Chelsea Black & White Rug

What distinguishes handmade Persian rugs from machine-produced versions are the intricate processes used to design and craft them. There are three main types of handmade Oriental rugs: knotted, tufted, and hooked.

Hand-Knotted Construction

Hand-knotting is the most intricate, labor-intensive rug weaving process in use today. As a result, knotted rugs take much longer to create and are more expensive than other types of rugs.

Basic Process:

• Plotting the design: Before weaving begins, an artist draws the rug's full-scale design on special graph paper. Each square on the paper represents a knot of the rug.

• Looming: Once the design is drafted, the rug is placed on a frame called a loom. Columns of thread (called warps) are stretched vertically on the loom. Warps are usually made of cotton, providing an ideal surface for a flat, straight rug. The weaver secures the warps by arranging horizontal rows called wefts (ordinarily made of cotton, wool, or silk).
  

• Knotting: After creating about ten wefts, the weaver is ready to start the bulk of the work. Using a piece of wool or silk, he or she takes one or two warps in the same row and ties a knot around them. The ends of the knot become the pile of the rug. (More knots per square inch result in a more defined, intricate pattern and enhanced durability.) The weaver works meticulously, knot by knot, until the pattern is complete.
  
  
• Edging: When the knots have been created end-to-end, the weaver may use several different methods to secure the edges of the rug:
  • Edge bindings are made by wrapping several warps at the edge of the rug with yarn. This reinforces the edges and prevents unraveling.
  • End finishes keep knots and wefts from separating from the rug’s warp strings.
  • Fringes are the ends of the warp threads at the top and bottom of the rug. They’re usually gathered together in bundles of strings and knotted at both ends of the rug.

Hand-Tufted/Hand-Hooked Construction

Hand-tufted and hand-hooked rugs are generally less expensive and easier to make than hand-knotted rugs. Tufted and hooked rugs essentially undergo the same method of construction; the only difference between them is the pile used to form the surface of the rug. Tufted rugs have a cut pile surface and hooked rugs have a looped (rounded) pile surface. Often, rugs will combine both cut and loop techniques.


Basic Process:

• Preparation: The rug’s pattern is stenciled on the primary backing material. Once the design has been drawn, the rug’s cloth backing (usually cotton) is attached to a frame.
  

• Tufting: The craftsman inserts tufts of wool, silk, or another type of yarn into the backing using a hand-held, single-needle tufting tool (often called a “gun”).
  

• Secondary Backing: After the tufting is complete, the primary backing is covered with a latex material. A secondary backing is then attached to protect and anchor the stitches.
  

• Shearing (tufted only): The surface loop pile is sheared to produce a flat surface, creating a dense, plush pile. (For hooked rugs, the yarns are left uncut to retain their rounded appearance.)
  

• Edging: Bindings may be attached to the edges of the rug to add strength and prevent unraveling.

We recommend the following practices in maintaining and cleaning your Oriental rugs:

General care & cleaning

• Use padding beneath your rug.
• Vacuum regularly, and rotate the rug once a year for even wear.
• Never place a plant or flower pot directly on your Oriental rug.
• When spills occur, blot them out immediately with a clean cloth. Repeat as many times as necessary to dry the area.
• Contact a professional rug cleaner in your area for general cleaning in difficult spots.

Protecting against humidity

Humid weather is the worst enemy of the warp and weft threads of Oriental rugs. These threads are often made of cotton, and over time they can absorb humidity and rot. This problem is most often seen in older rugs, and is almost never detected by the untrained eye. Before threads rot, they tend to dry out, causing portions of the rug to stiffen. You can avoid humidity damage by having an expert periodically check your rug and replace any dry threads.

Preventing moth damage

Moths love wool — especially where there is a lack of air circulation. Before storing your rugs, protect against moth damage by using a few commercially available moth balls.

Avoiding uneven wear & fading

Over time, study the traffic patterns on your rug. If there is constant traffic on one portion of the rug, rotate the rug every year. This will ensure equal traffic and wear on all sides. The same rule applies to fading — over many years of exposure to the sun, most Oriental rugs will fade in color and brightness. This is not a problem, as long as the fading is even throughout the rug's pattern. As new rugs age, the bright colors will fade into beautiful soft tones. (This is one reason why older rugs are more desirable.) To prevent uneven fading, position your rugs so that each section receives equal amounts of sunlight.

Repairing color runs

Both vegetable dyes and chemical dyes may run if the rug is improperly washed, or if water is spilled on the carpet. Experts can clean the color run and restore the beauty of your Oriental rug.

Maintaining rug construction

• Fringe: Contrary to what most people think, the fringe at the top and bottom of an Oriental rug is not added for decorative purposes. Fringes are actually the tied ends of the warp threads that run the vertical length of the rug, serving as the foundation. It’s important to maintain the fringe; if it becomes worn, the rug’s knots may start to unravel. If the fringes on your Oriental rug are worn close to the pile, it may be necessary to have an expert replace some of them. If you don’t like the look of fringes, don’t cut them — you can always just fold them under and tape them to the back of the rug.
• Knots: A rug’s knots are crucial to its quality and appearance, as they make up the overall design and color scheme. If your rug has a hole in it, or a burn or small stain that can in no way be cleaned, an expert can replace the missing or ruined knots with new ones.
• Weft Threads: These run in rows along the width of the rug, keeping the warp threads and knots in place. Often, the ends of these weft threads come out in the pile, appearing as white knots. You may begin to see these white knots as the pile of the rug begins to wear down. Do not attempt to cut these threads — this can result in an indentation or a small hole. These threads can easily be remedied by an expert without causing damage to the rug. This treatment should be part of the periodic maintenance of the rug.
• Side Edges: The purpose of the stiff binding along the edges of an Oriental rug is to protect the knots. You should periodically check the side edges for signs of wear, and replace the worn parts as needed.