DIY Shag Rug

I always have some sort of craft project that I am working on. My latest one was also my inspiration for creating this site. I am making a rug for my living room! For months now, I have loved the idea of putting a shag rug in my living room. After a considerable amount of searching, I did not find anything that I was happy with and was also in my price range.
I took a trip to the craft store and picked up rug making net, a latch hook, and some white ponte. I chose the stretchy ponte because it looked like it would be durable and hold up to stains well. Also, it does not curl the way jersey does.
I cut the fabric into strips about a half inch thick and five inches long. After several attempts, I tossed the latch hook. The strips were too thick. I started looping the strips through by hand. It was hard at first, but after quite a few I got the hang of it.
I started noticing that my rug was too thick. I did not think that was possible. To thin it out a little I started a pattern. I would hook through two full rows, and on the third row I would skip three squares.
I am sure I will make a few more mistakes and find a few more tricks along the way.
There will definitely be more pictures of my rug and its progress posted very soon. This is my biggest DIY project ever and is surely going to take forever to finish!