An End in Sight

So, the first thing you should probably know about me: I am AWESOME at starting projects.  I get so psyched up to start a new craft project or learn a new skill!  I throw myself headfirst into things, and I love learning new techniques, and making new items. 

I am not always equally as awesome at finishing all of those projects.  I’ll just let that be known right off the start – I can’t promise to always finish what I start here.  But I work best with a deadline and accountability, so maybe you, the Internet, can hold me accountable to myself.   But probably not. 

I recognize my weakness though.  Walking through my house is a daily tour of unfinished projects: the box of incomplete homemade Christmas ornaments in my closet, the pinned-but-not-yet-sewn bottom half of a skirt hanging in the laundry room, the giant bag of polymer clays from my sudden inspiration to make my own gauged earrings.  (In my defense, I did make one totally awesome pair of earrings.  I’ll just wear those until they break, and then make some new ones!)

Maybe your houses are the same – standing monuments to sudden inspiration, temporary passions!  But I’d much rather my house be littered with dozens of finished projects.  So I’m trying to be better about finishing what I start. 

Case in point: The Knot Rug.   (Also referred to as a latch rug or rag rug)

Oh, the knot rug!  This bitch is my Everest.  I WILL conquer and finish it, and then I will cheerfully stomp on it every single day for the rest of my life.

I saw the idea on Pinterest.  (You’re on Pinterest, right?  Get on fricking Pinterest right now.  Pinterest makes us all capable of being Martha Stewart.  It’s amazeballs.) 

I read a tutorial, and though to myself, damn, that looks EASY!  Let’s make one of those! 

See, it’s a rug made out of old t-shirts.  You can use any fabric you want technically, but I had JUST cleaned out my closet, and had a bag of gnarly old shirts I would never wear again.  So when I stumbled on this wicked easy and almost free awesomesauce project, it felt meant to be. 

To be fair, this is a really easy project to do.  You just tie or loop little strips of fabric.  That's it!   If you have old shirts and know how to tie a knot, you can do this!  It just takes FOREVER to finish.  I don’t mean all day, or a weekend.  I mean I’ve been working on this thing for weeks and it will never, ever be done.  Ever.   But I am determined to try and finish it.  Eventually.  There are always things to get in my way and distract me: new recipes to bake, new books to read, new costumes to sew… but I will continue to keep coming back to the knot rug, and someday I will finish it! 

I’ll keep you posted on my progress of my rug, but in-between I'll be posting updates on all of the new projects and exciting things I do instead!! 

The start of my knot rug - each strip of fabric is tied INDIVIDUALLY!  

Getting into my stride - beginning to realize just how long this will take.  

Current progress - about 1/3 done

So FLUFFY! 

The bottom of the rug 

Detail of the bottom, showing each individual freaking loop 

Here is the link to a fantastic tutorial on how to make your own knot rug, in case you feel like being defeated by a pile of fabric for a long while! 

http://xoelle.com/2009/05/t-shirt-latch-hook-rug-tutorial/