Rag Rug

A rag rug for the front hallway.

Pattern: Finnish Bird's Eye, variation #2
Source: Davison, Handweaver's Pattern Book (the classic stitch dictionary for weavers)
Warp: Maysville 8/4 Cotton Rug warp in a deep purple and a chartreuse, warped in stripes based on the Fibonacci series: 3" chartreuse, 1" eggplant, 2" char., 17" egg., 2" char., 1" egg, and ending with 3" char.
Number of warp threads: 216 (this includes a doubled floating selvage on each edge, to keep the borders straight)
Weft: one set of full size sheets from the resale shop (may be a cotton/poly blend, I'm not sure); ripped into 1" strips and sewn end to end on the sewing machine before use
EPI: 8 (ends per inch for you non-weavers - this is the number of warp ends, or lengthwise threads, that go onto the loom and capture the weft, or horizontal threads)
Width on loom: 27"
Finished size: 25" x 45"

I decided to hem the ends, which use the carpet warp rather than rags, for a cleaner edge. I zigzagged the raw, cut edges once I'd removed the rug from the loom, turned the ends under, and machine-stitched the hem. One pattern from Handwoven suggested hand stitching the hem, but I'm all for practicality and this rug is to be used in the winter and then thrown in the washing machine and dryer for cleaning.

The next time, I'll use more warp ends per inch so that the rug has a sturdier feel; this one is a little too drapey, but still, not bad for a first effort. I'm thinking of something that emulates an Oriental rug for the next one: deep blues and scarlets and greens in the warp, and something wider to have more presence in the little front hallway to our house.

In the meantime, I'm trying so hard to Make Do and Mend...I have 4 oddball amounts of 10/2 pearl cotton, which I threw onto the kitchen scale to ballpark the amount of yardage left. I'm trying to talk myself into experimenting with a scarf in the Finnish's Bird's Eye, with stripes in the weft so that there is some colorwork interest.