Carpet Weaving: Elements

Pile weaving consists of three fibre elements. The warp are the longitudinal yarns fixed to the loom). The weft are the horizontal yarns that interlace with the warp and hold the fabric together. The pile are yarns knotted onto the warp threads, beaten together, and cut off so as to form a dense, velvety surface.

Traditionally speaking, hand spun wool was used for the warp, weft, and pile elements. Silk warps are occasionally used for the finest carpets as it facilitates great density. Today, cotton is widely used for the warp and occasionally the weft, especially in East Asia. The pile is almost universally wool although cotton, silk, and even gold or silver wrapped threads may be used for part or all of the pile.

Carpet Weaving: the Loom

Carpets are woven on a variety of looms. Amongst nomadic tribal weavers, horizontal looms, spread out over the ground are common. Among settled communities, vertical frame looms are more common. The loom pictured here is a basic type of loom with a fixed-length warp. It has two horizontal bars, the heddle rod and shed stick, which facilitate creating the shed or warp opening needed to pass the weft.

Carpet Weaving: Knots

The characteristic plush surface of carpets is produced by knotting wool or occasionally silk threads around different combinations of warp yarns. Once knotted, they are cut and beaten with a comb-like implement to form a dense pile. There are two main knot types, the Turkish Knot (aka symmetric knot) and the Persian Knot (aka asymmetric knot). Turkish knots are, as the name suggests, most prevalent in Turkey, parts of the Caucasus as well as among certain Tribal groups in Iran and Central Asia. Turkish knots involve a length of yarn wrapped around a pair of warp threads; the two ends are pulled between the warp threads and cut off with a knife.

Turkish knot illustration

Carpet Weaving: Knots

The Persian knot is common in Iran, Afghanistan and Turkestan. It involves a length of yarn slipped under one warp and wrapped around an adjacent warp so that an end projects from between each pair of warps. Depending upon the direction of the wrapped warp, the Persian knot is said to be open to the left or right, a distinction that may influence the feel and appearance of the finished carpet surface.

Persian open left knot illustration

Persian open right knot illustration

Carpet Weaving: Knots

Another important technique used for making rugs is tapestry weave. It is typically used to produced the flat-woven kilims woven throughout Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran. Because it is much faster to produce and requires less wool, kilims were traditionally used in the home. Pile carpets, because they are so labour intensive and costly to produce, were more often produced for sale or for tribute (e.g. to a mosque). Tapestry weave is also frequently used to finish the ends of pile woven carpets. The Erikson kilims will be featured in a subsequent exhibition.

Tapestry weave illustration

Carpet Weaving: Knots

Soumak is a technique that involves wrapping warp yarns with a supplementary weft. It produces a dense, flat surface that offers the weaver much freedom of design. Soumak is widely used across rug producing Asia, particularly in the Caucasus and among tribal groups in north western Iran. The Erikson Collection contains a number of fine soumak bags and bagfaces

Soumak illustration

Carpet Weaving:Terms of Reference