Carpets

Carpet making is considered to be one of the ancient crafts. Presently carpet weaving has grown into a big industry in the world. Though the exact origin cannot be traced, its evolution began during the 16th century in Persia. Historical evidences are also found that nomadic tribes have used these.

Types of Carpets

The Pazyryk Russian rug:

This dates back to the 5th century B.C. and was discovered by the Russian archeologist Rudenko in the mountains of Siberia. This remarkable work of art is housed in the Russian museum in St. Petersburg, knotted in both the Pazyryk Turkish and Persian manner.

The Sinkiang fragment:
These were found from 3rd century to 6th century A.D. and were found by the European explorers in Chinese Sinkiang province. The weaving is done in geometrical designs and some are woven in Turkish knot while others are simple loop pile. This type can be seen in London museum too. These are also available in the Museum of Islamic in Berlin of Germany, Museum of New Delhi in India.

Egyptian and Mamluks:
Several distinct groups of earl piled carpet fragments were discovered in Cairo in 1933 which came to be known as Fostat fragments. These have been named after the area where they were formed.

Persian Carpets:
Persia is known for its carpets since the 11th century and was on the top of its glory during 15th century. The old pattern and designs were replaced by beautiful new flowerlike designs which have impressed the Emperor Tamer Lane , an Emperor of barbarism who could find time for these works of art. As such the Chinese arts were employed by the Persian Emperor

Ottoman Turkey:

The constant engagement in war with its neighboring Turkey, Persia has gained development of the curvilinear designs carpet weaving in Turkey and Persia disappeared by the 18th century. Ottoman weaving centers continued to produce carpets during the 16th and 17th century. Top

Manufacture of Carpets
Rugs and carpets are made on handlooms in which there are two types :

1. Vertical Looms
2. Horizontal looms
The Process of Making
The warp or strings generally made of wool, cotton or animal hair or silk are fastened longitudinally for which the loom acts as a frame. Silk, wool, and cotton weft is passed over and under the wrap at a 90-degree angle. If the piece is finely woven possibly we can use the weaving in this condition and these are 'KILLIMS '. In other case the knots are tied on to the wraps and tightly held in place by the wefts.

Weaving and Knotting

Before weaving the loom should be prepared with utmost care for producing any type of carpet generally a few rows of Kilim are woven the beginning to provide protection for the ends of the weaving, when a carpet or a piled rug is to be made.

Types of Weave

Kilim Method of Weaving:

In this method of weaving there shall be no knots but shall consist of wrap and weft. by passing the weft in between the wrap and from each selvedge the weaving is done. The weft running part way across the weaving to the part wherever the design changes which is also called slit tapestry weave, mostly done in Persia.

Soumakh Method Weaving:

The method of weaving requires wrapping weft over 4 wraps before drawing them back under the last two which is repeated from selvedge to selvedge. Change of design takes place as in case of Kilim, expecting where there be no slits left. These are made mostly in Persia.

Piled Weave:
These types of piled or knotted carpets are made in western countries. This requires a great deal of work when compared to the other kilim or Soumakh which are also very costly. The curvilinear designs can only be successfully produced in this method due to their intricate nature.

Vernah Weaving Technique:

The combined technique of Kilim or Soumakh weaving is known as vernah. In this a part of weaving is done in Soumakh and other is done by Kilim. These are not considered to be good for use in western countries.

Countries Where Carpets Are Produced:
Turkey, Persia, China, Tibet, Cuba, Karbagh, Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia, The Caucasus, Kazak, Daghestan, Azerbaijan, Turkestan, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Britain, Ireland, Spain, North Africa, Austria, North America etc., are the countries producing carpets.

 

Wool

This is got from the skin of sheep and composes of a protein known as Keratin. There are 40 different breeds of sheep, which produce approximately 200 types of wool of varying grades. This is a relatively coarse fiber. This is because of its crimp nature and scales in the surface. Depending on the breed of the sheep, the appearance of the wool varies in some ways

Some have a great deal of crimp and smaller, finer scales making wool more fine, soft and warm

Some have little crimp and coarser scales making wool coarse, thick and less warm.

Wool is susceptible to heat and has a felting property. Due to this property, only pressure, heat and moisture are required to make wool fibers into the type of fabric called felt. Major producers include: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, South Africa, and Argentina.

How is wool obtained?

People have been using wool in India , since Pre-historic ages. Evidences of the usage of woolen garments have been mentioned in the Rigveda and the Mahabharata.

During pre-independence period, the Merino sheep were crossed with the Indian sheep and the new breed thus developed was known as 'Kashmiri Merino' in Kashmir and 'Southern Merino' in Pune. Merino is a breed of sheep originating from Spain . This breed is noted for its long thick high quality white fleece. They are well adapted to the hot arid climates.

Pashmina, which is considered to be the highest quality of wool, is obtained from the goats of Kashmir and Tibet . We find variations in the quality of wool in different parts of our country, due to the diversity in breed, natural conditions, rainfall and grasslands.

Wool is obtained mainly by shearing fleece from living animals. The wool grease is removed from it. The wool fiber is mainly composed of animal protein, 'Keratin'. The climate, soil and food affect the shape of the wool.

Classification Of Wool

Wool fiber is classified into five types:

1. Thin wool
2. Merino wool
3. Medium wool
4. Long wool
5. Cross-bred wool

Thin Wool:

Thin wool is obtained from Merino sheep. The famous Merino sheep varieties are American, Australian, French, Spanish, South African, and South American.

Merino Wool:

Merino wool is famous for its softness, strength and resilience, best for knitting. High quality knitted wool garments, suits and fine dresses are made from this.

Medium Wool:

Medium wool is dense and dry. Its fibers are lighter than those of Merino wool and are used for making tweed, serge, flannel, overcoats and blankets.

Long Wool:

Long wool is obtained from taller varieties of sheep that are found in areas that receive heavy rainfall. This wool is thick, bright and does not shrink due to the absence of fat in it. This is used for manufacturing plain woolen clothes, tweed, serge and coats.

Crossbred Wool:

Crossbred wool is derived from Merino-Rambouillet sheep crossed with longhaired sheep. This wool has both softness and thickness of Merino sheep wool and the length of long wool. It is used for making socks and Banyan and other such garments.

Nature Of Wool

The wool fiber is curly in shape and this curliness is called 'crimp'. The thin wool fiber has more crimps than any other wool variety. The number of crimps it has judges the quality of the wool. The fiber has the quality of returning to its original length after limited stretching or compression. This quality is called resilience. The length of the fiber can be stretched to 30% of its original length without breaking it.

Wool has three types of shine:

Silvery:
This is found in the Merino wool.

Glossy:
This is found in the straight and smooth fiber.

Silky:
This is found in the long hair wool.

Color of the Wool

The natural colors of wool are white, black and gray. The color of domestic sheep wool is mostly white. The color of old generation sheep is black or gray and is thus mostly used for making carpets.