Area Rug Terminology

Machine made:

woven rugs created on automated weaving looms

less expensive

more flexibility and variety

Man made:

handmade (also called hand knotted)

custom-made

one-of-a-kind designs

incorporate creative, brilliant uses of color

unique details and intricacies in each due to the village, city or country of the creator

often created with natural dyes for color longevity

Weave:

technique used in making handmade rugs

three major techniques: pile weave, flat weave and hand-tufted

Pile Weave:

rug is woven by a creation of knots

method of weaving used in most rugs

different weaving groups use different types of knots

every single knot is tied by hand

can consist of 25 to over 1000 knots per square inch

Flat Weave:

called flat weaves since no knots are used in the weaving process and the surface looks flat

warp strands used as the foundation

weft strands are used as the foundation and in the patterns

Hand Tufted:

created without tying knots into the foundation

pile height determined by amount of yarn cut off

less time consuming than hand-tying each knot

requires a high level of craftsmanship

can be made faster than hand-knotted rugs

generally less expensive than hand-knotted

weathers foot traffic for years

Knot:

woven by tying knots on the warp strands

two predominant types of knots: asymmetrical and symmetrical

Asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) Knot:

used in Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt and China

to form, yarn is wrapped around one warp strand and then passed under the neighboring warp strand and brought back to the surface

creates a finer weave

Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiorde) Knot:

used in Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran by Turkish and Kurdish tribes

Knot Density:

refers to the number of knots per square inch (called KPSI) or square decimeter in a handmade rug

measured in the imperial system in square inches and in the metric system in square decimeters

KPSI is sometimes used to indicate value

the higher the number of knots per square inch, the higher the quality, and price

Dyes/Dying:

process of changing the natural color of materials such as wool, silk and cotton

two types of dyes: natural dyes and synthetic dyes

Natural Dyes:

natural dyes only used until late 19th century

include plant dyes, animal dyes and mineral dyes

plant dyes come from roots, flowers, leaves, fruit, and the bark of plants

woad (a plant of the mustard family and indigo, a bush from the pea family) is used for blue dye

yellow is produced from saffron, safflower, sumac, turmeric, onionskin, rhubarb, weld, and fustic

Madder, Redwood and Brazilwood has been used since ancient times for reds

browns and blacks come from catechu dye, oak bark, oak galls, acorn husks, tea, and walnut husks

henna is used for orange

for green, indigo, over-dyed with any of a variety of yellow dyes, is used

mineral dyes come from ocher (yellow, brown, red), limestone or lime (white), manganese (black), cinnabar and lead oxide (red), azurite and lapis lazuli (blue), and malachite (green)

natural dyes are used in places where they are easily obtainable

Synthetic Dyes:

need for easy-to-use and less expensive dyes with a wider range of colors caused development of synthetic dyes in Europe

synthetic dyes imported to Persia (Iran), Anatolia (Turkey) and other Eastern countries

first synthetic dye, Fuchsine (a magenta aniline), was developed in the 1850s

other synthetic aniline dyes followed, later banned by the Persian king

Persian weavers discontinued the use of synthetic dyes until the modern synthetic chrome dyes developed between World Wars I and II

chrome dyes are colorfast, retain their intensity and are produced in a variety of attractive colors and shades

mostly chrome synthetic dyes are used for coloring weaving yarns