle challenges, like these Mini Greenhouses and these Paper Pots.

More Awesome Up-Cycles!

10 Awesome Upcycle Ideas for Old Clothes – Crafty Mama in Me

How to Make A Great Recycled Fabric Bag – Witty Hoots

A Tisket A Tasket A Woven Cloth Basket – Mosswood Connections

How to Make Yarn Out Of Old Jeans – Our Daily Craft

See it on Share Your Style