Recap, making a hand made rug

Looking at posts can be at least a little confusing when trying to see them in order. So, here is a list of posts so far as they relate to making a hand made rug. This is pretty much the chronological process.

1. To See Rugs Made

2. Yarn for Rugs

3. Hand Knotting

4. Rug Washing Process

5. Washing to Drying

6. Drying and Sretching

7. More to do Before It's Ready

8. Wool and Silk

9. More Finishing

10. Final Finishing

Final finishing

One of these steps is fairly obvious as you can see binding or serging being applied. Note that on many machine made rugs this is a cloth or nylon strip that is sewn on but on a hand made rug, it is sewn one stitch at a time.

And now the fringe (or tassles). First, this is actually a part of the construction. It is the warp that runs from top to bottom. A few years ago it was common to see the fringe left 4 or 5 inches long but these day it is more common to see just an inch or two.

These warp threads are "gathered" into small bundles and tied together, often 3 or 4 at a time. The remaining length is then trimmed.

Now, thru nearly all of this manufacturing, it was men who were working. It was almost rare to find a woman involved in the process. (There were some in back in the pencilling area.) So to almost suddenly find a room with only women working on the rugs was a little bit of a surprise. And then to realize that they were not only finishing the fringe, they were also still clipping small spots over the rug. Incredible attention to the smallest details.

I observed to my host and guide, "I see that here in India it is the same as in the U.S." After his eyes got big I said, "The women clean up after the men."

The lady didn't reply but she sure grinned.

More finishing

A step that many of us haven't thought of before is called "penciling".

This involves carefully separating individual threads so that pattern and color details are more distinct.

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.

To see rugs made

After years of interest, collecting a couple dozen books on oriental rugs, and yes, a few rugs of my own, I decided it was time for me to see rugs being made in person. Jaipur, India was an excellent choice for that.


I was fortunate to have had a source here in the states to arrange contact with a specific manufacturer. One of their executives met me at the airport and graciously provided me with car and driver during my stay. (They drive on the left side of the road plus traffic is truly mad. Every driver absolutely must take advantage of even a 8 inch gap between other vehicles. If you go, let them do the driving.)

My first full day was spent as a tourist. The 400 year old Amber Palace is stunning. Among the patterns hand carved in stone are many that often inspired design elements in carpets.

More pictures are at http://itsaboutrugs.com/India/Amber/index.html

The next day began with carpet design.
Rug maps (sometimes referred to as "cartoons") or a Naksha are still drawn by hand in many parts of India but my host has computer aided design programs that provide every detail needed for each pattern. For example, this makes it much easier to design a rug that will be available in several sizes, or perhaps a pattern made in more than one set of colors.Then the final drawing has specific yarn samples attached to identify where each color is to be used.
More pictures are at http://itsaboutrugs.com/India/Design/index.html

Next up, I'll talk about the wool yarn and preparing it for use on a hand knotted rug.