The Local-Fiber Rug Movement
Ok, so I just made this up, because truly, I think this could be a movement. Local-fiber rugs regenerate the Earth. What do I mean by that? Well read on dear friends and see what you think…
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First, backstory.
Now, I love rug yarn. I have a mild obsession. The tactile thickness, squishiness, the ability to make something in one day. The love I have for this thickly spun fiber is beyond words people. What the heck is rug yarn you ask? SUPER thick squishy yummy yarn that I like to make blankets, cozy hats, sweaters, and huggable hearts out of and what other people like to make rugs out of :). See examples below…
Ok, backstory complete, Sara is obsessed with rug yarn and has been since 2021… now we can continue.
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You know how the Universe works sometimes when you’re in the right place at the right time? That’s what happened when I ran into Kelly Powers from Powers Acres Fibermill at the Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium this past January 2026. Check this out…
Kelly was holding a big bump of rug yarn and said something like, “I would really love to find someone to make rugs with my mill-spun, locally-sourced rug yarn.” Then, I was like, “Yes! I’m your person, I want to weave rugs. I don’t know how to do that, but I will learn!” (insert extremely enthusiastic and very excited me).
And a collaboration was born. On April 1st, 2026 I drove down to Kelly’s mill and picked up the yarn.
Super happy me picking up 6 bumps (that’s what those big bundles of yarn are called, bumps) of GORGEOUS rug yarn… and let’s discuss this bag. Oh this bag! Felted local wool bag… I bought it, it HAD to come home with me. And there’s Kelly holding some of her beautiful Icelandic yarn… that’s about what “normal” size yarn looks like :).
Ok cool, so now I have rug yarn and want to weave a rug, what do I do?
I call my friend Beth — I met her through Rust Belt Fibershed’s One Year One Outfit project — Cohort 3 and she knows EVERYTHING about fiber. Yay, community! Beth came over with her husband Steve and helped me warp my loom.
Side note What the heck does that mean? Warping a loom? Ok my smart friend, great question, but I think that’s another post for another time — let me know in the comments section below if you’d like to see that process and I’ll post it in the next couple of months.
Beth and Steve come over to help because weaving is fun with friends! Steve helps me tie up while Beth gives instructions. And then folks… there I am… ready to weave! My first passes of yarn through the loom are luxurious, scrumptious and everything I’ve ever wanted this to be!
SO. Much. JOY! I’m a true believer that intention and feeling go into the creation of any project, and let me tell you, there is joy in this rug!
So here I am, making rugs with pure joy, feeling the softness and squishiness go through my fingers to the threads, transferred to the yarn and to the rug.
All of this beauty and love and joy and…
Why do we care? Why do we care about making yummy rugs from natural fibers that create so much beauty and love and joy?
Why does this matter?
Well, let’s take a step back for a moment and look at the big picture. Where does this yarn come from?
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Storytime — how yarn is made — first you need fiber!
The fiber comes from fiber farmers — actual people — farmers who raise sheep, alpaca, goats, llamas or rabbits for their fleece. They manage their flocks specifically for fiber production, sheer annually and sell fleeces to mills to create textiles and yarn. This differs from livestock farmers who mainly raise their animals for meat or dairy purposes.
So, fiber farmers produce lots of fiber from their animals every year.
Enter Kelly and her fiber mill.
Kelly buys the fiber from farmers (and she buys LOTS of it), makes yarn and sells it in her shop.
Then people who love yarn come along and buy the yarn thus helping to support a local, community-based economy of farmers and connecting them to the consumer.
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Ok, so those are the basics. Now let’s relate what we learned to our story.
How does this work for rug yarn? Well, for rug yarn it takes LOTS of fiber to make one bump of rug yarn and I mean LOTS — about 40 ounces of fiber per yarn bump (that’s about 2.5 pounds of fiber!). To give you an idea, one skein of “regular” size yarn takes about 3.5 ounces of fiber.
So you see my friends, Kelly gets to buy a whole lot of fiber to make a whole lot of rug yarn. So that’s a whole lot of support to a lot of fiber farmers out there.
Because here is the awesome part, my dear community. When Kelly makes rug yarn, and I make rugs, and you buy the rugs, this cycle continues. Kelly can buy more fiber from more farmers and make more rug yarn. I can continue to make more rugs in pure joy, and someone can buy the rugs and take part in the natural beauty of it all in their own home.
And now, NOW my friends this is where The Local-Fiber Rug Movement really hits home. This is the important part. Because I know what you’re thinking, this just creates more stuff in the world.
When this rug has run it’s course, when it’s been walked upon, loved and is now threadbare it is compostable. Yup, fully compostable. The rug can return to the earth and regenerate the soil. No plastic parts here, even the warp (the white strings that hold the rug together) are 100% cotton and will compost along with the rug and, let me say it again, regenerate the soil.
How. Cool. Is. That?
A true soil-to-soil piece supporting a circular regenerative cycle connecting fiber, people, community and helping farmers.
The Local-Fiber Rug Movement
The rugs I am making are part of this soil to soil system.
When I weave rugs, and you buy a rug, Kelly buys more fiber and farmers can continue their livelihood and at the end of its life the rug can return to the Earth and regenerate the soil.
A purchase that supports fiber farmers, local businesses and the planet. A win all around.
So you see my dear friends, this one rug is part of a movement — giving back to the Earth, experiencing joy, and living with a piece who’s natural beauty can only be found in nature.
These rugs will be going with Kelly to the Great Lakes Fiber Show at the end of May and then will be sold in her shop.
But! As someone who’s been let in on a a sneak preview of the final product, if you want me to put one aside for you, let me know by contacting me through the link below.
Ok, now I see that you’ve come to the end, but it’s not over as I’d like to share with you the ultimate secret. You don’t have to buy a rug to be a part of the movement. Just by being here, by reading this information, you have become part of the movement. Because movements are about people. So welcome my dear friend — Welcome to The Movement.
Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I have some squishy, gorgeous rugs to weave.
Lots of love — Sara xoxo
Sara Guren is a spinner, weaver and knitter focused on locally sourced natural fibers — specializing in Angora and Alpaca. She is based in Northeast Ohio and is available for in-person and online speaking engagements, podcasts, interviews and collaborations relating to fiber. If you’re interested, she’d love to hear from you! Please click on the link above.