I think I can........

Well....I am off on another tangent. Someone on the Greenleaf forum mentioned looking for a pattern for an oval rug in miniature.

Out comes the #7 crochet hook and the #10 thread. Those are the easiest to see when you are working out a pattern.

I remember the formula that my grandma taught me for rag rugs in big size. It is really simple. She started out with a chain the width of the rug she wanted to make. I made this one 15 stitches long. Then add two extra stitches for the turn. It counts as the first of three single crochets. You count back two and in the third stitch you do two single crochets in the back of the loop. It will look like the photo to the right. Then you single crochet in the back loop down to the other end. In the last loop where the tail is you do 3 single crochets in that loop. Then you go back up the other side, single crocheting in each loop until you get to the starting stitch of the round. There you do a slip stitch in the top of the first stitch and do a chain two. Then you start the nest row counting the ch 2 as the first stitch

I

f you have ever done circular crochet you will be familiar with this. What you are doing in cutting the circle in half and putting a length of straight stitches down the center.

You keep adding one sc after the 2 sc in the end.

Row 1. 3 scs in either end.

Row 2. 2sc in the 3 stitches.(6 sc)

Row 3. 2 sc in each of the 6 stitches.

Row 4. you start adding 1 sc between each 2 sc at the end. This row is 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1

Row 5. is 2, 1,1, 2,1,1 etc.

You keep going spacing the 2sc out farther and farther with each row.

I don't know if I am explaining this at all clearly. This photo shows 5 rows.

Row 1 is three stitches in one hole.

Row 2 is two stitches in each of the three.

Row 3 is two stitches in each of the six from the previous row.

Row 4 is two in one hole then one in one hole alternating.

Row 5 is two then two.

Row 6 will be two then three. It keeps increasing by the same ratio until the rug is as big as you want it. It may look a little ruffly at first. It will flatten out later. When you are finished you can press it with a wet cloth over it to flatten it completely.

I will try to write out a proper pattern when I finish working it.

Here's one that I did for the country kitchen that I started with the circular pattern that I'm talking about.

I did the circular pattern until I got out to the cat's front paw. Then you can see that I did about 6 double crochets on either side of the center and then just continued out with the sc round and round. When I got it as big as I wanted it, I just added a looped border.

Now that I have you thoroughly confused, I am going back to see if I can write a real pattern for it. I have never had it written down. I always just started doing it and knew where to go because Grandma Daisy showed me how. She is the same grandma that taught me to sew on her treadle machine. She also taught me to tat, knit, crochet and do patchwork, among other things. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be as good as I am in a lot of different needlework.

OK. Back to the crochet. See you tomorrow.