• The color of a braided rug depends on the fabric used.handmade rugs image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
  
  When you craft your own rug, you have created something beautiful, durable and, in many cases, earth friendly. Throw a braided rug on the floor in your entry, or warm your feet on a hooked bath mat. Hang a woven rug on the wall as art. With the right tools, you can create a one-of-a-kind rug that will delight you for years to come.
  
  

Braided

• The first thing you will need to craft a braided rug is fabric. Before you buy fabric at a store, go through your donations bag and your closet. Inspect your sheets. One sheet can yield enough fabric to make a small rug. Ask friends and neighbors if they have unwanted fabric items they can give you. Take a look around your local thrift or consignment store. One rule to remember is to keep like fabrics together for your rug. Use only cottons, only wools or only polyester blends in one rug. Mixing fabrics may yield a lumpy rug.
  
  You'll also need table clamps to hold the fabric together while you braid it and a slitting tool or sharp scissors to cut the fabric into strips. Sew the rug together with an upholstery needle and lacing cord or heavy-duty cotton or nylon thread.
  
  

Hooked

• A frame or hoop will hold the backing tautly in place and make it easier for you to hook. Hooks come in various sizes and materials. Choose the one that you prefer and that fits your project. You can use yarn or fabric scraps to craft your rug. Rugs hooked with wool will last longer than those made of yarn or cotton. Mesh canvas is best for backing, but you may use a nubby material like burlap.
  
  

Knitted

• Knitting a rug requires the same basic materials as any other knitting project. You will need needles, generally size 15 and up. You can use bulky yarn with three or four strands held together, or fabric that has been sewn together to form strips and then wound into balls. As with a braided rug, you will need an upholstery needle and lacing cord or heavy-duty cotton or nylon thread. Be sure to have sharp scissors on hand. If your rug has cables, you will need a cable needle or a chop stick.
  
  

Woven

• You will need a rug frame or a loom. Frames are cheaper and take up less space, and you can build your own if you want. Looms are larger and come in different sizes depending on your project. Rug yarn is one material you can use to weave a rug, but if you are going for a rag rug, the fabric strips you use for braiding and knitting work well. Other tools you'll need are sharp scissors and a tool called a comb that is used to push the weaving tight on the loom as you go along. If you are weaving on a frame, use a rug crochet hook. Use a pencil to draw what is called a cartoon, or rug pattern, on a piece of graph paper first.