Weaving a typical hand-knotted rug

Essentially unchanged over the centuries, the loom is the all-important piece of equipment in the rug-making process. It can range from a small hand-held frame, to a very large and heavy freestanding handloom used to weave medium to room-size rugs.

Once the yarn has been readied, the skill and artistry of the weavers begin. With the design already rendered in full scale, a team of three to five weavers will prepare a large handloom with the finest machine-spun threads, known as warp threads. Running from the top to the bottom of the loom, this extra strong foundation serves both as the base of the carpet and the trademark fringe.

At this stage, gifted hands commence the time-honored process of looping knots of colored yarn around each warp thread, thus creating the rug’s dense pile. After each row of knots is tied, a weft yarn is passed from one side of the carpet to the other before the next row of knots is tied. The wefts are beaten down with heavy steel tools, keeping all the knots securely in place. This balance of tension and compression is unique to hand-woven rugs, and is one of the keys to their legendary durability. This patient process continues, with each craftsman tying as many as 10,000 to 14,000 knots a day – sometimes for as long as 18 months. And when the knotting is completed, a weaving supervisor carefully inspects the rug.