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Back in 2020 while strolling through the aisles at my local Joann I found some loop yarn that I just loved. Green, pink, and lovely it went with the Bohemian vibe I had in my home at the time. Snapping up 5 skeins I got home and got after it.
As it turns out, you can turn loop yarn into the most fluffy, soft, and gorgeously lush DIY rugs I have ever made. And, honestly, as a craft blogger I’ve made a whole heck of a lot of DIY rugs over the years.
One of the Best DIY Rugs You Can Make
This easy loop rug is one that I just love to bury my toes in. And it’s the one type of rug that I make that every single animal that has ever come in this house has seriously loved.
And it totally doesn’t hurt that this decorative and cozy little DIY can be made from start to finish in less than a day. Plus you don’t need any fancy or expensive tools to make it, either!
Time for a New Loop Rug!
With the décor of my house changing pretty drastically in the last few years I decided to retire our pink and green loop rug. And since my craft room/office is the one place in the house where my dogs are constantly bored and napping I made it to make one that matches our area rug pretty darn well!
Want to make your own amazing DIY Loop Rug in less than a day?
Supplies Needed to Make a Loop Yarn Rug:
What is Loop Yarn?
If you’ve never seen loop yarn it’s pretty cool stuff! It’s a gorgeously plush chenille yarn that has these loops twisted into it every few inches. With a fluffy and soft texture loop yarn is absolutely amazing. It’s a beginner friendly yarn that is essentially a hack to quick and easy knitting without any tools other than your hands. Cool, right?
Today we aren’t going to knit with it, instead we are going to use it with a rug canvas to create the easiest and fluffiest DIY rug you’ve ever seen!
What Brand of Loop Yarn Should I Use?
There are a lot of loop yarns out there and I’ve only tried 2, so far. Lion Brand Off the Hook (Dirty Martini – pink and green) and Bernat Alize (EZ Stripes Bubblegum – purple and coral).
Both worked up well but, in my opinion, The Lion Brand Off the Hook is the better of these two options. The Lion Brand version has a bit of a fluff at the base of each loop that catches on the rug canvas. This basically means that you have lovely even loops that are all the same height on the right side of the rug. On my rug made with the Bernat yarn you can definitely see where the rug is uneven in sections which drives me nuts and I tried to fix by pulling loops up or back a bit but it was just a losing battle for me.
Also, I have an absolute knack for picking out colors that are about to be discontinued so if you do find the specific colors I used you’ll probably pay a premium for them. Luckily there are lots of gorgeous colors you can use of both of these yarns. In fact, I am currently obsessed with the Ombre Off the Hook yarn!
How Much Loop Yarn Do I Need?
To create a 24″ x 32″ Loop Rug you will need about 720 grams of Bernat Alize or 500 grams of Lion Brand Off the Hook (500g total)
Rug Canvas
My Zweigart rug canvas is my favorite and I purchase it at Amazon. The weave of the canvas is nice and tight and I’ve never, ever had a Zweigart canvas come apart mid project for me like I have a few store-brands.
Small Crochet Hook
For this loop yarn I used a small aluminum crochet hook. I also have this locker hook tool which worked well, too. If you don’t already hook, you can grab a cheap crochet hook from stores like Walmart for a little over a buck.
Technically you can make this rug without any kind of hook to pull the loops through, but your fingers get really sore and tired pretty quickly.
Steel Yarn Needle
To finish your loop yarn rug you’ll need a steel yarn needle. This is a big dull tipped metal yarn needle with a big hole. You don’t need a darning needle which can have a wickedly sharp tip. If you’re a bit accident prone like me, definitely make sure you get dull tipped needles for this project.
Finishing Yarn
To finish your rug you’ll need some plain yarn without loops to bind the edges to finish your rug. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or expensive. Though you shouldn’t be able to see it from the finished side, matching your finishing yarn to your loop yarn will give you a nicer finished look.
How Much Does it Cost to Make a Loop Yarn Rug?
Rug canvas can be found at online retailers and in craft stores for between $7 and $13 depending on sales/coupons. I got an extra large 36″ x 59″ canvas I cut in half for for $14.
Loop yarn can be expensive so I always purchase it on sale. And, honestly, clearance is even better if you can find all of the skeins you need. For my most recent rug using Bernat Alize, I purchased for only $20.40. If I had paid full price the yarn would have cost me $51.96.
Th yarn I used to tack down the edges came from my craft stash costing me nothing. Total cost for me for this rug was $7 for half of a rug canvas and $20.40 for the yarn. The fact that something I have made gets heavy regular use, however, is priceless!
How to Make a Loop Yarn Rug
This project really couldn’t be much easier. All you do is pull the loops in the order they appear on the skein through the rug canvas.
Pulling Loops Through the Canvas
I found it easiest to have the back (ugly) side facing upwards, pulling the loops down through the rug canvas. I like working this way because you can easily see which loop is next on the skein. Done with the yarn beneath the rug means you can’t always see the next loop and might miss it.
Push your hook up through the rug canvas.
Grab onto the loop with the hook.
After every couple of stitches pull on the loops to make sure you pick up any slack in between loops. Depending on the brand you might feel a “click” when the loop is well seated into the canvas. If not, pay attention to how far you pull the loops through to keep a consistent loop height on the pretty side.
Important Note: Leave about 2″ of blank rug canvas around your rug for finishing. In my example I’m just using a scrap of canvas left from making my actual rug. You’ll want a little more wiggle room around the sides for your rug.
Placement of Loops for a Full Loop Yarn Rug
You want a rug that’s nice and full without the loops being crammed together.
Work your first row of loops in a straight line along the canvas skipping every other square so that your loops are spaced out. A rug canvas with a grid makes working in a line a little easier but is not necessary. When you finish your first row, turn and skip the row immediately next to the one you just looped up. Start hooking your loops through after the skipped row.
In the next row you’ll want to stagger your loops so that the loops fit together nicely.
The ends of the rug need to be full without being jam packed. As you finish your rows fill in any obvious bald spots so you’ll have a nice straight edge once the loop rug is complete.
Finishing Your Loop Rug
Before finishing your rug go over the back looking for any bulges that might prevent it from laying flat. Pull through on the front until the back is nice and flush.
Thread a yarn needle with matching yarn. (I’m using a contrasting color so you can see it more easily in the tutorial photos. For my finished rug I used a pretty blush yarn.)
Gold over the rug canvas in a straight line along one side. Be sure to bring the fold right up the the loops. It might be necessary to trim your canvas so that you have only 2 -3 squares of empty canvas on each side.
In a diagonal fashion, tack down the folded rug canvas with the needle and yarn.
As you work, stitch over the tail of your beginning yarn to secure it.
Quick Tip – Make sure your needle goes into the loops of the rug for a nice, tight hold. Though it feels like your yarn will be visible through the top, it should not be.
When you reach the corners, trim out the bulk from the canvas and secure with several stitches. If you need to change out to a longer piece of yarn, or when finishing the binding, run the needle through where the edge is already stitched down to secure the tail.
Start to finish, this little sample took me just under 10 minutes, all while taking photos! Not bad, right?
How to Care for Your DIY Loop Yarn Rug
To remove dirt and debris shake or beat your rug. Because it’s so lush (in a good way!) it will be difficult to vacuum. Keep this in mind if you’re going to make a very large loop yarn rug.
Because the yarn is just pulled through I recommend spot cleaning rather than tossing your rug in the washing machine when possible. If you absolutely must wash your rug be sure to wash it on gentle and air dry.
DIY Loop Rug Tutorial
Equipment
Ingredients
- Loop Yarn (see full post for suggested yarns)
- Rug Canvas
Instructions
- Leaving a perimeter of 2" of empty rug canvas, insert up under and through your rug canvas. Grab onto the first loop in your loop yarn and pull through to the underside of the rug canvas.
For Even Rows
- Starting with the first square of an even row, pull a loop through the canvas. Skip the next square and pull a loop through the next. Repeat until you reach the end of the desired length or width of your rug.
For Odd Rows
- Leaving an empty row between each row of loops, stagger your first stitch to be one off from the last of the previous row. Repeat to the end of the row.
How to Finish Your Loop Rug
- Go over all of the loops both front and back and pull any short loops up further. Remove any bulges or bulk created. Pull any loops accidentally left on the backside of the rug through the front wherever it is easiest to get the full loop through.
- With the back/ugly side facing you turn down and fold the rug canvas right up to the first row of loops. Holding down stitch with your matching yarn to hold the folded canvas in place stitching over the tail of your starting yarn.
- At the corners trim out the bulk and fold into place. Stitch down. Run your excess tail underneath your fold/stitches to hold into place.
Notes
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