Rug Weft or Dido Knows Best

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In a perfect world I'd have every t-shirt in my possession cut into strips before weaving my rag rugs.  I'd love to have all colors available at all times, but because the task of cutting is time consuming beyond measure, this never happens.   I'm way overdue to weave some rugs and have some awesomely dyed t-shirts ready for cutting.  If there exists a more efficient method to achieve the t-shirt to weft transformation, I haven't discovered it.  In fact, I think part of me resists streamlining any portion of the process.  Weaving is time consuming by nature and that's part of its beauty.

Rug Weft

Rug Weft

I'm often reminded of a Classical myth of Dido when I'm cutting t-shirts into weft.  

The King of Tyre (in Phoenicia), Belus, wanted to split his kingdom among his two children:  Pygmalion and Dido.  Upon his father's death, Pygmalion seized the throne and killed Dido's husband forcing Dido and her followers to flee to the north of Africa.  Iarbus, the local ruler of the land, promised Dido he'd sell as much of his land as the hide of a bull would cover.  Clever Dido agreed to this seemingly foolish bond.  She cut the hide into small strips which encircled a vast amount of land which became her kingdom (queendom?) of Carthage.

Rug Weft

Story referenced from:  http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Cr-Dr/Dido.html

Calling all Latin and Greek students to set me straight if I've misrepresented Dido's story.