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How To Crochet An Outdoor Rug (For Beginners)

Rope Rug Crochet Free Pattern

It’s true. I only JUST finished my crocheted “Spa” bath mat rug and now this! Truth is, I needed an outdoor rug too because our welcome mat just bit the dust.  The cord used for this seems very durable and I’m just crossing my fingers that it lasts for a while in this intense Colorado sun.  I LOVED the color when I saw it at Home Depot and bought up 9 packs to make this rug.  This project turned out to be a bit pricier than my spa bath mat rug, but its also a lot heftier so it’s worth it. Right…right?!

Rope Rug Crochet Project

I really hoped that it would work to make this rug in single crochet so that even a TOTAL beginner could do it.  Sure enough, the cord worked up great in single crochet though it was tight and didn’t just fly off the hook.   (A small, annoying blister was obtained in the making of this rug.  My finger will survive.)

Rope Rug Pattern

It looks really nice and modern in front of the house.  Although I’m using this outdoors, it would work well indoors too.

Rope Rug Paracord

Here’s what the cord looks like in it’s package in case you want to buy the same thing. They actually have a few color choices including some really bright colors that would be fun for this time of year.  See, it says that it’s ideal for “outdoor activities”.  That translates into “perfect for an outdoor rug”. 😉

Like I said earlier, it is beginner friendly. You do need to know how to single crochet, which is the most basic crochet stitch.  If you’ve never crocheted you may want to start with normal yarn (look up some great tutorials on YouTube) as this rope rug wouldn’t make a great FIRST project. The stitch is easy, but it’s a wee bit challenging to work with the rope.

Here’s what you’ll need to crochet your rug:

8 packs of Premium 550 Paracord from Home Depot -50 feet in each package and it’s 1/8 inch thick cord. (3.2mm x 15.2 m)

( Around $50.00 total, however, I have had some readers tell me that they have found this cord for much cheaper elsewhere. )

US Size P 11.5mm crochet hook

Scissors to cut any ends (crochet your ends in as you go)

Measurements:

This mat is small. It measures 14″ x 20″ but is great for a small porch or patio.  If you want to make it a bit wider, buy an extra set of cord. It will add another couple inches making it 16″ x 20″.  Of course you can buy as much as you want and customize your size! Simply make your chain longer in the beginning if you want it wider than 20″.

Rope Rug

 

Pattern for Crocheted Rug:

Ch 31

Row 1 Single crochet across, ch 1, turn

Row 2 until end – Repeat row 1  (Simply single crochet until you run out of cord, or you reach your desired size.)

Tie off. Use your fingers to weave in ends.

There you have it. Your new crocheted outdoor welcome mat. Crazy easy, no?

Rope Rug Crochet Free Pattern

What have you made with rope or twine? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

Rug how to crochet free pattern

I’d love to see your pictures or projects on Facebook or Instagram!

Happy outdoor rug making my friends. 🙂

xo,

Jessica

You might also like this:

How to Crochet A Rug with Rope
Spa Bath Rug

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32 Comments

  1. OH I love it!!! Not sure when I can afford it but I do want to stop in and see what colors they have see the cord in person. Beautiful Jassica.

    1. my local “dollar store” sells nylon cord just like this in the same size package, plus a wide variety of colors. Nice way to make a cheap outdoor rug. Never thought about using this for a rug, I’m on it! Thanks for the idea!

  2. I really enjoy your site and beautiful patterns! Is there a pattern posted for the gold headwrap you wear on your homepage? Thank you!

  3. Really like this idea! I’ve never thought to use para-cord for crochet. I’ll be checking my dollar stores for this and if they don’t have it – Amazon!

  4. Great idea! You could also get a large spool of paracord (500 ft) rather than 8 packs. The price is roughly the same at home depot and much cheaper online, and you won’t have to worry about weaving in all the ends! Or use multiple packs of different colors for a striped rug. Hmm… now I’ve talked myself into a new project!

    1. Thanks for the info Kim! The spool would be a much better idea. Love the striped rug idea too! Share a pic if you do it!

    1. I have used bale twine. It is a great way to repurpose the twine off bales of hay and works really good.

    1. Hi Penny, I’ve never used macrame thread so I really have no idea! Such a great thought to make it for the camper. We are always using a couple of rugs when we camp.

      1. Yes. You can crochet with any thing. You just want it to be easy care, after putting in the time to make it.

  5. I use plarn (plastic yarn) to make mine. Totally free and waterproof to boot. Plenty of web sites show you how to make plarn out of plastic bags and recycling those bags into something useful is an added bonus. My favorite site for instructions on making plarn is plasticbagcrafts.com – make plarn

  6. I made a mat for my bench and pad for a patio chair from plarn (plastic yarn I made from shopping bags). However, I couldn’t gather shopping bags fast enough to make a rug for my patio so I used the same technique with dollar store trash bags – black and white – and it turned out to be fantastic, cushy and care-free. I am going to try your idea with cord for an indoor kitchen runner. Thanks.

    1. Thanks for sharing what you did with the “plarn”! I’ve always wanted to try out crocheting with the plastic bags.

  7. Just checked Amazon, and they have more than 200 colors in spools up to 1000 feet for $55. Pretty good deal.

  8. You can find many colors of para cord on Amazon. I found a 1000 ft. spool for $49.00. You could make a lot of matching rugs for your house. There are smaller spools also they are one length so you won’t have joining knots, how fantastic is that!!!

  9. This is a great idea. I have a narrow step before my front door and could never find a welcome mat that would fit. I made this one and I increased the length and decreased the width a little. My mat measures 26 x 13 and fits my front step perfectly. I ordered para cord from Ebay and was able to get it for around $20.00 for 500 ft. I will be waterproofing it before it goes out in the weather. Thanks

    1. Hi Diana! Thanks so much for sharing what you did with your rug. I’m so happy it worked out for you and the small space that you needed a mat for. Wow – that’s a great deal that you found on Ebay!

  10. Hi. Can you please tell me what method you used to join your ends when you were starting a new package of cord? I usually knot mine together but it’s a bit thick with this cord. Thank you! Love your blog and your patterns!

    1. I didn’t knot to join, and often don’t anyway. For me it just depends on the project. But I did keep a long, long tail to sort of weave in and out to secure. You could tie a knot maybe if you can get it in an unnoticeable spot on the rug?

  11. THANKS! Love it. I will make one for the front door and might knit one (garter stitch maybe) for the back door.

  12. So 8 packs of 50 ft each (total 400 ft) only makes a 14″ x 20″? Is there a stitch that takes up way less cord?

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