Nao (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} gannet) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} rug_makers,@ 2006-01-26 01:42:00 |
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| Entry tags: | double knotted shag |
I had a request for some clearer instructions for the knotted shag rug my grandmother made, so here they are.
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my rug loom This rug loom makes the technique look more intimidating than it really is. The really important bits are 1. a hook or peg (here on the right) to hold the joined cords together. You could use a headless nail driven into a board for this. 2. Something to keep the two cords taut at the other end of the loom. This loom has two coils of wire a couple of inches apart about 14 inches from the hook (each coil acts on the same principle as a paperclip, but much stronger); you could use two more nails driven into the board with clothes pins to grab the cord. Something to hold the balls of cord would be nice, but you could put each one in a plastic bag, or a bowl. Or you could make this out of a longer board and drive in a couple more headless nails. The circles of wire on the bottom of this loom are unimportant. |
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Closeup of hook end The cord that's shown is cotton candlewicking. Really, you could use any cord that's about 1/4" thick. I'd personally prefer a natural plant fiber--cotton, linen, hemp. (Bit of trivia: if you're giving the rug to an observant Jew, make sure not to use linen if you're going to use wool scraps for the pile.) There's two balls of candlewicking here. I tied a square knot in the ends and stuck it over the hook. I poked the hook through the middle of the knot to keep it from slipping to one side. |
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Starting the pile Drape a strip of shag over both cords. More on the strips: Cut your scraps of fabric into strips about 1 x 4 inches. As far as I can tell, precision isn't necessary. Just cut them more or less by eye. The rug my grandmother gave me is made of lightweight lambswool and cashmere cardigans that my grandfather wore out. I expect you could use scraps of woven fabric, too, though I don't think I'd personally mix knit with woven. It might make an interesting experiment, though. |
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Pull the ends of the strip up between the cords, towards the end with the hook. |
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Another view of pulling the ends up between the cords. |
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Push the strip down to the end and snug the knot. |
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Lay the next strip over the cords. |
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Pull the ends of the strip up between the cords, again towards the end with the hook (also the end with any finished knots). Push the knotted shag together closely. |
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Keep adding strips. You can either make a color pattern or put a bunch of strips in a bag and pull them out randomly. |
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When it's hard to pull the cords together with the knots, unfasten the balls of cord from the grippers and pull the string of knots off the hook. Rehook the string so that all the knots are on the other side of the hook, reattach the balls of cord, and continue knotting. You can go further than the string of knots in the picture before having to move the cord; I just didn't have much time for taking photos. |
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This is the back of the string of knots. Once you've worked some string, start coiling the string and sewing it together with heavy thread (button-and-carpet thread is good) using whip stitch. Don't let the sewing fall too far behind the knotting, especially if you're changing the color pattern from row to row (otherwise you won't know when your row is coming to an end). I haven't actually made a rug with this technique, but experience with a motley set of crafts leads me to think that the following tips might be of use: 1. Especially in the first few rows, you'll want to push the knots together less tightly where the string has to bend sharply. 2. Sew the coils together on a flat surface, being careful not to pull the new coil either too tight or let it be too loose. *It won't flatten out when walked on.* 3. If you want a round rug, start coiling after a couple of inches. The flat side of an oval rug will be determined by the length of the string before the first bend; the curved bits at each end will each be a semicircle. It's like cutting a circular rug in half and inserting a rectangle in the middle that's the length of that first bit of string long and the diameter of the circle wide. Clear as mud? I might draw a diagram later. |
