Rugs have been woven in much the same way for thousands of years. Short pieces of colored yarn, usually wool, are tied onto a pair of warp
                                threads using one of two simple knots. The work is completed one horizontal row of knots at a time. Once a row is finished, a weft thread is
                                inserted. This thread passes over and under each succesive warp thread from the beginning to the end of the row. The warp is firmly beaten
                                down after which the knots are trimmed more or less to the desired height and the next row can begin.

                                             Persian Knot                                                         Turkish Knot


While traditional tribal and nomadic rugs are often made without any prepared design for the weaver to follow, it is usual for a 'cartoon' to be prepared. This pattern will be drawn in color on scaled graph paper by a skilled designer. Each square represents an individual knot. Once completed the design will be given to the weavers who will keep it close at hand. Note the wool samples attached to the color coding  by the designers hand.

       


       

       

Once the design is complete, wool must be selected in the desired quality and colors. The wool is the heart of the rug and the quality of the wool will ultimately dictate the beauty of the rug. In some cases, the wool will be dyed by the manufacturer while often it will be bought in the local market. There is a huge variety of  colors available - both modern chrome dyes and traditional  natural dyes are used. The wool may be local or imported.

       

The wool storage room can be a fascinating place.

       

Once the materials have all been prepared, the loom is set up. The loom itself is a frame which will hold the warp threads running vertically from top to bottom. The larger the rug, the larger the loom. On a large rug a number of weavers will work together as they are doing below. Note the design behind them. 

       

The weaver below is working on a small but extremely fine rug. In his hand is a special cutting tool which he will use to trim the knots as he goes along.

                             

In the next picture one can see the comb used to hammer the knots down very firmly before the weft thread will be inserted.

                             

Once completed, the rug will be cut from the loom and subjected to an extremely arduous washing process. The rug is completely immersed in water and  attacked with wooden paddles as seen in the pictures.

       


       

The rugs are then dried in the sun.

       


After the washing, the nap needs to be trimmed to give a smooth surface. Edges must be bound and fringes need to be trimmed.


                                     



             


They will now be moved to the showroom where they are ready for inspection and sale to foreign buyers. The production and sale of hand woven rugs is an important export industry that provides employment to thousands of people in Northern India where these photos were taken.  It employs both skilled and unskilled labor and through charitable organizations such as Care for Fair it also provides education and medical care to many.


             


After a long ocean voyage, those rugs that have been selected will finally be on display and ready for sale at our warehouse.
The Oriental Rug Warehouse is extremely proud of the product that it sells. Each piece has been carefully selected for quality, style and artistic beauty.


   
 
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