Welcome guests to your home with this eco-chic knit and purl door mat. The hemp fiber is as strong as rope and shows the checker-board stitch pattern beautifully. Because it’s grown without herbicides or pesticides, this is also an environmentally friendly project.

Tips:
Because the hemp yarn I used is fairly stiff to work with, dropped stitches simply refuse to unravel. A quick-knitting nickel-plated needle will let the yarn slide along with ease.

Working with hemp yarn can be hard on your hands if you try to knit too tightly. Knit at a gauge that is comfortable for you. Because the hemp is so strong, it’s okay if your stitches seem a little loose. If you use a cotton yarn, make sure the stitches are firm so the rug will keep its shape and hold up to wear.

I’ve knit the rug in the photo using the natural colored hemp, but you can use a darker color if you have frequent guests or little feet tracking mud across the mat after school. If you’re not planning to use this rug as a door mat, you might want to make it out of a softer yarn. A hemp-cotton blend or a single-strand of bulky 100% cotton yarn are good choices.