Last summer I briefly immersed myself into the world of weaving, and one of my weaving projects was creating woven mug mats for gifts.  Now this turned out to be a lot more time consuming then I first believed, and I only completed a total of three of them, despite my lofty goals, and only two of them were gift worthy.  The slightly lopsided, non-giftable one found it’s home alongside my computer, and I have since then been getting a surprising amount of use out of it.  Which brings me to my latest project – crochet mug rugs or mats.  These are quick to make, and provide your living space with a little bit more cozy warmth then your average coaster.

Materials:

• light-medium weight (#3) Yarn (it is best to select a washable yarn that will also withstand warmer temperatures)
• Crochet Hook (U.S. G-6 hook, 4 mm)
• Scissors

Instructions:

Bump = *yarn over hook as if to make a dc. Insert hook into the St Sp and draw yarn the through once* leaving 2 loops on the hook.  Repeat * sequence three more times (4x total).  On the final draw through, pull the yarn through all of the remaining loops.

Ch 30.

1. Ch 1 to begin the row. Sc in each Ch Sp drawing the hook through both top loops.
2. Repeat Row 1.
3. Repeat Row 1.
4. Ch 2 to begin the row.  *Dc 2. Bump 1. Ch 1.* Repeat sequence until the end of the row.
5. Ch 1 to begin the row. Sc in each St Sp drawing the hook through only the back loop, and decreasing the over the ch spaces in the row below.  You should end up with the same number of spaces as the first row (30).
6. Repeat Row 1.
7. Repeat Row 1.
8. Repeat Row 4.
9. Repeat Row 5.
10. Repeat Row 1.
11. Repeat Row 1.
12. Repeat Row 4.
13. Repeat Row 5.
14. Repeat Row 1.
15. Repeat Row 1. Fasten end off.

Create fringe at opposite ends of the mug rug:

1. Folding three pieces of yarn in half and drawing the looped yarn through one corner of the rug with a crochet hook.
2. Pull the yarn ends through the loop and pull tight.
3. Continue to place the fringe at even intervals down both sides of the rug.