Photo of sheep indicating the shoulder section of wool to be harvested for use in the making of a high quality rug.
FROM SHEEP TO RUG

Diagram of the steps involved in the processing of wool into the finished rug product.
 
WOOL
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE & INSURE QUALITY:


  1. SPECIAL BREED -
    • Out of 952 breeds of sheep - only a select few qualify to meet the quality requirements of the wool usedin the production of fine rugs.

  2. PROPER RAISING OF SHEEP -
    • A special diet as well as optimal climate and altitude are provided as essential factors influencing the quality of the wool.
    • The age of the sheep as well as the time of the year shearing occurs are additional important factors.

  3. SPECIAL SECTION OF FLEECE -
    • Only the best section of the sheep's fleece is used for each rug.
    • The shoulder wool is the longest and the most expensive.
    • Shoulder wool gives the rug's pile excellent strength, luster, resilience, softness and durability. A fine piece of artwork deserves nothing short of the finest materials


Diagram of six Wool processing steps - 'A' through 'F':
WASHING, SORTING, CARDING, COMBING, SPINNING, PLYING.
WOOL PROCESSING STEPS: WASHING, SORTING, CARDING, COMBING, SPINNING, PLYING


CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOL

WOOLEN YARN
IS SPUN AFTER CARDING
WORSTED YARN
IS NOT ONLY CARDED BUT IS GIVEN EXTRA COMBING TO REMOVE SHORTER FIBERS
'S' and 'Z' TWISTS
SHOW DIRECTION YARN IS SPUN
THE AMOUNT OF TWIST IN YARN
DETERMINES THE STRENGTH. NO TWIST SHOWS THE FIBERS PARALLEL; THIS IS VERY SOFT WEAK YARN. WITH MORE TWIST IN THE YARN, IT BECOMES STRONGER AND HARDER.
CROSS SECTION OF A WOOL FIBER
THE MEDULLA IS FOUND ONLY IN COURSE WOOL.
SINGLE WOOL FIBER
SHOWING ITS NATURAL CRIMP WHICH GIVES WOOL ITS WONDERFUL RESILIENCE.

 

COTTON

Although wool is the best material for the rug's pile, it is not a good choice for the foundation (warp & weft). A rug made with a wool foundation will not lie flat and will be crooked (especially after washing). Only the nomadic tribes still use wool for foundations, mainly because they do not own land nor stay in one place long enough to grow cotton. Cotton makes the best foundation. Silk makes a good warp thread if extreme thinness is desired.

A wool foundation can be recognized by its fringe which is darker and thicker than a cotton fringe (warp).

The ADVANTAGES Of A
COTTON FOUNDATION

  1. Stronger
  2. Thinner
  3. Limited Stretching
  4. Even Shrinkage
  5. The Rug Will Keep It's Shape
  6. The Rug Will Lie Flat


DYES

FOUR TYPES OF RUG DYES

NATURALANILINEACIDCHROME
  1. Oldest
  2. Color Change
  3. Fewer Colors
  4. Inconsistent
  5. Hard on Wool
  6. Duller
  7. Fades in Light
  1. Corrosive
  2. Colors Faded
  3. Colors Ran
  4. Ruined Many Fine Rugs
 - (Developed in 1856 - Obsolete)
  1. Cheap
  2. Colors Run
  1. Resists Acids, Alkalis, Washing & Light
  2. Won't Harm Wool
  3. Over 600 Colors
  4. Colors are Fast
  5. Won't Run or Streak
  - (Developed in 1920's & 30's)

Today's synthetic (chrome) dyes are excellent and are not to be confused with the earlier unsatisfactory synthetic (aniline) dyes of the past.


THE RUG DESIGN PROCESS

Illustration of a Cartoon (a full scale visual chart) and Talim cards (hand-written verbal description).

CARTOON    
A cartoon is a full scale graph paper chart which indicates to the weaver the color for each knot. Every knot is represented by a tiny square.
TALIM
In some weaving districts talim cards are used instead of a cartoon. One person reads the color and number of knots to several weavers.

Four criteria used for determining a machine made rug.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE A MACHINE MADE 'ORIENTAL DESIGN' RUG

  1. Machine stitching can always be found along both sides of the rug.
    The stitching is normally dyed to make it less noticeable.
  2. The design is often vague and indistinct.
  3. The back is covered with perfectly straight lines.
  4. The fringe is almost always sewn on and not an extension of the warp.


THE FINISH DETAILS


VALUE/COLOR PERCEPTION: RUG PILE DIRECTION AND LIGHT REFLECTION


The ADVANTAGES of
CHEMICAL WASH

  1. Imparts Sheen
  2. Moth Proofs
  3. Softens Colors
  4. Removes Dirt and any Excess Dyes
  5. Makes Rug more Stain and Soil Resistant
  6. Removes Loose Fibers

Optional Finish Tecniques:     

Sculpturing: Carving and incising the rug surface.