Hoooked Zpagetti Yarn Review PLUS Free Crochet Rug Pattern — Maria’s Blue Crayon

There is something quietly thrilling about discovering a yarn that completely changes the way you think about a project. For me, that yarn was Hoooked Zpagetti. I had seen it floating around Pinterest for years — those chunky, colorful rolls of fabric yarn spilling out of baskets and being transformed into thick, gorgeous rugs — but I put off trying it for longer than I care to admit. When I finally picked up a few rolls in a beautiful mix of blues, I understood immediately what all the fuss was about. Today I want to share my full, honest review of Hoooked Zpagetti yarn, and then walk you through a free pattern for a crochet rug I designed called Maria’s Blue Crayon. It’s bold, it’s cheerful, and it works up faster than almost anything else I’ve ever made.

What Is Hoooked Zpagetti Yarn?

Before we get into the review, let me give you a quick primer on what Zpagetti actually is, because it’s not a traditional spun yarn at all. Hoooked is a Dutch brand, and Zpagetti is their signature product — a continuous “yarn” made from the leftover fabric strips produced during the manufacture of T-shirts and jersey clothing. Those scraps are cut into long, narrow strips and joined together to create one long strand, usually wound into a large ball or “zpagetti roll.”

The result is a super-bulky, stretchy, tactile yarn that is completely unlike anything made from wool or acrylic. It’s soft, it’s thick (somewhere between a size 6 super bulky and what I’d describe as an off-the-charts chunky), and each roll is genuinely unique. Because the yarn is made from reclaimed fabric, no two balls are ever identical. Some sections are solid color, some are striped, and every now and then you’ll hit a little seam where the strips have been joined. The colorways are created by dyeing the fabric before it’s processed, so the colors are rich, saturated, and consistent within a given product run even if they vary slightly between batches.

This is also what makes Zpagetti a genuinely sustainable choice. Instead of those fabric scraps going to landfill, they’re repurposed into something beautiful and functional. If you’re someone who thinks about the environmental footprint of your craft supplies, that matters.

My Honest Zpagetti Yarn Review

The Look and Feel

The first thing you notice when you pick up a ball of Zpagetti is how substantial it is. A standard ball is approximately 120 meters and weighs around 850 grams — that’s nearly two pounds of yarn in your hands. It has a satisfying heft to it. The fabric is jersey, so it has a natural stretch in one direction, and working with it feels nothing like crocheting with traditional yarn. It almost feels like you’re sculpting.

The colors I used for this project — a range of cobalt blues, dusty periwinkles, and soft denim shades — were every bit as vibrant in person as they looked online. The dye saturation is genuinely impressive. I’ve used other recycled fabric yarns that looked a little muddy or faded compared to their product photos, but Hoooked seems to have nailed their dyeing process. The blues in particular were clean and true.

The texture is smooth on the surface but has a slight visual interest because the edges of the fabric strip are folded in as you pull the yarn — so you get a rounded, tube-like strand. This gives finished pieces a wonderful, plush appearance.

Working With It

I used a 10mm crochet hook for most of this project, which is within the range Hoooked recommends (they suggest 10–15mm hooks, depending on the look you want). My personal preference leans toward the tighter end of that range for rugs, because I want a dense, sturdy fabric that won’t shift around underfoot. You lose a little drape but gain a lot of durability.

One thing to be aware of is that Zpagetti requires a bit more physical effort than crocheting with lightweight yarn. Your hands and wrists are doing real work, especially if you’re making a large project. I took regular breaks and made sure I wasn’t tensing my shoulders unnecessarily. If you have any joint issues, this is worth keeping in mind. Short sessions are smarter than marathon ones.

The yarn does split occasionally at the join points — those little seams where the fabric strips are connected. When this happens, just ease the sections back together gently before continuing. It’s a minor inconvenience rather than a real problem, and it happens infrequently enough that it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the project at all.

Tension is looser and more forgiving than with finer yarns. Small variations in your gauge will barely show in the finished piece, which makes this a wonderfully relaxed yarn to work with. There’s no counting stitches anxiously, no frogging because one row looks slightly tighter than the last. You just crochet, and it all smooths itself out.

The Finished Fabric

This is where Zpagetti really earns its reputation. The finished fabric is thick, dense, and incredibly sturdy. A rug made from Zpagetti feels like it was professionally made. It doesn’t curl at the edges (assuming you’re working in the round or with careful tension), it lies flat on the floor, and it has just enough grip from its weight alone that it won’t slide easily on hard floors. I still recommend using a rug pad underneath for safety, but the rug itself behaves beautifully.

The color depth in a finished piece is spectacular. Because the yarn is so thick, the stitches become sculptural, and light plays across them differently depending on the angle. Maria’s Blue Crayon, the rug I designed with it, looks almost three-dimensional when the morning light hits it at a low angle. That’s entirely thanks to the material.

Care and Durability

Hoooked recommends hand washing Zpagetti items or using a delicate machine cycle with cold water. I’ve done both with no issues. The colors have remained bright and the fabric hasn’t shrunk or stretched out of shape. A rug like this isn’t going to go in the wash every week, but it’s reassuring to know that when the time comes, it can handle cleaning without drama.

Durability is excellent. The fabric construction means individual stitches are unlikely to unravel the way they might in a knit or crochet fabric made from traditional yarn. There’s a structural integrity to the textile that gives it a long lifespan, even in high-traffic areas.

Value for Money

Zpagetti is not cheap, and I want to be upfront about that. A single ball runs roughly $15–$20 USD depending on where you buy it and the current exchange rate (since it’s a European brand). A substantial rug might require two to four balls, putting the material cost somewhere in the range of $30–$80. For the quality, the uniqueness, and the sustainability aspect, I personally find that reasonable and even a good deal compared to buying a handmade rug of similar quality. But if you’re on a tight craft budget, it’s worth planning ahead and looking for sales or multi-pack deals, which Hoooked and their retailers do offer periodically.

Overall, I give Hoooked Zpagetti yarn a strong recommendation. It’s one of those materials that makes you a better crafter simply by being genuinely enjoyable to use.

About Maria’s Blue Crayon Rug

I named this rug after my niece Maria, who, when I asked what kind of rug she wanted in her room, said simply: “Blue. Like a crayon.” I thought that was just about the most perfect design brief I’d ever received. The pattern is a simple oval rug worked in concentric rounds, using two colorways of Zpagetti — a deep cobalt and a softer, slightly greyed periwinkle blue. The contrast between the two shades gives it a striped, layered look that is graphic without being overwhelming. It’s the kind of piece that anchors a room and makes everything else in it look intentional.

The finished rug is approximately 24 inches wide by 36 inches long, though yours will vary slightly depending on your tension and hook size.

Free Crochet Rug Pattern: Maria’s Blue Crayon

Materials

You will need approximately one full ball (850g / 120m) of Hoooked Zpagetti in a deep cobalt blue — I used a shade called “Blue Jeans” — and one full ball in a softer periwinkle or dusty blue, labelled “Storm Blue” in the Hoooked range. You will also need a 10mm crochet hook, scissors, and a tapestry needle or your fingers to weave in ends. A rug pad is recommended for use underneath the finished piece.

Gauge

With a 10mm hook and Zpagetti yarn, approximately 6 single crochets = 4 inches and 7 rows = 4 inches. Gauge is not critical for this project, but significant variations will affect your finished size.

Pattern Notes

This rug is worked in continuous rounds in an oval shape, created by working a chain foundation and then crocheting into both sides of it. No joining is required; just keep going in a spiral. Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round. Colors are changed at the start of a new round. The color sequence alternates every two rounds.

All abbreviations are US crochet terms. Ch means chain. Sc means single crochet. Sl st means slip stitch. St means stitch.

Instructions

Foundation Chain

Using your cobalt blue yarn, chain 13.

Round 1

Work 3 sc into the second chain from the hook. Sc in the next 10 chains. Work 3 sc into the last chain. Now rotate your work and sc along the opposite side of the foundation chain — sc in each of the next 10 chains. You should have 26 stitches total. Do not join. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round and move it up as you work.

Round 2

Work 2 sc in each of the first 3 stitches (the curved end). Sc in the next 10 stitches. Work 2 sc in each of the next 3 stitches (the other curved end). Sc in the remaining 10 stitches. You now have 32 stitches.

Round 3

2 sc in next st, sc in next st — repeat this 3 times across the curved end. Sc in the next 10 stitches. Repeat the increase pattern across the second curved end. Sc in the remaining 10 stitches. You now have 38 stitches.

Round 4

2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts — repeat 3 times across first curved end. Sc in next 10 stitches. Repeat increases across second curved end. Sc in remaining 10 stitches. You now have 44 stitches.

Change to Periwinkle Blue.

Round 5

2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts — repeat 3 times across first curved end. Sc in next 10 stitches. Repeat increases across second curved end. Sc in remaining 10 stitches. You now have 50 stitches.

Round 6

Sc in every stitch around without increases. (50 stitches)

Change to Cobalt Blue.

Round 7

2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts — repeat 3 times across each curved end. Sc in straight sides. You now have 56 stitches.

Round 8

Sc in every stitch around. (56 stitches)

Change to Periwinkle Blue.

Round 9

2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts — repeat 3 times across each curved end. Sc in straight sides. You now have 62 stitches.

Round 10

Sc in every stitch around. (62 stitches)

Change to Cobalt Blue.

Round 11

2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts — repeat 3 times across each curved end. Sc in straight sides. You now have 68 stitches.

Round 12

Sc in every stitch around. (68 stitches)

Change to Periwinkle Blue.

Rounds 13 and 14

Sc in every stitch around both rounds without increases. (68 stitches)

Change to Cobalt Blue.

Round 15

Sl st in each stitch around for a tidy, firm edge. Fasten off.

Finishing

Weave in all ends securely. With Zpagetti, I find it easiest to thread the end through several nearby stitches rather than tying knots, which can create bumps. Tug gently to make sure the ends are secure, then trim close.

Lay your rug flat on the floor and smooth it with your hands. If any edges are curling slightly, don’t panic — the rug’s own weight will usually flatten it out within a day or two of use. You can also mist it lightly with water and lay books around the perimeter overnight if you want to speed up the process.

Tips for Making This Rug Your Own

The color combination here is purely personal — two blues chosen for a specific child in a specific room — but the structure of the pattern works beautifully with any color pairing you love. Imagine it in warm terracotta and cream, or deep forest green and natural oatmeal, or a punchy coral with a soft blush. Because each ball of Zpagetti is already a little different from every other, you might also find that a single colorway with subtle variation does all the visual work you need.

If you want a larger rug, the formula for extending the pattern is straightforward: continue adding one stitch to the increase sequence each round and alternate your increase rounds with plain sc rounds to keep the oval shape growing evenly. Every two rounds of increases will add approximately two to three inches to the overall size.

A smaller version using the same pattern but stopping after round eight or nine makes an excellent doormat or bathmat. At that size, one ball of Zpagetti is usually sufficient.

Final Thoughts

Making Maria’s Blue Crayon rug was one of the most satisfying crochet projects I’ve completed in recent memory, and a huge part of that was the joy of working with Hoooked Zpagetti yarn. It’s a material that rewards the process as much as the finished product. The stitches grow quickly, the colors are vivid, and there’s something genuinely pleasing about transforming what was once destined for a landfill into something that will warm a floor for years to come.

If you’ve been curious about Zpagetti but haven’t taken the plunge yet, I hope this review gives you the little nudge you needed. And if you make Maria’s Blue Crayon, I’d absolutely love to see it — leave a comment below or tag me wherever you share your makes. There is nothing quite like seeing someone else bring a pattern to life in colors you never would have imagined.

Happy crocheting.