12 September 2005

Remember Corking?


I always called it corking as a kid, but have discovered recently that it goes by many names - french knitting, spool knitting and i-cord are a few
Several months ago, I dragged the old corker out of the sewing basket and started using up my scrap yarn. But, what to do with the results? I made several cute flowers for hats but that got tired quickly.
I've always loved rag rugs so I spent an afternoon researching rug making on line to see if corked "snakes" can be adapted into a traditional looking rug. Particularly helpful was a 1971
Mother Earth News article titled Snug As A Bug In A Braided Rug.
Here's the plan. . .After I get enough ropes made for a good start, I'll begin braiding and stitching them into a mat for my bedroom. It will be gorgeous! It will be tons of fussy work! Why am I doing this!
Updates will follow.

3 comments:

S.Y. said...

Haha! I always called this corking too!
This entry was very helpful to me. Thanks!

Unknown said...

I have enough corking for a 5' rug .... I have started putting it together but it is buckling....starting to look like a large knitted dome....is there a video that shows how to stitch together or do you know??
thanks
judi

Yvette said...

Judi, I was very careful to make flat braids then to wind the rug as flat as possible. I very loosely stitched the inner side of the new braid to the outer side of the previous one as I went, drawing the needle as close to the edge as possible. Pull and stretch as you go. I recall that I stitched it on a flat surface, not in my lap. Hope that helps.