Amish Knot Rugs

There are many different ways to make rag rugs.  In this recording, from our live event, we showed participants how to make ‘knot rugs’ using traditional methods made popular by the Amish culture, for whom recycling is an integral part of daily life. Knot rugs are made from household textiles that are ready for a new life such as old cotton clothing, sheets and duvet covers. This method is suitable for complete beginners, you just need to be able to physically make knots with your hands and use scissors.

Click on the image above to watch a recording of how to make an Amish knot rug


Although you can use your hands to make these rugs, we recommend using a darning needle for ease and speed.  We have hand carved darners, like the one used in the above film, available in our online shop:



Here are some links to others that inspired our making as well as recommendations for further research/reading:

Comments