Crochet Round Rug: A 30 Inch Pattern That Stays Flat

Thick yarn and a large hook turn a crochet round rug into a weekend project, not a month-long one. This pattern makes a 30 in (76 cm) rug in single crochet using t-shirt yarn or thick cotton cord, and the real skill it teaches is keeping a big circle flat from the center to the last round.

Materials and yarn choice

• T-shirt yarn or thick cotton cord of about 5 mm: roughly 200 to 260 yards (183 to 238 m)
• N/P-15 (10 mm) crochet hook
• Locking stitch marker
• Non-slip rug pad, cut to a circle of about 28 in (71 cm)
• Large-eye yarn needle or a smaller hook for the tails, and sharp scissors

T-shirt yarn is a stretchy jersey strip. It is soft underfoot and builds a thick, cushioned rug, but its thickness can vary from one cone to the next, so yardage is only an estimate. Cotton cord is firmer, more even and gives sharper stitch definition. Either works here; the fiber guide in best yarn for crochet home decor covers how each one behaves on the floor.

Gauge and finished size

Gauge: Rounds 1 to 5 measure about 6 in (15 cm) across, so each round adds about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) to the radius, or 1.2 in (3 cm) to the diameter. Twenty-five rounds give 25 x 1.2 = 30 in.

If your first five rounds measure 5 in (13 cm), you will need about 30 rounds to reach the same size. If they measure 7 in (18 cm), stop at about 21. The pattern is the same either way: keep adding rounds until the rug is as wide as you want.

Stitch abbreviations (US terms)

• MR: magic ring
• sc: single crochet
• inc: 2 sc in the same stitch
• st/sts: stitch/stitches
• sl st: slip stitch

Round rug pattern

The rug is worked in a continuous spiral without joining. Move the marker up to the first stitch of every round. The flat-circle rule is simple: start with 6 sc and add 6 stitches in every round. It is the same rule used at a much smaller scale for easy crochet coasters.

1. Round 1: Make a MR and work 6 sc into it. Pull the ring closed. (6)
2. Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
3. Round 3: (Sc 1, inc) 6 times. (18)
4. Round 4: Sc 1, inc, (sc 2, inc) 5 times, sc 1. (24)
5. Round 5: (Sc 3, inc) 6 times. (30)
6. Round 6: Sc 2, inc, (sc 4, inc) 5 times, sc 2. (36)
7. Round 7: (Sc 5, inc) 6 times. (42)
8. Round 8: Sc 3, inc, (sc 6, inc) 5 times, sc 3. (48)
9. Rounds 9 to 25: Continue in the same way, adding 6 sts per round. On odd rounds, work the plain stitches and then the inc, 6 times. On even rounds, work half of the plain stitches first, then inc, then 5 full repeats, and finish with the other half. The number of plain stitches between increases is always the round number minus 2, so Round 9 has 7 and Round 25 has 23. (150 sts after Round 25)
10. Finish: Sl st in each of the next 2 sts to smooth the step at the end of the spiral. Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail.

Shifting the increases on even rounds stops them stacking on top of each other. Stacked increases give you a hexagon with six soft corners, not a true circle.

The stitch count for any round is the round number times 6, which makes it easy to check your work without counting from the center.

Fixing ruffles and cupping

Lay the rug on a hard floor every three or four rounds and look at the edge. Thick yarn exaggerates small errors, and a problem is far easier to correct two rounds back than ten.

The edge ruffles or waves

There are more stitches than the circumference can hold. This happens when your stitches are short and wide, or when an extra increase slipped in. Rip back to where the rug lay flat, work one round with no increases at all, then carry on with the normal sequence. If it ruffles again, repeat the plain round every fifth or sixth round, or switch to a hook one size smaller.

The edge cups into a bowl

There are too few stitches, usually because of tight tension or a missed increase. Rip back to the last flat round and work one round with 12 increases, evenly spaced, in place of 6. A larger hook also helps. Stretchy t-shirt yarn cups easily if you pull it taut, so let it feed loosely.

Once you add or skip increases, your counts will no longer match the table. That is fine: from that point, flatness is the guide and the numbers are only a reference.

Finishing and the non-slip pad

Thick tails are too bulky for most needles. Pull each tail under the back of six or seven stitches with a smaller hook, turn back for three stitches, and trim close. Then lay the rug flat, smooth it from the center outward, and let it rest overnight. Cotton cord benefits from a light mist of water first; the methods are compared in finishing crochet home decor.

Care

Shake the rug outdoors and vacuum it with a brush-free head. For spills, blot and spot clean with mild soap. If the label on your yarn allows washing, use a cool, gentle cycle. A wet rug is very heavy, so support it from underneath, reshape it into a circle and dry it flat. Hanging it will pull it into an oval.

Any leftover yarn is ideal for a matching crochet storage basket, which starts with the same flat circle before the sides turn upward.