How Knot to Crochet a Rug

Crocheted rugs are beautiful. We love a good crocheted rug. What we don't love about them, is the price of materials. How are you supposed to come up with a reasonably priced creation when you have to double your material to make them? Regular yarn isn't durable enough for something that you will walk on and need to occasionally clean. You would have to double and or triple up strands in order to make it.

I saw this pattern in passing that I have just been pining over. (Yes, that is a picture of a magazine. That is how I store information I want later!) It's been a long time since the last rug episode, long enough to forget the pain and the torture of making the stinky sisal rug. Not long enough to remember why buying the proper materials is important and something to save for. Seriously,  a good rug will cost about $60 in materials alone. After scouring the internet for some kind of cheaper material, I decided to go do some local shopping. We went to Big Lots, cause they usually have cheap rope. But it was still the same price as I saw online. Then I decided to go to Harbor Freight Tools. They have all sorts of weird stuff, surely they would have a spool of suitable material.

Ohhhhhh boy did they ever! All I saw was $15.99 for 600 ft and I was sold. It was shiny, it was bright, it was bold... how perfect! Mmmmmhmmmm... my husband even asked, "Honey, are you SURE you have to have it now?" I, in my crocheted rug crazed state of mind, responded, "Well, I've been bored and I really want to make this rug." There were some other great lines out of his smart alec mouth about being bored and finding stuff to do, but whatever. This is about the rug, not how witty my husband is.

I got out of the store and texted D a picture of my giant spool of rope:

When I got home, I eagerly started working on my masterpiece. Though not overly pliable, this definitely crocheted up better than the sisal. It was a bit sticky on the giant plastic hook if I didn't give myself enough room to get through my stitches. The rug took shape rather quickly, in my opinion. It just wasn't as solid of crochet as I was expecting, because it didn't have a lot of give. It was more loopy. It was still turning out rather cute and shaping up nicely. I left off at row seven with a very nasty blister and a pair of gloves that were being eaten alive by the material. This was probably not one of my better ideas. Being the plastic, there wasn't really a way to soak it into submission. It was just going to be rather springy and uncooperative. (Although, still more cooperative than the horrible sisal.)

It required a great amount of effort to get it to lay flat. I was beginning to wonder what I was going to do with this thing. As I walked on it to spread it out, I realized that I had made the perfect barn doily. Seriously, I can see it imprinted in the dirt by the door to wipe boots off on. It's just right and there are many levels of texture. It's really cute for an outdoor rug, but there are some definite raised spots where it just couldn't help itself... it was like trying to keep unruly hair in a ponytail.

I called it quits after row eight. It was large enough in diameter to pass as a decent rug to go in front of a door. My knuckle was still angry over the rough treatment and it was just obvious to me that any larger and it would be obnoxious. I had to come up with a way to stretch it completely out and kind of block it. I figured that getting it wet and letting it sit out in the sun should make it stay a bit better. I asked my husband for a way to block it. I was thinking of a sheet of plywood, some nails or screws and propping it up against a wall outside. He was thinking accessible objects. This is what happens when you ask a man for assistance in blocking:

He did very generously loan me the use of his BBQ. I have yet to know if it will be adequately stretched out. But I do know that I intend to have it available in our booths this next season. It's bright and cheerful. I can't wait to see what it looks like without the chairs, planter and BBQ. Durable: check. Cute: check. Totally impractical for the original pattern of the rug: most definitely. We really have poor luck in choosing inexpensive, accessible rug materials. No wonder those things cost so much! By the time that we get around to use the proper materials, we may have enough ways NOT to make a rug to write a book. For now, you get a blog and someone gets a very cute, durable barn doily with which to wipe their boots!

Knot Worth It, or Is It?

So as I wrote this Tori was out yard sale-ing and found a really great deal on a bunch of yarn. I just might have yarn envy!! I can't wait to see what she found, and boy I hope there are no knots in this find...

I told a certain *ahem* someone that since her hubby is working all weekend, she should come into Bend and stay at her mom's just down the road! Then she could have gone with me! I found a listing on Craigslist for an estate sale out in Sisters. I couldn't give up hope that there would be some awesome yarn left by the time I got out there. Boy howdy! A bit of yarn was an understatement! There was tons. Erring on the side of caution, I filled up a bag with yarn, unsure of how much this lady was going to ask for my find. It was a large shopping bag jam packed full! 

 Don't let the packaging fool you! Once I got home and dumped out that lovely bag, there was yarn everywhere!!!! I had to reorganize my desk space, because apparently I already had a significant yarn collection. 

 There is a lot of amazing stuff in this pile! I was so thrilled when the lady accepted my offer of $20. We could not get home from Sisters fast enough after that! I kept pulling stuff out to take pictures and text Danielle.

Knots you ask? As Tori was just starting to pick up steam and really start to enjoy crocheting, I let her in on my secret place to find cheap yarn. She went and reported back that she found some great stuff and this giant knot of nice soft yarn.

 Someone mentioned that since it's only a three dollar thing of yarn, I should throw it out. I wanted to, really, I did. But there's a miserly cheapskate in me that just couldn't stand to throw away this pile of yarn I bought for a buck. When you start getting to the end of the month and have exhausted your yarn budget, it's comforting to know that pile is there. While spending hours the other day trying to reclaim this amazing pile of knots, I decided that it just cannot be worth it to try to spend my time un-knotting it. The unfortunate part is, I really liked the color and it IS shiny yarn. I was working with some other colors that were shiny and felt it was important to use it. I've been sectioning it off and balling what I can get out of it. I guess with my yarn purchase today, I can actually afford to throw that knotted piece away!(Well, I was actually considering cutting it up and leaving it in a convenient place for the birdies to pick it up to make nests out of.)

Well shortly after the whole purchase of the knot came the adventure of Agave yarn (aka sisle twine). I had this great idea that it would make a killer rug! Soo I spent an afternoon starting this "rug" at Tori's house, hours went by and all I had was this nice little round thing and very sore hands. When it was time for me to head on home I left it sitting in the middle of the floor in mild disgust.

Well you would think that the whole rug adventure would end with me dumping this project on my friend, Oh no it gets even better!

I looked at that twine every day, thinking that it couldn't/shouldn't be that difficult. It IS that difficult. And then some. It's like arm wrestling without the pleasure of winning. I was sore from hooking that god awful stuff! I started a different rug thinking it would be easier. It wasn't. Then I decided to soak the twine.... surely it would be softer and easier to use. I even used Crisco on my hook. Really. 

The twine soaked in the water for the entire time that I worked on that rug. It smelled like a farm. Seriously, it was disgusting. Someone... told me that it was just a little rug and if I gave up, I'd be letting it win. I was determined to see this project end. I worked and worked on it. The middle of my palm was bruised from shoving the hook in and out of the twine. When I finally got to the end, I had just enough time to block it before a bazaar. When I brought it in to the bazaar, I practically threw it at Danielle. I was so sick and tired of seeing and smelling that disaster! 

She was pretty sure that she needed to take it home. I warned her about the smelliness of this great rug, but she didn't seem to think there was a problem. Not until it had baked in her husband's work truck for days.  

Oh and how it stunk!! He was convinced that one of the many farm animals that we have crawled into his truck and died! It didn't take long before he found this dandy of a rug and threw it out into the yard. Yes is I did promptly retrieve the rug from the yard and moved it into his office.... LOL.\

That rug has not been seen since.... but the smelly rug saga has continued....
 

Knot Quite Right

Many of you have wondered how we started down this road of random knot quite rightness, well here it is....

Danielle and I went to school together. We reconnected in various ways through different stages of our lives. I have three kids who used to be age three under three. Danielle also had three kids under three staggered in between mine. That is a special kind of crazy between Moms!

 I started crocheting because of Pinterest. I knew I could make the stuff that I saw and really loved. When I picked up a box from Freecycle containing crochet hooks, it started a new hobby. Though I read and studied Google, it wasn't enough. With some explanation and guidance from Danielle, I started crocheting. I loved it. After making some hats for my mom and my sister, they convinced me that I should sell them. In order to start a business, I needed someone who knew more than I did and could work on commission. After many conversations about kids and life, I knew who to call. Danielle's work is incredible! We both laughed when I proposed the name Knot Quite... because we knew that even though it was great, it may knot be quite right.

Our friendship was already something great and fun. The education that came with starting the crochet business was one of the best parts. Shortly after we started, D told me I was missing a part of yarn education. That only fueled our crazy partnership. I already had a thing for the touch and feel of things. I could walk through Goodwill and feel the difference between clothing. When I was introduced to fiber and the making of yarn, it ruined me in some ways. She took me to the wool gathering in Prineville and introduced me to where yarn came from. I laughed and told her it was one step up from dirt. (I am a gardener, so all food comes from dirt, then goes up, right?). She laughed and told me that I wasn't quite right! She held the fiber world in front of me, but my experience was in marketing. One of our first, most successful ventures into selling was the Shaniko Wool Gathering. (That's another story for another time.)

Since then, we've established our etsy store and built our Facebook page. We spent the summer building stock for the winter bazaars. My kids all started school this year, so I decided to pursue a degree in addition to starting a business. Danielle has been keeping up on the Facebook side, posting great updates on new stock while I have had my nose in books. When I finish my homework, I kick out some items for our upcoming events. Though we've kept our etsy store stocked, we've kept some great items aside for our Fall/Winter schedule.

We've done two shows this week. Each time, we've been complimented about being two strong individuals working together who create an atmosphere of fun. We enjoy introducing each other to the people who support this little business, be it family or friends, we've picked up along the way. It's comforting to show up to a new place and know someone is waving you down on the street to show you where to go. For me, that's my best friend. For both of us, it's our husbands helping us set up for a show, or gramma's watching the kids while we are gone. For us, it is you as our friends and fans.

Thank you for your support. 

What Chickens Have to do With Yarn Shopping....

Here I am with out any yarn. Well, I should say with out any yarn I want to use right now. I have been on a wash cloth tangent and now I'm out of cotton yarn. With the Shaniko Wool Gathering and my urge to make wash cloths for Days For Girls, I decided that I needed to see what kind of deals I could find on the internet. Heck who doesn't love computer shopping in your pjs?

I just had to let Tori in on my hunt, mainly cause you always need a good shopping partner!! As I head on over to some of my favorite retail spots to see if what I needed was on sale, Tori kinda followed, as well as Tori follows.  Nothing I wanted was on sale and while I started whining about it, Tori took off. Where to? None other than Ebay!! This always provides hours of quality entertainment. This is where it gets good.. We found a few deals that just might have to happen and then the chickens start showing up. Chickens you say, well yes chickens!

Interjection: I swear, the crazy critter stuff just finds us. It doesn't matter what we are looking for, they just pop up. This time, I was only searching for yarn. One time... while I was doing a search for squirrels (yes, I have to admit I was looking for squirrels on Pinterest), I found a ring on etsy that was priceless! So I purchased it and had it directly shipped to Danielle, complete with gift wrap. The squirrel ring drove her nuts for hours. She called me, wondering who sent it to her. She told me I was the only one crazy enough to send her a golden squirrel ring. It was so entertaining, I couldn't stop laughing. After several phone calls and lots of who? why? and how? I finally confessed. There's always lots of good options. I'm really thinking that someone needs a chicken, though...





I have to say I love her chickens! There where some other chickens that just didn't compare, trust us, we looked! So check her out if you are in the market for a killer chicken pot holder  http://stores.ebay.com/Lindas-Special-Occasions. Heck even her fruit guys are pretty cool, I dig the lime. He is a bit cross eyed and looks like he has been hitting the drink a bit hard, that could be why I find him so cool.

I will spare you all the hundreds of links to the creepy hairy yarn that looks kinda like shaved alley cats. Heck there was even a few skeins of yarn that came with a bag of really creepy clown like heads...

Oh the joys of Ebay, a twisted sense of humor and yarn shopping... see what you miss out on behind the scenes? It's knot quite right...

To the Show We Go

Last Saturday Fez and I packed up our stuff and headed to a rabbit show.

Fez all ready for the show

We got many excellent comments on his wool, head and ears. But we where told that he is a bit on the small side... So I guess its time he starts eating his Wheaties and using that gym membership I got him.

As he sat in his carrier chilling out after judging I got to walk around and visit with other Angora breeders and Fiber enthusiasts. As I was talking to a friend, she took me over to check out this young little angora. I should have walked the other way, LOL. The moment our eyes met it was love!

 I was trying really hard to say no to such a sweet face, then my friend asked the breeder how much she was selling this little girl for. Lets just say it was beyond reasonable and  I couldn't say no.... meet Camo. She is just 4 months old and such a doll. I gave her a hair cut today and she was so patient through the whole thing.

Naked Bunny

Such big feet

All stylish in her new coat.

~D
.

A Bunny Filled Life

Last week I was given the honor of being asked if I would like to become the custodian of two very sweet and very nice German Angora bucks. I said yes (well, how could I say no). I was also offered a German hybrid Angora doe from a fellow fiber enthusiast and welcomed three brand new baby bunnies into the world. Yesterday our three new angoras moved in and boy are they sweet!

Siskyu

Snowflake

Forte

As if all of this wasn't enough I saw an ad on Craigs List asking for help with some orphaned baby bunnies. I just had to answer the ad to see if I could help. It was a fellow fiber artist with baby angoras that are only two days younger than our new babies.  Mama Thistle welcomed them with open paws and willingly took on three more babies.

All six of the babies, the smaller three up front are the adopted ones.

It's En-Gauging!

Ahhh, the wonderful world of crochet... a deep delightful pool of endless possibilities spread before me as I googled the basics of crochet. But every time I turned around, I was fighting with my hooks, my yarn and my knots... which, when I finally decided to ask a seasoned crocheter, I was informed that they were stitches, not knots! ;)

I am a huge book enthusiast, so I really thought I could master the basics by reading. Thankfully, Danielle was only a phone call or text away, but it was when we sat down together that she was able to point out some of the very issues I was fighting. She told me when I began that I needed to make dishcloths. I whipped one of those bad babies out and went on to other projects. However, those issues still popped up here and there. Some of it was hook size, some of it was yarn weight and the most frequent issue I had was gauge.  I often learned more in just an half hour of sitting across from my friend than I did from pouring over patterns, books and websites.

In that spirit, we are looking at opening up a time when we can all sit together, crochet and maybe even troubleshoot some of the little things we overlook while crocheting alone. Keep checking our page, we will be developing this great little idea into a fun event for all to look forward to! We're going to have some questions on what works, how often and where you would like to do this, so we'll be expecting some feedback!
~T