Crocheting with “Zpagetti” yarn: making a rug, for example

I’m going to try splitting yesterday’s very long post into different parts. Not sure if that will work, though.


“Zpagetti” yarn is pretty well-known by now, I think? As far as I know, we don’t have a dedicated thread just for it here in the forum yet. I came across it again in another context and thought we could start a big discussion about all the possible uses for “Zpagetti” yarn. I’d be happy if anyone would like to say something about this topic. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about this rug I found; it can also be about any other experiences with “Zpagetti” yarn.


That would really be exactly the kind of project for me.
http://www.brigitte.de/wohnen/selbermachen/teppich-haekeln-1193535/?noMobileRedirect=1


It’s just the thing for beginners like me, who aren’t very comfortable with patterns yet and therefore need a project that’s a bit “simpler.”
 
This has absolutely nothing to do with the amigurumi and hats that are popular here on Crazypatterns. As far as I know, we don’t have anything comparable in the shop, apart from that doormat with an owl on it. Well, no, I think that one is sewn, not crocheted.
 
Anyway, I think the rug is really, really great.

First of all, because I love blue, in all its shades. But blue is popular with a lot of, or most, people anyway, so that’s no surprise.

Second, you just crochet in rounds, with a few stitch increases and so on,
but I don’t have to make amigurumi arms or legs or faces or heads, for example;
that’s all still too complicated for me right now.
Just crocheting in rounds is something I could manage, and I like those colorful rag rugs for the floor and so on anyway.
I think they’re such nice pops of color that you can easily lay on top of a large rug.

 

What I found a bit odd when I first read the description was this:
[Quote]
several skeins of “Zpagetti” yarn (by Hoooked): Colors 1+5 (inner circle and outer edge) approx. 2 1\/2 skeins, Colors 2+4 approx. 2 1\/2 skeins, Color 3 approx. 1 1\/2 skeins
[end quote]
—meaning the quantities always leave half a skein of this yarn leftover.
At first I thought that was silly—you’d end up with a leftover that you might not be

able to do much with. But then I realized that it might actually be quite handy for repairs if you have a bit of it lying around, since this particular yarn is always made and sold in the current trendy colors, so you might not be able to get that specific shade later on or something like that.


And then I thought you could always make a few extra rows to use up the yarn, but then you wouldn’t have anything left for later if you ever need to make a repair. It’s not that simple. You don’t necessarily have to stick to the number of rounds specified there. That’s the great thing about a rug like this—a few extra rounds make it bigger, but they don’t change the “concept.” If you just randomly add more rounds here and there when making an amigurumi, eventually the whole thing won’t come together anymore.

This “Zpagetti” yarn, at just under 9 euros per skein, isn’t exactly cheap, but if it results in a pretty rug, then that’s fine too. Well, although, the rug described here would cost 126 euros just for the yarn.
That can’t be right—wouldn’t that be a bit much?
I just figured that for all colors except the third one, you’d need three skeins each, since you can’t buy half a skein.
And then two more skeins for the third color. Well, I’m not sure.

Do you think 126 euros is expensive for a small, colorful rug? I’m not really sure right now.

It says you should buy the “Zpagetti” yarn in person because it varies slightly in texture (with and without stretch, and so on), color shades, and width. And the skeins you buy should match each other reasonably well. That’s kind of a bummer—you can’t take advantage of special online yarn deals that way. But hey, if you want a nice rug, you’ve just got to shell out the cash :) and make the effort to go to the yarn store in person to see what they have.
Crochet hook, size 9–12 mm: well, okay, that’s easy enough to get.
 
Has anyone here had any experience with this “Zpagetti” yarn? I always thought that was the kind of yarn you use for crocheted bags and stuff. When I was at the local yarn shop last year, I headed straight for it because I thought the colors were so pretty. But the lady at the yarn shop said it wouldn’t be right for me because it’s not really suitable for beginners. Too bad—I thought it looked pretty cool.
Well, we’ll see—maybe I’ve made enough progress by now
. The pattern is cute, too—it starts with a magic ring, which makes sense. And the part about increasing stitches is clear as well. But the part where you have to keep an eye on the edge to see if it’s curling or pulling in—that only works if you’re actually crocheting it right then; you have to have the piece right in front of you.
 
As for having it right in front of you—can you really crochet a rug like this at your desk? It’s going to get pretty big at some point. I think eventually you’ll end up on the floor with the rug so it can spread out nicely and you can clearly see whether it’s curling or not.
 
And as for “tucking the knots on the underside when changing colors”—the way I see it, you have to make sure the knots are as small as possible, otherwise it’s anything but pleasant to walk over them barefoot. I think walking barefoot over Legos would be worse, but walking barefoot over knots might not be so great either. Well, you just have to be careful when crocheting or tying knots
. The website says it’s all done with single crochet stitches. I prefer double crochet, but I think that could be a problem with this material. I’ve only seen it as yarn on the spool and have never actually held it unwound in my hand, let alone worked with it. But when I think about it, single crochet might not be such a bad idea after all for a rug that’s supposed to keep its shape. Double crochet does make crocheted items at least a little more flexible.
 
Well, I guess I’d just have to give it a try.
What do you guys think?
What’s been your experience with “Zpagetti” yarn so far? Is it any good, or not so much?
It’s not really suitable for clothing,
is it? I mean, aside from bags and rugs, I can’t really think

of any other uses for it right now—so if anyone has anything to say about it, I’d really appreciate it.
 



 

Hi muetzekatze
I’ve never worked with “Zpagetti” yarn before. I had to look it up on Google to find out what it actually is.
Are you going to make this rug?

Clara

Hi Clara
I’m not quite sure yet. I was thinking I might pop over to the local yarn shop again and ask the ladies there for their opinion on this. The last time I was there, as I mentioned, they had “Zpagetti” yarn in stock. But I don’t know if they always carry it. I’d be reluctant to buy the “Zpagetti” yarn online because, as I wrote above, you really have to pay attention to the texture and color variations.

I’ve been thinking about making a rug for the bedroom—to go on the side of the bed; that would be nice. But it wouldn’t be a round rug—more like a long rectangle. In terms of dimensions, something like 60 cm by 1.60 m or so—roughly the size of a large hand towel or bath towel.

But before I take on such a big project with a yarn I’ve never worked with before, I’d probably buy one roll to test it out first and practice crocheting and unraveling. And only once that goes smoothly would I go out and buy several rolls of it.

Will you want to try this yarn too, or not so much?

I already have some experience with this yarn and think it’s really great. Well, it’s a little pricey, but that’s just how it is when you buy specialty yarns.

If I were you, I’d check out the manufacturer’s website (Hooked Zpaghetti). They have their shop there, and each yarn listing says whether it’s firm or stretchy. That way, you can pick colors that are all equally stretchy, and you’ll be all set :-) As a beginner’s project to get familiar with the yarn, you could try this pattern. It’s not difficult, and you can use a storage basket for all sorts of things :-)
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/items/701/haekelanleitung-utensilo-blatt-haekeln-orimono-anleitung
 

I do have one more note, though, @muetzekatze: If you feel confident crocheting increases in rounds, you can also make amigurumi. Maybe not the ones with lots of frills (e.g. the goldfish), but definitely the simpler ones. So I can say that my figures consist mostly of single crochet stitches, slip stitches, increases and decreases (the latter explained with pictures). Okay, and a magic ring, but that’s explained with photos and isn’t really any harder than, for example, crocheting around foundation chains (e.g. for oval rugs, like shoe soles).

@Osaki
thanks for the tip :)

@MOsMaschen
thanks for your encouraging words
I gave it a try
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/forum/topic/2730/hab-ein-maeuschen-gehaekelt-bin-aber-noch-nicht-fertig-damit
but I still need to practice :)

Hi, I’ve already crocheted and knitted quite a bit with Zpaghetti yarn. Not clothes—those turn out too heavy—but bags and little baskets. I’ve knitted some sofa pillows; they look really nice.
The problem with crocheting with Zpaghetti yarn is that each batch turns out differently—sometimes narrower, sometimes wider.
I can imagine that a rug would be very heavy, and you’d really feel it in your wrists while working.

By the way, there are small skeins of Zpaghetti yarn—I found some on eBay once.