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Recycled Knitting – Rag Bath Mat Pattern

October 14th, 2009 |

Author: Cathy

I love this pattern for so many reasons. It is very sumptuous looking, it is unique and it helps the environment. I am planning on making these bath mats as gifts for the holidays this year. A knitted bathmat, face cloth or poof and a hand knit towel. The whole spa package will only cost me money when my stash of rags are used up and then it will only cost me a minimal amount as I will be purchasing recycled goods at a second hand store. Everyone on my list will love it and I will save money and the earth! Gotta like that!

This is a really fun and different project… you will get lots of comments if you bring this knitting to a meeting! But I especially love the texture this bathmat adds to a bathroom.
Skills Needed

You need to know how to knit, purl and cable.
Size

Approximately 18″ wide and desired length. The sample is 36” long for a bathtub, it can be shorter for a smaller shower.
Materials
Rag Yarn

Sample used two pre-washed twin size sheets ripped into 1 ½” strips and connected as per the rag knitting tutorial on cocoknits.com.
Needles

# 19 needles.

Gauge

Using # 19 needles over moss st, approximately 1 st per inch.
Abbreviations

CO – cast on

BO – bind off

st(s) – stitch(es)

c4b – cable 4 sts behind. Slip next 4 sts onto cable needle (in this case I used a chopstick) and hold at the back of your work. Knit 4 sts, then knit 4 from cable needle.
Directions

CO 26 sts.

Row 1, 3, 7 (RS): [k1, p1] four times, p1, k8, p1, [p1, k1] four times.

Row 2 and all WS rows: [k1, p1] four times, k1, p8, k1, [p1, k1] four times.

Row 5: [k1, p1] four times, p1, c4b, p1, [p1, k1] four times.

Repeat these 8 rows until you reach the desired length. BO on a row 1 of pattern.

Finishing

add fringe by cutting rag “yarn” into 4″ long pieces and attaching to either edge as follows

Click Here For a tutorial on how to prepare your rag yarn.

My Tip: If you want to make this bath mat non-skid just hand stitch a few recycled rubber bands onto the back of it. They will grip the floor and keep the bath mat from sliding.