How to Make a Knitted Rag Rug: A Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial
There is something deeply satisfying about turning old fabric scraps into something beautiful and functional for your home. A knitted rag rug is exactly that kind of project — it takes materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill and transforms them into a sturdy, colorful floor covering that can last for years. Whether you’re a seasoned knitter looking for a new challenge or a beginner ready to try something hands-on and rewarding, this tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know to create your very own knitted rag rug from start to finish.
This method has roots going back centuries. Rag rugs have been made in various forms across many cultures, from Scandinavian woven versions to braided styles popular in early American homes. The knitted version gives you more flexibility in terms of texture, shape, and pattern, and it’s far more forgiving for beginners than weaving or traditional loom work.
What Is a Knitted Rag Rug?
A knitted rag rug is essentially a rug created by knitting strips of fabric — most commonly cut from old T-shirts, bed sheets, denim, or cotton fabric scraps — using large knitting needles. The result is a thick, textured rug with a looping, cushiony surface that holds up beautifully in high-traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, entryways, and living rooms.
Unlike store-bought rugs, a handmade knitted rag rug is completely customizable. You choose the colors, the size, the texture, and even the pattern. It’s also one of the most sustainable craft projects you can take on, since you’re repurposing fabric that would otherwise be discarded.
Materials You’ll Need
Before you pick up your needles, it’s worth taking a little time to gather your materials thoughtfully. The quality of your rag rug depends heavily on the fabric you choose and how you prepare it.
Fabric: Old T-shirts are the most popular choice for beginners because they’re soft, stretchy, and plentiful. Cotton knit fabrics work beautifully because they curl naturally at the edges when cut into strips, creating a smooth, rounded yarn-like strand without any fraying. You can also use woven cotton fabric like old bed sheets or pillowcases. Avoid synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon as much as possible, since they tend to slip and don’t hold shape well. Denim can be used for a sturdier rug, but it’s much harder on your hands and needles.
Aim to gather enough fabric to make a continuous strip of “yarn.” For a small bathroom rug roughly 20 by 30 inches, you’ll need approximately 3 to 4 large adult T-shirts or the equivalent in fabric yardage. For a larger rug, plan accordingly — a 30 by 50 inch rug might require 8 to 12 shirts depending on the weight of the fabric.
Knitting needles: You’ll need large knitting needles to work with the thick fabric strips. Most rag rug knitters use size US 35 (19mm) or US 50 (25mm) needles. These can be straight needles or circular needles depending on whether you prefer to work flat or in the round. Circular needles are often recommended for larger rugs because they can hold more stitches comfortably. Wooden or bamboo needles are ideal because the slight grip they provide keeps the fabric from sliding off as you work.
Scissors: A good pair of fabric scissors is essential. You’ll be cutting a lot of fabric, so make sure your scissors are sharp enough to handle it without fraying the edges excessively.
A ruler or cutting mat: These help you cut fabric strips of consistent width, which is important for an even texture in the finished rug.
Optional — a non-slip rug pad: Once your rug is complete, a non-slip pad placed underneath will keep it from sliding on hard floors and protect both the rug and the floor beneath it.
How to Cut Fabric Into Strips
This is the step that many new rag rug makers underestimate. Preparing your fabric strips properly is just as important as the knitting itself, and it takes time. Budget at least an hour or two for this stage, especially if you’re making a larger rug.
For T-shirts and knit fabrics:
Start by laying your T-shirt flat on a table or cutting mat. Cut off the hem at the bottom and the sleeves at the armholes, then cut off the top portion just below the underarm seam so you’re left with a fabric tube. Cut this tube crosswise into strips about 1 to 1.5 inches wide. When you stretch a knit fabric strip, it will naturally curl into a rounded cord. The more you stretch it, the more it resembles a thick piece of yarn. This is your rag yarn.
To create one long continuous strand instead of individual loops, you’ll connect the strips using a simple technique. Take two loops, fold one through the other, and pull the tail of the second loop back through itself to create a slip-knot join. This keeps the connection secure without creating a bulky knot. You can also cut the loops open and use a diagonal-cut joining method (sometimes called the “no-bulk join”), which creates an almost seamless connection — perfect for rugs where you want an even, consistent texture throughout.
For woven fabrics like sheets:
Lay the fabric flat and cut strips along the grain of the fabric, approximately 1 to 1.5 inches wide. Woven fabric doesn’t stretch the same way knit fabric does, so you may want to go slightly narrower to keep the strips manageable. Join strips end to end at a 45-degree angle, stitching or tying them together to reduce bulk at the seam.
Wind your prepared strips into balls as you go. This makes it much easier to knit without the strips tangling around each other.
Choosing Your Color Palette
One of the greatest pleasures of making a rag rug is playing with color. Because you’re repurposing fabric, your palette is somewhat dictated by what you have on hand — but with a little planning, you can create something that feels intentional and cohesive.
A simple and effective approach for beginners is to stick to two or three colors and alternate them every few rows to create a striped pattern. This is forgiving, easy to manage, and looks great in almost any room. You can also mix colors within a single row by holding two strips together as you knit, which creates a heathered or speckled effect.
For a more eclectic, bohemian look, use every color you have in a random sequence. This style is very traditional in historical rag rugs and gives the finished piece a lively, playful energy. Just make sure to include some neutral tones — whites, grays, and tans — to give the eye a resting place among the brighter colors.
If you’re working with denim, consider combining it with colorful fabric strips for contrast. The indigo blue of denim pairs especially well with warm yellows, burnt oranges, and terracotta tones.
How to Knit a Basic Rag Rug
Now comes the heart of the project. The most straightforward knitted rag rug is worked flat on straight or circular needles using just the knit stitch, creating a garter stitch fabric. This is ideal for beginners because it requires no purling and produces a flat, even texture with a lovely ridged surface.
Casting On
Using your large needles and one ball of fabric strip yarn, cast on the number of stitches you need for the desired width of your rug. A general guideline for size US 35 needles: casting on 15 stitches will give you a rug approximately 18 to 20 inches wide, while 20 stitches will give you roughly 24 to 26 inches. These numbers will vary based on the thickness of your fabric strips, so it’s worth doing a small swatch first.
Use the long-tail cast on method if you’re familiar with it, as it creates a sturdy, stretchy edge. If you’re a beginner, a simple backward loop cast on works fine for rag rugs since the edge is usually hidden underfoot.
Working the Body
Knit every row. That’s it. When you’re working flat and knitting every row, you’re creating garter stitch, which produces those distinctive horizontal ridges. Garter stitch is especially good for rugs because it lies flat without curling at the edges — a common problem with stockinette stitch.
Work your way across each row, pulling the fabric strips snugly but not too tight. You want a firm, dense fabric, but if you knit too tightly the rug will become stiff and difficult to work. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a fabric that feels like a plush welcome mat — dense enough to cushion your feet, but with a little give.
When you reach the end of one ball of fabric strip yarn, simply join the next color or the next ball using your chosen joining method and continue knitting. If the join falls in the middle of a row, give it a gentle tug to make sure it’s secure before moving on.
Adding Texture and Pattern
Once you’re comfortable with basic garter stitch, there are several simple ways to add interest to your rug.
Stripe patterns are the easiest variation. Simply switch colors at the beginning of a new row. Because garter stitch shows two rows of knitting as a single ridge, switching every two rows will give you clean, distinct stripes.
Seed stitch is another option that creates a beautifully textured, bumpy surface. To work seed stitch, alternate knit and purl stitches across each row, reversing the pattern on the following row so that knit stitches land on top of purl stitches and vice versa. The resulting fabric is denser than garter stitch and has a lovely cobblestone appearance.
Basket weave and moss stitch patterns are also possible for more experienced knitters and add a geometric quality to the rug’s surface.
Knitting in the Round for a Circular Rag Rug
If you’d like to make a round rug rather than a rectangular one, you’ll work on circular needles, casting on a small number of stitches and increasing gradually as you work outward from the center.
Cast on 8 stitches and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your work. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round. In the first round, knit into the front and back of every stitch to double your stitch count. In subsequent rounds, increase evenly spaced around the circle at regular intervals to keep the rug lying flat. The exact rate of increase depends on your gauge, so work a few rounds and check frequently that the rug isn’t doming up in the center or ruffling at the edges. If it domes, increase more frequently. If it ruffles, increase less.
Circular rag rugs are visually striking and work particularly well in bathrooms or as statement pieces in a sitting room. They take a bit more technical skill to execute well, but the result is a beautiful, artisan-quality piece.
Binding Off and Finishing
When your rug has reached the desired length, it’s time to bind off. Use a standard knit bind-off, working each stitch firmly to match the density of your fabric. Don’t bind off too loosely, or the final edge will look uneven.
Once you’ve bound off, weave in any loose ends. With fabric strips, this is a bit different from working with regular yarn. Thread the tail of a strip through a large tapestry needle and weave it back through several stitches on the wrong side of the rug, then trim closely. Because the fabric is so thick, you don’t need to weave back and forth multiple times — a simple pass through two or three stitches is usually enough to hold it securely.
Lay your finished rug flat on the floor and give it a gentle tug in all directions to even out the stitches. If any areas look uneven, a light misting with water and pressing under a heavy book for a few hours can help smooth things out.
Washing and Caring for Your Rag Rug
One of the best things about a knitted rag rug is how easy it is to care for. Most cotton rag rugs can be machine washed on a gentle cycle in cold water. Lay flat or hang to dry rather than putting it in the dryer, as the heat can cause the fabric to shrink and distort the shape. If your rug does come out of the wash looking a little uneven, simply lay it flat on a towel, stretch it gently back into shape, and allow it to air dry completely.
Shake your rug out regularly to remove dirt and debris. For heavier dirt, spot-clean with a damp cloth and mild dish soap before washing the whole rug.
Over time, you may notice that some fabric strips begin to fray or thin out. This is completely normal and is part of the rug’s character. If a particular area wears out significantly, it’s possible to duplicate-stitch over it with a new strip of fabric to reinforce it, or simply embrace the worn look as part of the rug’s story.
Tips for Making a Better Rag Rug
Cutting your strips consistently is the single most important thing you can do to improve the look of your finished rug. Uneven strips lead to an uneven texture that no amount of careful knitting can fix.
Don’t rush the joining process. Poorly joined strips will come apart over time, especially in a rug that gets heavy foot traffic. Take an extra moment with each join to make sure it’s secure.
Knit looser than you think you should. It’s natural to tighten up when working with unfamiliar materials, but a rug that’s knitted too tightly becomes boardlike and uncomfortable underfoot.
Keep your fabric balls in a bag or bowl while you work to prevent them from rolling around and tangling. This small thing makes the knitting process much more enjoyable.
If you’re planning a large rug, make all your fabric strips before you start knitting. Running out of a specific fabric midway through a project is frustrating, and it can be difficult to match the exact strip width later.
Finally, don’t be afraid to mix fabrics within the same project. Combining the slight sheen of an old cotton bed sheet with the matte softness of jersey T-shirt fabric creates a beautiful variation in texture that adds depth and visual interest to the finished piece.
Final Thoughts
A knitted rag rug is one of those rare craft projects that checks every box: it’s sustainable, it’s practical, it’s deeply satisfying to make, and it results in something genuinely beautiful that you’ll use every day. There’s a real sense of connection in working with materials that have already had a life — an old shirt, a worn-out sheet, a pile of fabric scraps — and giving them a new purpose that might last another decade or more.
Whether you make a small accent rug for your bathroom or a large statement piece for your living room, the process is the same: gather your materials, prepare them with care, and let your hands do what they do best. There’s no wrong way to make a rag rug, and every imperfection becomes part of the texture and character of the finished piece. Start with what you have, knit what you love, and enjoy every row.
