“Favorite Rag Rugs, 45 inspiring weave designs.” Written by Tina Ignell and was originally printed in 2006, by Scandinavian Weaving Magazine. Soon thereafter it was published in the U.S., by Trafalgar Square Books, North Pomfret, Vermont in English. The book is a compilation of forty-five different rugs by forty-five different artists. I purchased my copy a couple of years ago from Amazon.

My original purpose for purchasing this book was to get ideas for making some rag rugs on this old farm loom I had sitting in my living room. The loom is now gone but the book remains.

This book has a great feel. It is a hardcover and the publisher has used a very nice quality paper. The photos of the rugs are very lovely, wonderfully bright and colorful. If it were not for the drafts which accompany each rug photo this book would make a very nice cocktail table book. Each rug comes with a draft and directions. The book is divided into sections from fairly simple and as the chapters progress so does the difficulty level.

It would be a bit difficult to match the rags perfectly without purchasing new rags or material. There is one of the rugs the author discusses combining rags and straw in the weft. I really find the mixing of materials interesting. It is information like this that can get some of our creative juices flowing. It is a reminder that we only limit ourselves when it comes to creativity. I like books that give ideas that are outside the box.
The explanations are well written if you have a basic understanding of weaving. This book even has suggestions for finishes. The one difficulty for many will be that all the measurements are metric including the reeds. I will clear some of the measurements up at the end of this article.
Here is the low down on my book review. It is a five star if you have a solid grasp on the metric system and purchase your items from the companies in Sweden which are the listed sources. Since most of us in America will probably not order our warp from Sweden, and we seldom use the metric system I will have to give a four. The reason for the four is because I am going to include the measurement conversions. Also, if you want to convert more lengths it is fairly easy to find converters on the internet.

Metric conversions:
Reeds: 5 dpi = 20/10, 6 dpi = 25/10, 7.5 dpi = 30/10, 8.5 dpi = 35/10, 10 dpi = 40/10, 12.5 dpi = 50/10, 22.5 dpi 90/10 (One of the rugs actually calls for this amazingly fine of a reed).

Measurements:
One U.S. pound = 16 ounces = 453.59 grams This can be called good at 450 grams. One metric pound has 500 grams and a kilo 1,000 grams. In the U.S. we figure about 28 grams to an ounce, (actually 28.35 grams to an ounce).

One inch = 2.5 centimeters (2.54 technically). One meter equals 1.09 yards or 39.37 inches.

Enjoy this book and try to get the translations down so you can enjoy the possibilities. Once you get the conversion down this is a great rag rug book to add to your library.