Wool and Silk

Perhaps you have seen finely knotted wool and silk rugs where the silk has a deeper/thicker pile. Well, what actually happens is that the wool is trimmed down below the silk. (That can be a lot of trimming.)

More to do before it's ready

This part actually happens before the wash process talked about in the previous post. And, it mostly applies to yet another process to be talked about in future posts. And it also happens as part of the very last part of the manufacturing process. A lot of important steps in making a rug.

First, the rug is trimmed to an even pile height.

To do this, it must be combed

and is then cut with both electric tools and with almost ordinary looking scissors. Brush/sweep the surface, maybe vacuum and trim some more. The electric tool looked a lot like a router with a vacuum attached.

And those scissors have a bent handle that allows the cutting flat to be flat.

Drying and stretching

The cotton used as foundation and wool used as pile doesn’t dry at the same rate and may not retain shape equally so, part of this drying time is having the rug stretched into the original intended shape.

This process includes several adjustments of tension over several days.

Washing to Drying

Well of course, after a wash it must be dried. And Mother Nature provides the best system for that.

Yes that’s a cell phone tower off in the background. Much of India is much more “modern” than you may have expected.

The Rug Washing Process

The washing process looks deceptively simple but it provides a range of features to a finished rug. First and most obvious, it washes away tiny clippings, dirt and dust particles that may have become embedded so far.
Second, it can add a luster to the wool or a patina like a very old rug. And washing may not be done only once. It may be repeated, sometimes three times. While this can add cost to the rug, it will also add beauty to the finish.

Washing is a team job, with the team swiping the rug with their wooden paddles in unison. Some even say that the unison work adds a spiritual element to the job.
The wash water frequently includes a mild detergent or a chemical agent to change the colors slightly. One wash technique is called “tea wash”. (or henna) It is usually a second or third wash. You will find some who think it is a wonderful addition and some who bemoan it.

Hand Knotting a Rug

The generally accepted rule is that a rug is not a genuine oriental rug unless it is hand knotted or hand woven in that part of the world very broadly from Turkey to China.

There are differences in production from area to area. For example, in Turkey and Iran (Persia), the weavers are mostly women. In India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, the weavers are mostly men. In China you will routinely see both.

While much has been said about the proliferation of child labor in the rug industry, the practice has significantly diminished and wasn’t what many said all along. A common misconception is that a child’s small fingers can tie smaller knots and therefore create a more valuable rug. The fact is, it is greater skill that is needed. Sure, nimble fingers are a factor but expertise is gained only from long years of experience. In some areas, primarily where it is women who weave, the skill is passed on from mother to daughter, and perhaps more often from grand mother to grand daughter. The weaving is done as part of a day’s normal activity….a little work on the loom after household duties are finished.

However, many of the rugs you and I will see are indeed produced on looms owned by the manufacturer (yes, even if it is located in the weaver’s home) with pattern and colors specified. (Remember reading about the rug patterns a couple of posts ago?) The manufacturers prepare the loom, furnish the wool (or silk or combination) and say, here ya go. Make me a rug. The weaver is paid for the piece, not the hours.

On my trip I visited a workshop where rugs are typically woven as tests of pattern/color or for an order that requires less time than would normally be allocated so only the highly skilled are employed.

He reaches up, identifies and separates two strands of warp thread, slips a thread of wool behind one, around another, pulls this “knot” down to the base, cuts it off and reaches back up for the next two warp threads. In less than 2 seconds.

These weavers typically tie 9000 knots per day. Sounds like an awful lot yet it takes months to complete just one 9 x 12 rug. And then the finishing processes begin with shearing to even out the pile followed by multiple washes and further shearing or carving. There are so many small details involved that books have been written on the subject but I’ll just show you a few pictures that illustrate the “high points”.


Next: It's still along way from finished.