1. Home
  2. Knitting and other yarn carfts
  3. crocheted yarn rugs.?

crocheted yarn rugs.?

Hi all, Hope all are well. having a good Sunday.I have , one of the few Sundays I have off from work. Went thrift store shopping most of the day with bfriend, he loves thrift store shopping, goes alot during the week when I'm at work. (I have women in store telling me they wished their "others" loved to shop like him.!! if they knew how much "stuff" was in my house they may not wish it. :)) I only go about once a week, but I shop till I drop when I do. All good deals and... yarn ,six white,one red .50 each like I need more! also a kit (was from Target for 9.99) with yarn ,pattern and needles to make a hat/scarf set for $3.00, don't know if I will make that, or use it for something else. Now I have started a crocheted rug, 4ply worsted two strands together , double cro. round multi and dark green . I have seen alot of rag rugs crocheted ,sewn and they look great. A lady at the flea/craft market has been making them for years.small ones sell for about $10.00 , bigger ones for alot more. My hands and arms are screaming at me in pain, thicker yarn,and bigger needle.but it is going rather fast. Do you think this is something that would sell good, ? What would be good colors? What would be good sizes? I need input to keep me going and not have pieces of rugs unfinished. Have a good Sunday night ,and let me know what you think, I know you will!! :O Jenny

Reply to
jheller
Loading thread data ...

Jenny, I have a couple crocheted rugs that my Great-Grandmother made. They are very old as she made them when she was a young mother (I'd guess 1905 or so.) She used stripped fabric, rolled (you know) and then crocheted. They last FOREVER and look as lovely now as they did when new. Perhaps the colors are faded some, but they're still surprisingly bright and cheerful. Considering how they last and the time invested to making them, I'm shocked that the flea market lady can sell even small ones for such a low price as $10! I recently bought a factory-made "braided" rug for my kitchen. The little matching one that's for in front of the sink (very small!) was over $20 ... and it's machine made, not fabric but thread wound around fat rope (that my kitties are already pulling up so that I hafta keep pushing the threads back into the gaps between the rounds!) They are not truly braided, and there's no way on earth they will last anywhere near what a crocheted rug will. I don't know what the adjustment in price should be, but I do know that they're truly WORTH more. Perhaps the formula given recently for marketing handmade articles .... what was it now? .... price of materials X working time X 4 or 5? ...... something like that. (Noreen would surely remember!) And perhaps you should up the X 4 or 5 part for the fact that the product will last a lifetime and then some. My rugs are on their THIRD person's lifetime!!!! LOL Eve :o)

Reply to
Eve

Jenny,

It sounds like this lady is underselling her work. Most of the rugs I've read about are going for $20-40 for a basic rag rug, $20 on Ebay, $40 in local shops, according to what I read online when looking for patterns to recycle some old clothing.

It depends on your area. If those are popular in your area, they could sell well. However, it can take a few hours to make a rug, (cutting or tearing and then crocheting) and you have to factor in cost of materials. I think from what I've read that most rugs are being sold for much less than they are worth, material and labor wise, because in this global economy, people expect quality for a pittance.

It varies per customer. I've seen people go for color schemes that make me want to puke and turn their noses up at ones I find pleasant!

I've seen them 2 feet around to room sized, with increasing prices to match. Seems quite a few are 2.5-4 feet around in the $40-75 range.

You might want to check out Rug Lady's web site. I ran across it when looking for patterns. I have not bought any of her patterns, and am not associated with her in any way, but it looks like she has tons of info available.

formatting link
I read one testimonial on her site that made me shake my head. Thiswoman claimed she made $70 without leaving her rocking chair, selling2 rugs at $35 each. I wondered where she got the fabric for free,then realized she probably didn't even think about the cost ofmaterials she used, so no wonder people are underselling their work,making it harder for a pro crafter to make a decent and fair profitfor their work.

A Yahoo or Google search for crocheted rag rugs will turn up some sites selling them and give you an idea of what colors people are using and what styles they are offering.

Leah

Reply to
Leah

This is what we call rag rugs Eve, they are very pretty, how lovely that you have one..

hugz cher

Reply to
spinninglilac

Hi Jenny,

I don't know what to charge either. Now the pattern I use for the one piece afghans, you might be able to use for the rugs. I use two strands of supersaver yarn, an N size hook and the half double crochet stitch. It may give the rug a little more body then a regular double crochet. I've made them using one strand of a solid color and one in a variegated and they work up fast. The only problem I could see is they might need something on the back to stop them from slipping and sliding on the floor.

Good luck if you sell them.

Hugs,

Nora

Reply to
norabalcer

My cousin's wife made a knitted rug years ago, using variegated yarn. It wasn't very big... maybe about 2' x 3'. She made short fringes (so it looked like a shag carpet) on the top side, and didn't bother putting anything on the bottom to keep it from slipping. I had it in front of my bed for a few years... just something to keep my feet from hitting the cold floor first thing in the morning. ;o)

Peace! Gemini

Reply to
MRH

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.