This soft and luscious rug is all about the yarn. It will take as long to prepare the roving for knitting as it will to actually knit the rug on giant needles, but it's worth it!
Skill level ● ● ●
SIZE
Approx. 53 x 3½ in (135 x 80cm)
YARN
Wool roving such as World of Wool
23Mic64’s Merino top—100% merino wool; 3½ oz (100g) bags
Ecru—approx. 3lb 8oz (1.6kg)
NEEDLES
Pair of 1¾ in (4.5cm) knitting needles
OTHER MATERIALS
Extra-large cable needle
Two large double bed sheets
Liquid washing detergent
String
Bathtub
Clean rubber boots
Drying rack
GAUGE (TENSION)
3 sts and 4.5 rows to 4in (10cm) over
rev st st using 1¾ in (4.5cm) needles
ABBREVIATIONS
C4F—cable 4 forward: slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then knit 2 sts from cable needle.
C3L—cable 3 left: slip next 2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, purl next st from left-hand needle, then knit 2 sts from cable needle.
C3R—cable 3 right: slip next st onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left-hand needle, then purl st from cable needle.
To prepare the yarn
- Preparing the roving for knitting is very important as it is necessary to make it strong enough. You do not want to fully felt the fibers, but the roving should feel firmer, and as though it has puffed up slightly.
- Place a double sheet flat on the floor and, starting in one corner and pulling the roving out of the bag as you go, lay a continuous length of roving along one side, following the edge of the sheet. When you reach the opposite corner, don’t break off the roving but fold the sheet over to fully cover the wool, then lay another line of roving parallel to the previous length. Continue in this way until you have fully laid out and wrapped as much roving as will fi t on the sheet, ensuring that the sheet fabric is always separating the lengths of roving so that they will not felt together. Tie a length of string every 8in (20cm) down the bundle to hold it closed. Start a new sheet and wrap more roving in the same way. You will probably need to make four of these bundles in total, but I have found that the felting works best with two at a time.
- Fill the bathtub with the hottest tap water possible and put in as much washing detergent as for a normal single load in your washing machine. Lay the bundles in the hot water. Wearing the rubber boots, climb into the bath and stomp on the bundles for about five minutes to encourage a certain amount of felting. Drain the bath, then rinse the bundles several times with cold water to remove any trace of detergent.
- Spin the bundles dry if you have a washing machine, or squeeze them until you have removed as much water as possible if you do not. Open the and lay the now slightly felted wool on a drying rack for at least 12 hours to dry. Repeat until you have felted all four bags of roving.
- Once the wool is fully dry, pull the end of one length apart so that the roving is split evenly into two: as you gently pull, the roving should easily split down the entire length. Repeat this on each split length so that the original length is now split into four. Ball up your newly created yarn.
PATTERN
Main piece
Cast on 24 sts.
Row 1: K1, p9, k4, p9, k1.
Row 2: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Row 3: K1, p1, p8, k4, p8, p1, k1.
Row 4: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Row 5: K1, p1, p8, C4F, p8, p1, k1.
Row 6: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Row 7: K1, p1, p7, C3R, C3L, p7, p1, k1.
Row 8: K1, p1, k7, p2, k1, p1, p2, k7, p1, k1.
Row 9: K1, p1, p6, C3R, p1, k1, C3L, p6, p1, k1.
Row 10: K1, p1, k6, p2, [p1, k1] twice, p2, k6, p1, k1.
Row 11: K1, p1, p5, C3R, [k1, p1] twice, C3L, p5, p1, k1.
Row 12: K1, p1, k5, p2, [k1, p1] 3 times, p2, k5, p1, k1.
Row 13: K1, p1, p4, C3R, [p1, k1] 3 times, C3L, p4, p1, k1.
Row 14: K1, p1, k4, p2, [p1, k1] 4 times, p2, k4, p1, k1.
Row 15: K1, p1, p3, C3R, [k1, p1] 4 times, C3L, p3, p1, k1.
Row 16: K1, p1, k3, p2, [k1, p1] 5 times, p2, k3, p1, k1.
Row 17: K1, p1, p3, k2, [p1, k1] 5 times, k2, p3, p1, k1.
Row 18: K1, p1, k3, p2, [k1, p1] 5 times, p2, k3, p1, k1.
Row 19: K1, p1, p4, C3L, [p1, k1] 3 times, C3R, p4, p1, k1.
Row 20: K1, p1, k5, p2, [k1, p1] 3 times, p2, k5, p1, k1.
Row 21: K1, p1, p5, C3L, [k1, p1] twice, C3R, p5, p1, k1.
Row 22: K1, p1, k6, p2, [p1, k1] twice, p2, k6, p1, k1.
Row 23: K1, p1, p6, C3L, p1, k1, C3R, p6, p1, k1.
Row 24: K1, p1, k7, p2, k1, p1, p2, k7, p1, k1.
Row 25: K1, p1, p7, C3L, C3R, p7, p1, k1.
Row 26: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Row 27: K1, p1, p8, C4F, p8, p1, k1.
Row 28: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Row 29: K1, p1, p8, C4F, p8, p1, k1.
Row 30: K1, p1, k8, p4, k8, p1, k1.
Rep rows 3–30 once more, then row 3 once more.
Bind (cast) off knitwise on WS.
To make up
Weave in all loose ends.
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