Big Stitch Crocheted Alpaca Rugs!
Just about this time each year, our old drafty home begs for super cozy area rugs. Each time I step out of bed I think of how happy my feet would be if they landed on a soft, lofty rug, and each time my daughter and I read books in front of the fireplace I think of how nice it would be to have the warmth and comfort of something hand made beneath us. I’ve been determined to make these rugs myself for years, but only if I could find the super bulky and natural yarn I was seeing in my mind. Imagine my excitement when we found the perfect yarn for my fantasy rugs! Our Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn creates the softest, loftiest rug your lucky toes will ever step on.
The Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn is grown and handcrafted in the USA. The Alpaca that makes up 70% of this amazing yarn is gathered from several farms and then spun together with 15% wool and 15% nylon by a tiny mill in Ohio. Each skein is called a “bump” and is approximately 140 yards long.
Two bumps will make the small gray rug pictured above (approximately 42-inches across) and four make the large rug (approximately 70-inches across).
Enjoy! — Page
The Materials
- Small Rug: 2 skeins of Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn in color of your choice (we used Grey); Large Rug: 4 skeins of Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn in color of your choice (we used Cream).
- A size S crochet hook (We used the beautiful handmade wooden size S hook pictured below but we also stock a plastic hook size S hook that you can find here)
- A removable stich marker.
Gauge
2.25 stitches = 4 inches
Finished Sizes
Small Rug is approximately 42-inches in diameter
Large Rug is approximately 70-inches in diameter
The Pattern
If this pattern seems familiar to you then perhaps you’ve made our fruity trivets and pot holders? We think it’s pretty wonderful that the same pattern can create two such different projects! If you need a bit more help getting started on your rug than we’ve included below, please check out the fruity trivets post for how-to photos and more detail.
Pattern Note: Pull yarn from the center of the skein for ease of use.
- Chain 6 and slip stitch into the first chain to form a ring.
- Round 1: Make 12 single crochets (sc) into the ring. Note: Mark the first stitch of the next round with a removable marker. Reposition the marker at the beginning of each round to mark the new first stitch.
- Round 2: *1 sc into next stitch, 2 sc into next stitch, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)
- Round 3: *1 sc into next 2 stitches, 2 sc into next stitch, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)
- Round 4: *1 sc into next 3 stitches, 2 sc into next stitch, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)
- Continue to work in this pattern, each round adding one stitch between the increases until you have used all of the yarn.
Sew in ends and enjoy!
(Find the beautiful handmade oversized finishing needle pictured below right here).
Thank you so much for the pattern in free… <3
I love your yarn and the round rugs. Can you post a pattern for a rectangle rug?
Kindly,
Linda
Hi Linda-
We do have a rectangular rug pattern that you can see here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2012/02/26/big-stitch-knit-rug/
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
The pattern for the rectangular Alpaca rug was for knit stitch. Do you have a patter for crochet stitches? That would be great. If not, I’ll have to make it work with the round pattern.
Thanks so much.
Sandy
Hello Sandy,
Thank you for reaching out! Unfortunately we do not have rectangular crocheted Pattern for a rug.
You might be able to find a rectangular pattern of some kind with a quick google search.
I wish I could be more helpful!
Warmly,
Marilla
I would LOVE to make this, but the stunning yarn is sadly a bit of out of my budget. Do you have any budget friendly alternatives?
Thanks!
Hello Ashley!
What a great idea! Some other options would be to put two strands of Cascade Magnum or Knit Collage Sister together so that it will be thick enough to follow the pattern as written. Happy knitting!!!
Alyson
This is a beautiful pattern however it didn’t come out right for me. It was more hexagon than round and it did not lay flat! Any advice on what I did wrong?
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for the comment! The pattern does not create a perfect circle, however you can set it to a more circular shape by wet blocking the whole piece and laying it to dry flat on a towel. You can stretch it to the appropriate shape and pin it down flat if the piece is not cooperating. If it still retains the hexagon shape you could have crocheted it very tightly which will give it less room to stretch to a round shape.
I hope this helps and please let us know if you need anymore tips!
Goodluck!
Jake
Jake is right, try out what he has suggested and if it doesn’t work, check out this video on youtube: “Keeping it round when crocheting in the round” from Happyberry
I found it to be very helpful
I also had trouble with the shape I tried stretching it out but mine failed. I was using acrylic and wool so perhaps that was part of my problem. Such a lovely rug tough
Hello Mel,
Unfortunately Acrylic yarns do not respond so well to blocking as 100% natural fibers do. What happened with the shape of the pattern? How did it turn out?
We’re glad you like the pattern! -Alyson
I’m interested in getting an s hook please
Hello Joan!
Here is where you can purchase a lovely wooden size S crochet hook: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/8335-Bag-Smith-Big-Stitch-Crochet-Hooks
Enjoy! -Alyson
Wal-Mart (ick, yuck, puke) has the S hook in plastic. When it’s the only place you have to shop in 45 minutes, l have to. Don’t have to like it!!
Hi Lorena,
We carry size S crochet hooks made of lovely wood and sparkly plastic. And we ship world wide!
Happy hooking!
Cassy
Since this is a rug (underfoot) and woolen, what’s the best way to clean it?
Hello Suzi!
Since this yarn is incredibly delicate and plush, spot cleaning is really the only recommended method of cleaning. Thanks for asking, I’m sure other people have had the same question! -Alyson
It looks like you guys don’t sell the big stitch alpaca yarn anymore. Would this work with your Gentle Giant yarn?
Hello Marjorie!
You’re right that the thickness of the yarn is somewhat similar, but the composition and the durability of the yarns are quite different. I wouldn’t recommend using Gentle Giant for this pattern since it doesn’t have the more durable core that the Big Stitch Bumps has, and it isn’t tightly spun which makes it more prone to snags.
If you did go about using this yarn for the pattern, I would make sure its in a place in your home where no pets could get to it! Thanks for writing in and happy stitching! -Alyson
Hello, for each of these circular crochet rugs, which one of your alpaca yarn would recommend and how many skein for each?
Hello, Felicia!
Thank you for writing in! Sorry for the delayed response! To make these there are a couple of yarns that we have in stock:
Gentle Giant This yarn would create more delicate rugs and the spin on the Gentle Giant is not as tight as the Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn. You would need 6 skeins for the small rug and 11 for the large.
K1S1 This yarn would be most similar to the Big Stitch Yarn. You need 4 skeins for the small and 8 for the large
If you have further questions please let us know!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
do you have a pattern for the rectangle rug in crochet
Hi Beverly,
Great suggestion! We do not currently have a pattern for a crocheted rug that is a rectangle but it is a great idea!
Best,
Cassy
Will do one when I can afford 12 ply yarn but I would use a backward SC as my final round.
Hi Joanie,
Great idea!
Happy crocheting!
Cassy
I love this pattern, for a large rug, but can’t find the yarn necessary to crochet it. Could you help me, I’m a beginner, and think that I could crochet this with no problem! Thank You in advance.
Hi Marsha,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately we do not sell this yarn anymore, but other stores do. The yarn is called Big Stitch Alpaca yarn and a simple Google search will yield many results. Good luck and thanks for your interest in this pattern.
Best,
Adam
Can the pattern for smaller rug be doubled to make larger one. I don’t see pattern for larger alpaca rug and would love to make one for my living room.
Hi Dawn,
Thanks so much for writing in! This pattern is easy to manipulate. All you have to do is keep increasing and the rug will get larger and larger until you are satisfied with the size. Just keep on increasing in the round! Best of luck on this project!
-Adam
Hello,
I Am Scott and I would like to order some ( Alpaca rugs ) What would be the Price for one including taxes..?What types of payments do you accept?Thank you and waiting for your reply.
Regards,
Scott.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for writing in and for your interest! We do not sell finished versions of our projects. Rather we provide the directions to make you own! We also no longer carry the yarn for this lovely rug. You can, however, find the yarn elsewhere on the internet and use these directions to make your own! You may also be able to work with a freelancer to have one made for you if you do not crochet yourself! If you do not have local artisans to work with, we may be able to reach out to freelancers that we know. To so so, please write a detailed email to store@purlsoho.com .
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I did not understand the last instruction after #4. Could you explain please? Also, what do you think it would cost me to make this rug? I love it!
Hi Diane,
Thanks for the question. Round four has you do one single crochet into the next three stitches and then you do two single crochets into the the fourth stitch. You’ll single crochet one more stitch each following round before doing two single crochets into the next stitch. This ensures that you are increasing the rug evenly.
As for cost of the project, we don’t carry this yarn anymore so it would be hard to say. I’m sure that other retailers carry this yarn for roughly the same price.
All the best,
Adam
At Last! Thank you for posting this Pattern! I have been looking for this Forever! I just need to know where I can find this Yarn! Have a great day!
Hi Connie,
Thanks for writing in and so glad you have found us! While we don’t sell this yarn anymore it is still available in many other online shops. Best of luck on your search!
-Adam
Where can I buy the Bug Stitch Alpaca Yarn? 🙂
Hi Emily,
Thanks for writing in! As you know, we no longer carry Big Stitch Alpaca. I am not sure who may carry it but the company who makes this lovely yarn is called The Bag Smith. They will surely know who carries this special yarn!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Thank you! This is simple and the idea of putting 2 on top of each other is great! Cushy and simple. I’ve been looking for a useful project to crochet with all my leftover yarn. It’ll be so good to spend time doing something good that is not a scarf or sweater!
Where can I purchase Big Stitch Alpaca Yarn? I don’t see it in your shop
Hello Lori,
Thank you for reaching out! Unfortunately we no longer carry Big Stitch Alpaca. I am not sure who may carry it but the company who makes this lovely yarn is called The Bag Smith. They will surely know who carries this special yarn!
Warmly,
Marilla