728 Orleans Rug - Knitting and Crochet Pattern for Home in Valley Yarns Northampton

728 Orleans Felted Rug – Knitting and Crochet Pattern for Home in Valley Yarns Northampton

The Orleans Felted Rug, designed by Sara Delaney and published as pattern #728, is a versatile home accessory pattern offering both a knitted version and a crocheted version of a felted striped rug. Inspired by breezy summer days at the beach house, this design brings a relaxed, coastal sensibility to any interior space. The finished rug is well suited for kitchens, bedsides, entryways, or any area of floor that benefits from a durable, handcrafted textile. Because the rug is worked flat in simple, repetitive stitches and then felted, it is rated as a beginner-friendly project — an ideal introduction to the rewarding technique of felting with 100% wool yarn.

About the Felting Technique

Felting is the process of agitating a wool fabric in hot water so that the individual wool fibers interlock and shrink into a dense, sturdy material. The result is a fabric that is thicker, firmer, and more resilient than the original knitted or crocheted piece. Because felting causes significant shrinkage, patterns that incorporate this technique are worked at a larger size before washing, then deliberately shrunk down to the intended finished dimensions. Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool yarn, is specifically noted in this pattern as felting beautifully, producing a rugged fabric capable of withstanding years of regular foot traffic.

Two Versions: Knit and Crochet

Version 1 – Knitted Striped Rug

The knitted version of the Orleans Felted Rug is worked flat using a simple garter stitch construction. Garter stitch — created by knitting every row — produces a squishy, reversible fabric with natural elasticity, making it an excellent choice for a rug that will be felted. The stripe sequence draws from a carefully curated palette of Valley Yarns Northampton colors.

• Color A: #51 Sage Heather
• Color B: #02 Natural
• Color C: #26 Raspberry Heather

Before felting, the knitted rug measures approximately 34 inches long by 23 inches wide. After felting, it shrinks to a finished size of approximately 29.5 inches long by 20 inches wide, demonstrating the substantial but predictable shrinkage that felting produces.

The recommended tools for the knitted version are US size 13 (9.00mm) circular needles, either 24-inch or 32-inch in length. Working on circular needles — even for a flat project — makes it easier to manage the width of the rug without the piece falling off the needle tips.

Version 2 – Crocheted Striped Rug

The crocheted version of the Orleans Felted Rug is constructed using single crochet, one of the most fundamental crochet stitches. Single crochet creates a tight, dense fabric that felts with excellent results, producing a firm and even surface underfoot. Like the knitted version, the crocheted rug is worked flat in stripes, and the color palette for this version is notably more expansive, incorporating a rich range of hues.

• Color A: #13 Dark Navy
• Color B: #51 Sage Heather
• Color C: #47 Rust
• Color D: #22 Bright Pink
• Color E: #53 Stratosphere
• Color F: #05 Light Grey
• Color G: #18 Burgundy
• Color H: #49 Brown Heather

The crocheted version is worked slightly larger before felting, beginning at approximately 38 inches long by 23 inches wide unfelted, and finishing at approximately