How to make shaggy mats at home

In the previous post on Making Shaggy Mats for Commercial Purposes we discussed the benefits of learning how to make shaggy mats and the materials needed as well as where they can be found.

In this post, we show you, step by step, how to make the shaggy mats. It is very easy, no prior knowledge needed. All you need is determination, focus and time to learn.

Step 1:- Gather all your materials  (Tapestry, cutting wood, threads, scissors, crotchets and mark-pen)


Step 2:- Cut out all the rough edges of the tapestry. This makes it easier for you to bind the tapestry at the edges and make it stronger to avoid easy wearing-out during cleaning and as it gets old.

 


Step 3:- Do binding all round the tapestry. This should go all round. When binding, do not knit on the first hole but the second one. If you focus on the first hole, the thread might come out easily.

Step 4:- Design the Tapestry as you wish. You can either draw a shape, picture, or anything you wish for it to look like. Words can also be part of your design. The lines border the different regions you will knit using different threads in order to bring out the words or designs. For example, if the main color is green and you have drawn a flower, the flower could take up a different color like red or white or any other of your choice. This way, it shall be visible.

Step 5: -Cut out the thread to desirable pieces using scissors and the cutting wood. Take out the two edges of the thread, (the inner one and the outer one as shown in the video) tie round the cutting wood from one end to the other and to hold the threads tightly together, tie twice or thrice across as shown. Cut through on both end. Do this repeatedly for the entire thread and for the others until the mat is complete

Step 6:- Take a piece at a time and knit. The crotchet with hook is better and faster to allow you tie the thread pieces on the tapestry one by one. In order to make a nicely looking mat, when you start knitting upwards, do not change the pattern and start proceeding across. This will ruin the pattern and it will look unpresentable when you finish.

The back part of a well knit mat should look like image A. When you confuse the pattern and move across while you started knitting in a different pattern, it will appear as shown in image B. One or two threads will not show but they will if the number increases and you will end up consuming more thread than needed.

Image A

Image B

 

If you do everything as shown, the final product should be a smart, comfortable and nicely knit shaggy mat.

Making Shaggy Mats for Commercial Purposes

Not Into Online Writing, Transcription and the Like? Don't Give Up, There is plenty to Do From Home

Some people might think that to be able to work from home you have to sit in front of a computer all day, type thousands of words and submit to online clients to get paid.

Well, this is just one way of earning money while at home. There  are more activities that one can execute and reduce the time they spend in front of a computer to be able to put food on their tables. For instance, in the last few years, the shaggy mat business, or rather, the hand-made carpets have become a trending business that has seen many women manage to start earning after learning the trade.

As the name suggests, shaggy mats are carpets that are hand-made using thread, crotchets, and tapestry. The process is quite easy but one needs to be able to invest a considerable amount of time in order to be able to produce a smart and presentable carpet.

Getting started!
Buy the materials first. These includes the tapestry, crotchet, cutting wood, thread, scissors and mark pen.

Threads (colors of your choice), cutting wood (the white board), scissors, crochets ( I use the normal one and another with hook), tapestry (the red one).

There are several places where the materials can be found, but in Nairobi all can be found biashara street Freeman's shop. This is to the right as you are entering biashara from moi avenue, just next to Rafiki Microfinance Bank.

The prices for threads ranges from 90/- to 110/= per piece. Tapestry can be cut as per your request and sizes, one metre costs around 1400/-. If you want for door mat or toilet set, you just need to let the attendants know, they understand your needs. 

Crotchets and cutting woods are of different sizes and shapes as well.

NB. To know the number of threads that will be adequate for your mats, you need to know that a meter can consume up to 30 pieces of thread. 

Why shaggy mats?

Here are some of the reasons why you should learn how to make shaggy mats or consider having one for your home!

1. Feels nicer to step on, made of wool and more comfortable for kids.

2. Easy to clean, made of wool, thread just like the sweaters we wear.

3. More durable and easy to maintain

4. Softer in case you have a small baby learning to stand, crawl or walk. 

5. Cheaper if you learn to make them yourself. 

6. Helps keep one busy when they are busy at home taking care of the little ones. (It can get lonely and tiring especially if the only activity is watching telenovela soaps and other programmings!)

7. Its therapeutic! When mad and feeling exploding, I take out my anger on the mat and come up with some very nice designs. Focusing on the art of knitting can help one learn to be patient and more focused.

8. Its is a business! Some people have taking this very seriously and they are training others in groups to knit the mats, they are making them for commercial purposes and making them for their homes as well.

9. Saves money that could have been spend purchasing carpets from supermarkets worth 18k. 

10. You can make one for a relative or friend as a gift

11. Helps making the home look presentable. 

12. They are custom made. You end up with something you like, is unique for just you, and lovely for your home. 

Below are some of the designs one can adopt for their home-made shaggy mats.