Rug Making: An Art Form
This is mainly used for Contemporary designs. It has the advantage of being relatively quick to produce in approx 10 weeks depending on size.
A Hand Tufted rug is made by inserting wool tufts through a canvas backing. When finished latex and a strengthening scrim are applied to the back to secure the pile & shape. It has a deep pile which can be cut to different depths (high/low pile) for more interest.
Using handspun yarn with silk highlights
Our Nepali rugs are normally made in 60k, 80k &100k per sq inch depending on the scale and curves of the design and size required.
The Tibetan knotting technique was known in many parts of the world in antiquity, but today it is only used in Tibet and by the Tibetan refugee weaving centres in Nepal and India. The weaver holds a metal rod against the warp threads on the loom and then ties the woollen pile yarn around the warps and the rod with an endless thread which is interrupted only when there is a change of colour. Once the rod is full it is beaten down firmly with a heavy metal hammer against the finished work.
The weaver then cuts across the face of the rod with a sharp knife, inserts the weft thread, beats it all down again with a metal comb and finally trims the pile level on the loom. But the action of cutting across the rod, combined with the fact that the yarn is all hand-spun, gives the finished surface of the rug a lively texture which cannot be achieved by any other weaving method.
When the weaving is complete the carpet is cut from the loom and worked on flat on the floor. The outlines of the design are incised with a pair of fine scissors and the whole surface is trimmed again with broad-bladed shears to get an even overall appearance.
It is dipped in a bath of mild detergent and then laid out flat and worked over by hand with wooden paddles. This takes the edge off the rather raw look the rug had when it came off the loom and makes sure the pile is lying evenly in the right direction. The rug is dryed in the gentle Kathmandu sun on a stretching frame: the weavers want to be sure that the rug will lie flat and straight for many years. The fringes at both ends of the rug are a necessary part of the weaving process, but if the customer wishes the rug can be supplied with a bound woollen end-finish.
Knotted Rugs
Knotted quality
Soumac quality
Weaving
Finishing process
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"Persian" or "Asymmetric" Knot |
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Soumac Weave |
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These are the standard knotted types |
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"Persian Knots" (as used in the oriental range) The vertical thread running through the carpet is called the warp, and the horizontal the weft. It is these sets of threads that form the basis on which the rug is constructed. The knot's are then tied individually by hand onto the foundation. The knot's are tied on in rows, hammered down level and then an additional Weft is added to secure the row. As you can see the way the end of the knot sticks up it is this that creates the pile on the rug. |
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"Soumac Knots" (Stock only) The foundation of the rug is the same as the hand knotted, however the weave runs over two or four threads as apposed to one, it is also in one continual thread unless the colour needs to be changed and it is then tied on to the end and continued. This rug has no pile because of the way in which the knot is tied continuously, however both sides of the rug can be used to show. |
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