You can find quite a few free rug patterns at crochetpatterncentral.com. I am adding a link below with a video to teach you how to make a beginning chain and then single crochet. If you want to make a square or rectangle rug using what you learn in that video, you would just make a chain the length you want your rug to be and then make as many rows as it takes to make your rug square. You will need to make 1 chain at the end of each row and turn your work and single crochet across the row. If you want to make a square or rectangle rug in rounds, that is a different technique and you will need to know how to make a ring and join with a slip stitch. Google it and you should find lots of places with videos or photo tutorials that will help you. It is still really basic crochet, but you will need to know how to increase stitches at the corners. I believe I used a K hook when I made rugs many years ago. Also, if you have a nice piece of material that you want to cut into one long strip, this site has a tutorial on how to do that so that you don't have to do the knot thing: http://vintagechica.typepad.com/the_life_and_times_of_thi/2006/10/rag_rug_tutoria.html There is only a slight advantage to cutting or tearing the strips on the bias and that is that the fabric has a little more give. Won't really make a difference in the finished product, but it will be slightly easier to crochet. I say slightly because working with fabric and huge hooks does tend to be hard on your hands. I would be happy to help you if you run into any trouble. Here is a link that might be useful: learn to crochet

Yes I rotary cut the pieces. Needle breakage due to the weight of the seams. With the edges, in the past I've cut like a regular rag quilt but have found that when you wash these, they fray on their own. I've also backed in the past but then they are SUPER heavy and not quite as universal in usage. Wash like you would jeans. Lots of lint in the filter so on the bigger ones, I set for 30 minutes, clean the filter and then dry the rest of the way. Marie in Michigan

One way that you can obtain "yarn" for your rugs is to buy old wool sweaters and wash them in really hot water with a good amount of detergent and strong agiatation. In other words, ruin them! This will felt the wool and it can then be cut into strips that will not unravel. The wool gets really thick when it felts. For the best felting, it should be 100% wool. The best sweaters to use for this are the finer guage ones. Avoid the ones with a lot of yarn changes, the ones that have designs embroidered into them or knit into the rows. I use these old sweaters to crochet rugs. I have one rug that is all cashmere wool! I crochet them in continuous rounds and place a stitch only through the upper yarn on the previous stitch. Usually, when you crochet, you put the hook under the two threads. I only use the top one. The result is a stitch that has the appearance of a braided stitch. I call them a "East Texas Spiral" rug because I learned to crochet rugs from my old family members. I also make them from any and all old clothes and sewing scraps. I have made a few of them from denim, but it is very heavy and is a workout to wrestle with. Cutting woven fabric stips on the bias will help them not to fray. Usually, though, I just render the old garment into strips in any direction that will yield a strip. Instead of sewing the strips together, I use a cutting method where I cut the strip just to about one inch of the end. I, then, turn the piece around and cut down the other direction for the next strip, thus, leaving a small square of fabric that holds them into one long strip. I used to sew the strips together and it took forever! The little square hinge is just incorporated into the crochet and there is no bulk of seam allowances or double thickness. The felted sweaters are cut up using the same method as the woven fabrics. I find that cutting along the directions that the rows of knitting are running is best, as opposed to cutting across the rows of knitting. But, really, once it is felted, it is pretty sturdy. You can also use wool worsted woven to make rugs. Wool is really durable! I have several made from cut up wool pants and discared wool garments. The only thing is that sometimes the felted wool is so pretty that it is a shame to cut it up! When I cut up the old felted sweaters, I save the seam allowances that I cut off. They look a little like noodles. It takes a lot of cutting up old sweaters to get a basketfull of them, but they are just too good to throw away! They are all wool! The rugs made by RAdd would be a good use for these "noodles". I have a basket of wool noodles by now. Maybe I will try Radd's method of rugmaking with the noodles.

Do I hear that darned Cynic using my name in vain? Again? Rag bag - yep. But - there ain't much in it. I'm having trouble choosing some underwear briefs that are not holey and only minimally stained, but the zip in whose elastic has pretty well got up and went ... to trade to my son and his lady for new ones that they gifted me ... ... (last Christmas). Old things make good dusters ... and are useful for cleaning up spills. Wrapping around the broom, held in place by elastic bands, even synthetic material does a good job of clearing cobwebs. I find that the synthetic fibre things make reasonably good dishcloths, not being required to soak up a lot of water. I have a set of old coveralls, with hole in one leg (patched), and hole in other lag having had the seam ripped, ready to patch, but not yet patched ... that has a zipper whose slider(s) run up and down nicely, but the two sides won't stay together - I need a couple of cloths tied together to tie around my middle to turn the wind a bit. Have some holey socks that need mending ... but they aren't ready for the rag bag ... yet. Have some cotton socks that I need to darn (or patch) as I wear them over the squeezy socks (about $60. for 2 pairs) to keep them from wearing out quickly. Someone says that the socks wear mostly on the skin side ... but I figure that most of the wear takes place on the shoe side. Hope you're all having a great week ... my friend was entertaining on the weekend at the last fall fair of the season, so we're having Thanksgiving supper tonight. ole joyful