A rug for every room

When I was a child, our house was unheated and there was a lino floor in my bedroom. I can still remember the shock of cold every morning if my feet touched the floor rather than my bedside rug. However, since the rug was where my cat used to sleep I often didn't have much of a choice about this. There really wasn't much square-footage left after she had claimed it as her own!

Of course, with the perversity of a cat she would then stretch, wake up and follow me out of the door ever-hopeful for an extra saucer of milk.

That memory of cold has always stayed with me and even though we now have the luxury of central heating I still like to have a rug by my bedside. So here are four rugs you can make so you can have a rug not only in the bedroom, but also in the kitchen, sitting room and bathroom too!

So let's start with our bedside rug. This is the Ocean Currents Rug​ and was inspired by watching the waves as they came towards the shore one late Spring morning in Florida. The sun was low, the sky clear and every wave glowed with colours from deep blues to pale turquoises. ​​This rug attempts to capture that feeling of light and shade, rhythm and movement. The pattern uses symmetrical repeats but without predictability, giving the design a three‐dimensional quality. 

The pattern includes instructions for three different sizes:

• The small runner is 80cm/32 ins wide x 150cm/60 ins long and could be used for narrow spaces or in a hallway.
• The rug in the photo above is the medium size and measures 100cm/39 ins x 130cm/51 ins long, which is a well-proportioned rug for a wider bedside area.
• Then the large size is a generous 120cm/48 ins wide x 160cm/64 ins long and would work well in a sitting room or for a bedroom dressing area.

I also worked a matching blanket, the Oceans Currents Blanket, in these colours and you can read more about that here.

The second rug I am going to feature today is the Rare Earth Rug. This rug and the co-ordinating cushions, the Rare Earth Cushions, were worked in soft, natural shades of browns, greys and off-whites, reflecting the colours in the snow-dusted trees outside my studio room in Massachusetts. However, you could also work this pattern with brighter colours for a completely different look.

The wonderfully gentle gradations of colour in the rug are achieved by working with two strands of yarn in ever-changing combinations, and you can read more about this technique in my Knitting Notes series, "Seeing Double".

The rug is worked in Ridged Rib, a reversible stitch taken from our E-book Reversible Knitting Stitches. Reversible stitches tend to lie beautifully flat without curling, which is an important consideration as it makes it far less likely that you would trip over raised edges and corners.

The Rare Earth Rug measures 90cm/36 ins x 120cm/48 ins, which is a good size for a fireplace rug, and the pattern includes instructions for adding a non-slip backing to prevent it slipping on a wooden floor.

Then next is the Tromso Rug. This is an extra-thick rug and is also worked using a reversible stitch. This is Rib & Garter Stitch, which is a wonderfully textured pattern from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. The rug has a lovely depth and character, with strong lines running along the length of the knitting. This improves the warmth and softness of the rug so that is both nicely cushioned under your feet.

You can see the two sides of the rug in the photos above. The photo at the top of this post shows the Right Side while the one above shows the Wrong Side. They both have their own individual character and you don’t need to decide which side you're going to use until the very end. Even then, if you're careful about finishing off the ends invisibly you can always turn it over later on.

The Tromso Rug has been worked in a 100% wool which gives a lovely warm finish, and the yarn is also super-thick so it works up quickly. There are three different sizes included in the pattern:

• Small: 50x75cm / 20x30 ins.
• Medium (pictured above): 60x90cm / 24x36 ins.
• and Large: 70x105cm / 28x42 ins.

This makes it a very versatile pattern as you should be able to find just the right size to keep you cozy through the winter. The small size is excellent as a kitchen rug, for example, so you won't have to feel cold when you are standing at the sink peeling potatoes!

Then last but not least is the ​Malvern Bathmat. This is worked in a chunky cotton yarn in gentle shades of aqua and cream. The texture gives a lovely surface to step onto when you emerge from a bath or shower and the soft cotton is very absorbent.

The pattern is easy to work and includes three different sizes: 

• Small: This is 40cm/16 ins x 60cm/24 ins and works well for a pedestal sink or shower.
• Medium: This version measures 50cm/20 ins x 80cm/32 ins and is perfect for a bath or alongside wider vanity sinks.
• Large: This is a good size for a dressing room or wide shower and measures 60cm/24 ins wide x 100cm/40 ins long.

I hope these examples of rugs with give you lots of ideas for making a cozy rug for your home to keep you warm through the cooler months ahead!

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For information about any of the patterns featured here or our
Reversible Knitting Stitches book, ​please click the Patterns tab above.

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