Sometimes I remember things or objects from my youth that have literally been forgotten for decades. One of those bits of flotsam and jetsam that recently floated across my consciousness was the rag rug from my childhood we had on our living room floor. The colors were drab and muted, very utilitarian in nature; however, put on the old wood floor, it really fit. Around 1975, my mother decided she’d had it with her young daughters cleaning the floor by using Pledge and creating a dangerous, slick surface for her stockinged feet – don’t do it! – and she had the standard gold shag carpet installed. Goodbye wood, goodbye rug.
Flash forward 41 years, and here I am, wanting to make a rug similar to the one from my childhood. This transmogrified into wanting to make an outdoor rug for our new deck; a rug that wouldn’t require washing and was durable. I’d read somewhere that it was possible to use paracord for certain crocheted objects and the said material could be purchased at a craft store. Without further thought or research, I did just that.
I purchased 120 yards (really?) and a more ergonomically friendly size “N” crochet hook. With only a vague notion as to how I should proceed, I powered through it. I’ve done enough crocheting through the years to improvise, even though I’m not a big fan of it. As you can see, the yardage fell far short of the imagined rug, but at least it made it outside. It’s sturdy, a bit rough on the hands, but it will last quite a long time out in the elements. My family was so impressed by this little place mat that now they want me to make a bigger one.
Will I? Yup. But later. My fingers got callouses from this!
