Guest Author - Iris ten Holder

When designing a round knitted rug, keep in mind that the rows at the beginning of a section connect to the center and that the rows at the end of the section create colors at the outer edge of the rug, while rows halfway the section fit in between. For example, if the colors are red, white and blue, then the center of the rug would be red, white bands would start one-third towards the edge and blue would form triangular pieces on the outer edge. Note that all colors go to the edge of the rug, but only the first row of each section connects with the center.

To visualize this, draw a circle and divide it in 12 sections, like a pizza or a cake. Make one of the section lines heavier. This is where you will start making the rug and this is where the rug will end. Divide each section in three parts by drawing lines parallel to the left section line. You will see that they touch the line of the next section. That is the way it should be. Color in the three segments in each section and the basic pattern will emerge.

This is your tool for designing this type of rug. Keep some blank copies handy to jot down new ideas. Give a title to the each rug, so that you will know what you had in mind when making the design. It will help you choose additional colors for that design

This first design is based on an equal division of rows. For a 60-stitch rug, each color segment would consist of 20 rows. There are several other possibilities, but first let’s explore this a little further.

Rather than just putting the colors immediately next to each other, start each new color segment with one row in a darker or a lighter color. This could be a simple one-row separation (which always includes the return) or a more complex band of three rows,

For a more delicate design, use just two colors for the rug. Divide each section in three parts, as above, and knit the first row in each section and the first row in each segment a darker or lighter color than the rest of the rug. In your drawing you would accentuate the lines and fill in the rest with one color.

With this simple tool and a vision of your theme, it is now possible to design magic rugs. With some ingenuity a template can be fashioned from cardboard. This would speed up the process even more.

Note: When referring to a row, this includes the return as well. A row starts at the outside, is knitted for (x) number of stitches and returns knitting the same number of stitches. When there are 60 stitches, then 60 needles or 30 rows would complete a section.