Guest Author - Iris ten Holder

Braided rugs have established their own place in the rugmaking universe. This is mostly traditional country style, although they could do well in some modern settings.

By their structure they seem to dictate the design - round after round or oval after oval spiraling out from the center, They may alternate dark and light at regular or irregular distances. A dark border usually does well to set off the rug against a wood or tiled floor. Amazing sequences of various types of braids have resulted in beautiful traditional designs.

They can do also well as an accent rug on a carpet to protect heavy traffic areas, including the area beneath the table, where many feet may shuffle while eating, doing homework, playing games and the like.

Would it not be a challenge to find designs that cut across the predictable pattern of the rows of braiding? Of course the braiding will still be there and this characteristic will continue to lend a specific flavor, but it is possible create a design that will cause the viewer to take an extra look. This can be achieved by varying the sequence in which the colors of the fabric strips are applied in the design.

Now I must admit that I do not braid rugs, but as a designer I see these other possibilities, and I would like to urge you to divert a bit from the trodden path, beautiful though it is.

The strands of the braid have to be joined frequently. I have read that a yard is the optimum length with which to braid. So changing is something that is done at any rate. It now becomes a matter of changing the colors in a specific way.

Another challenge is that it is not possible to work from a pattern since there is no background to put the pattern on.

A remedy for that would be to draw the pattern on wrapping paper, as it is sturdy, can be obtained in a larger width, and can be joined by taping it together to reach the desired size. For now, however, let's do a few simple designs that can be planned on regular paper

First draw a circle with a double line spiraling from the center to the outside. This represents the braid and can be colored in a light color to set it off from the background.

Draw a line across the center dividing the circle in half. In one half, change the color in every other line from light to dark. Proceed to do this on the other half as well, but in the opposite rows. This will create a somewhat psychedelic effect. The extreme example of this would be black and white.

With careful choosing, this will also work with color combinations, matching a color in the decor, or matching one color and using one complementary or contrasting color. Light and dark tones of one color can be used as well. Generally one color would be darker than the other, but that is a rule that can be broken if a pastel effect is the goal, in which case the effect would be a light shimmer as you glance over the rug.

The rug now presents an extra focus of interest and will captivate the attention of the viewer.

This is a good starting point for other variations. The next step could be to divide the rug in quarters and use the same process as above. Now opposite quarters are alike, and the linear effect is even greater.

From a practical point of view, I realize that it is not possible to change that often in the first few rounds as the distances would be too small, and the effect may be muddled. Therefore consider using one of the colors in the center, or using both colors in the braid.

For the time being I will leave further variations to your imagination. This is a linear approach. Within this approach there are still variations possible; for example, by using more colors within the braids

Experimenting with these designs, you may end up having some interesting stool covers or hot-pot pads.

The idea that perhaps free-flowing patterns are also possible fascinates me, and I intend to come back to this at another time.