The Felted Wool Ball Rug We All Love

In September I shared some of my tips for keeping my house clean, even with two messy puppers.  In that post I wrote about the routine we’ve created, which helps contain the dirt and sticks and leaves and mud.

I will admit today that when the weather is really, really, really cold I cheat and sometimes let the dogs out through the patio doors instead of bundling everyone (namely, me) up for a trek outside through the carport.  They don’t drag in any mud or muck this time of year, which is why I’m okay with being lazy about this, but they do bring in some snow so I always keep a mat by the back door to prevent them from tracking in water.

And I’ve been through a few mats, for various, annoying reasons.

Somebody chewed the fringe on the rag rug I had there, so that was out.  Some mats were super slippery, others looked too outdoorsy – some of them the dogs refused to let touch their bodies, so they’d leap over them and onto the hardwood.  I even tried a chic bath mat, thinking it would be absorbent.  I know, I play fast and loose with decorating rules but, in my defense, it looked less bathroomy online.  In person, everyone asked about the bath mat in the dining room.

It’s been a revolving door of door mats.

When Sukhi, a company that sells quality, handmade rugs, reached out to me, I immediately fell for this felt ball rug and decided that this rug might just be the rug to solve our problems.

Unsurprisingly, the humans love it.  It’s teal and made of felted wool balls (!!!) – you know how much I love felted wool balls – so it solves the problem of being stylish.  The size was perfect and didn’t cover the vent (that’s a win for hubby) and it’s really absorbent which helps protect the hardwood floors from snowballs.

It’s no surprise I liked it, but what surprised me was how much the puppers love it.  As soon as I unwrapped it, they dove for it but I wanted to wash the floors – and their stinky bodies – before putting it out, so I hid it under the bed.  Szuka couldn’t reach it, but Hynda army crawled her way under there to snuggle it in secret.

When I finally slid it out from under the bed for photos, I barely maneuvered it a few feet when Hynda hopped on.  It’s been awhile and nobody has tried to chew it.  I think they love it too much to hurt it; they each just snuggle it and chew their toys on it because the felted wool helps them grip stuff nicely.  When they come in from outside, they’re content to chill here for a bit while I dry their feet off a little.  And now I only get compliments – no more questioning stares – about the back door mat.

Success!

If I had the money, I’d buy a massive one for the living room which is a huge compliment from me, because I don’t love area rugs.  But this feels so plush underfoot, I can only imagine how cozy it would make the living room feel this winter.  The craftsmanship is gorgeous and each rug comes with a tag that says who made it, which is a nice personal touch.

Sukhi has an amazing selection of handmade rugs from Nepal, India, Morocco, and Turkey.  The quality is amazing, plus you can customize so many of the designs – you’ll find everything from flat weave to woolen loops.  You can even customize a felt wool ball rug like this one, in different patterns and sizes.  The selection is eye-popping.  According to the company, the artisans have great pay and working conditions, and that’s always something I look for when I’m shopping.

I know how labor intensive making felt balls can be…

Thanks to Sukhi for sending me this gorgeous felt wool ball rug.  Szuka, Hynda, Hubby and I love it!  None of us were otherwise compensated and all thoughts, opinions, and puppy bums are our own.