Friday, February 21, 2014

Rugs

Many early living rooms in Amana had a braided, crocheted, or knitted rug on top of a hand woven wall-to-wall rug. These were created mainly with wool (braided) and cotton (crocheted). The wool ends were from the woolen mill or yardage purchased at the general store, sometimes recycled clothing was used. Nothing was wasted, only reused. These rugs had longevity, softness, and could be dyed if needed. The braided rugs were made of three strands and sewn together to form a circle or oval, then laid flat. The crocheted  rugs were made with a hooked needle and designed into circles, ovals and stars. Knitted rugs were made of knitted yarn square that were patch worked into a rug design. Sometimes a crocheted edge was added.
 These were made in the height of the Arts and Crafts movement in America but in Amana they were made simply for practical purposes and now not made much any more so becoming a lost art in Amana.












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