Wool rainbow

Rural rugs crocheted of cloths - "circles" - are familiar, probably, to all. For many Russian people they associate with the childhood, with Grandmother's cosy house where came to stay during a school holidays.
Today, when interest to native culture revives, such rugs can become not only a warm remembering of the childhood, but also a stylish detail of a modern interior.
It is theoretically clear, probably, to everyone how such rug should be crocheted. But as in any craft there are here secrets which are better learn before start a work, than « to invent a bicycle » during work. Aunt Anya has - Anna Tkachenko from settlement Nazija of Leningrad region -shared with us such secrets. Pay attention - the 93-years woman works without glasses.A question on glasses she has answered, that had never used it, though recently eye-sight began to weaken - she thread a needle hardly!

The first secret - what to crochet with?

Really, it may be not easy to find a hook of the suitable size. The problem is solved very quickly - any stick works very well. The stick (better with a knot) is slightly cut with knife for giving to it a hook shape. To crochet with such hook appeared to be more conveniently, than plastic one.There is some reliability in it, and the most rough loops are worked without fear that the hook will break.

The second secret- what to crochet of?

Any things which have become obsolete are suitable for rugs . Certainly, the rug looks more beautiful when bright multi-coloured strips alternate in it . The cloth is torn or cut along the long side on a strip in width of 1.5-2 sm (if a fabric thick, a strip must be more wide, for a thin fabric - less wide that at crocheting "threads" were approximately identical thickness). When there a little bit up to edge of a cloth, turn and cut in other direction. Thus all cloth will be cut as one long zigzag string.
If you have small scrap of an irregular-shaped fabric it can be more conveniently cut on a spiral.

The third secret - how to crochet?

Here all is obvious enough - work a single crochet stitches on a circle, increasing of loop number approximately, following of folk rule « don't let the rug to shrink». The interesting moment - replacement of "thread" on new. Surely you can sew the ends of fabric bahds, but it is a long way, therefore we act so: we impose against each other the ends new and old band then fold them and twist a little. At crocheting this connection turns out completely imperceptible.

That's all secrets of "circles" making. Work this very pleasant and sometimes it brings unexpected creative finds. There is summer clothing on a theme of the "circles" on the photo.It was represented by T.Isaeva at festival " Ethnostyle " which was taking place in Saint Petersburg in June, 2005.