This link gave me flashbacks to my Grandma. She made rag rugs the same way. She taught me how, but I didn't know I was crocheting for many years. I just knew that is how you make rugs. When I was in college, she would tear the rags, sew them together and roll them in balls for me. When I went to visit she would give me a bag of rag balls to work on. I made a rug so big that I had to lay it on the floor and sit in the middle of it to crochet.
Thanks for spurring the memory.