The Rug Making Process
Before Weaving
One hand-crafted rug passes through 180 hands from start to finish, and it’s a testament to craftsmanship in itself. Each one of those 90 people possess unique and irreplaceable skill, as it takes years to harness.
To join all these hands together requires a decentralized model, reaching out step by step to each specialist to create quality that is unmatched. This is made possible only through building bridges of compassion, empathy and love.
Carding & Spinning
The handpicked wool, once sorted, segregated and washed, finds itself in the hands of one of India’s rarest artists, the Katwari (spinner).
She sifts through the wool, layering the strands together, a process called carding. Placing a dollop of wool on a bristled pad, she brushes it with another, removing clumped dirt, knots and giving the wool uniformity, gently caressing it to evolve into yarn.
In the wake of that tedious task, she channels centuries of Indian heritage through her hands, spinning the yarn on a charka (spinning wheel), with a meditative flow that brought back Indian independence, and is a permanent symbol to the nation’s values. The intertwined fibers of wool have a wave-like pattern of thick and thin, but sticks together to make the most durable form of yarn with the most remarkable texture, somewhere a metaphoric representation to Indian history. Over 3,000 of these unique artisans have found their home with us..
Hand Spun vs Mill Spun Yarn
Although some people prefer the uniformity and formal appearance that machine spun wool imparts to carpets, most connoisseurs value the effect produced by hand spun wool. When spun by hand, yarn absorbs more dye where it is loosely spun and less dye where it is spun tightly, thus producing pleasant variegation (know as “Abrash”) in the colors of a rug. Hand spun wool naturally requires more labor and thus rugs woven with handspun wool are more costly. But, the hand spinning process is less abrasive to the wool; more of the natural oils (lanolin) are retained and less fibers are broken. This produces a wool that is more resilient and carpets made with such wool will last long and wear better.
Finishing
There are 18 finishing steps to a carpet. Since all these steps are done by hand, it can take up to a month to complete the finishing.
1. Measurement
Due to the discrepancies of hand-knotting, the carpet tends to vary in length and width. The carpet is measured to ensure that the variation comes within limits so that the size of the carpet fits the intended standard sizing.
2. Knot Counting
To ensure that every knot from the map has been woven into the carpet, each and every knot is counted by hand. The craftsman goes through line by line, knowing how many knots should be there in every line to make sure that it has every part of its intended design. If any knot is missing, that line would be checked against a map to determine which knot was missing, then that knot would be surgically repaired.
3. Pile Height Checking
Pile Height Checking is the first step in ensuring that yarn is not wasted, and that the carpets quality can be assured after all the finishing steps. If the pile of the carpet is too heavy, the quality supervisor would work with the weaver in developing a skillset to help them reduce the usage of yarn.
4. Raffu - Repairing
For discrepancies in the knot count and if there are some sections of the carpet where the pile is below the minima, an extremely technical artisan steps in. The doctors of rugs, these artisans use a large needle and thread to surgically repair the carpet. It’s a painstakingly long process, and each quality check strives to ensure that errors are not made that require this repair. Once repaired the carpet has no mark to show, which speaks to the finesse of the artisans involved.
5. Thukai - Knot Beating
Since the hand-knotting process is imprecise, the varying width of the yarn and the differences in each knot tend to warp the design that was intended to come out on the carpet. This warp is because the line of knots is not straight when it comes off the loom. Craftsmen in the finishing centre measure out the warped segments and then use a large iron nail and hammer to knock the knots along the warp and weft to align the pattern. This process it quite time consuming and loud, and requires a craftsman’s precision to ensure the pattern is displayed perfectly.
6. Kachi Kainchi – First Shear
This is the first phase of shearing done to the carpet. Its only purpose is to ensure the pile of the entire carpet is made to one height. Since the yarn is cut by hand during the weaving process, the size of the pile has minor differences which are evened out by a shearing machine with a gyro, and it is wielded by a craftsman that goes over the carpet.
Raw Materials
The essence of handcrafting is truly captured when its raw material is also handcrafted art.
Wool
Chokla Wool, the best Indian wool for rugs is purchased at a biannual auction in Bikaner, due to the seasonal shearing of sheep in the spring and in the fall. It comes mixed in texture and qualities that are segregated by hand, as the traditional expertise of the local folk is irreplaceable.
Merino Wool
It is imported from New Zealand and is used in the finest 14/14 quality carpets as well as in creating blends of wool. The finest wool is imported from 18 different countries to make blends of yarn that merge lustre, durability, fleecy texture, all into one.
Silk
Silk of the choicest quality is imported from China and sourced from traders within India.
Dyeing
Rug dyeing is a traditional art that allows artisans to create decorative effects. Yarn is first segregated before the dyeing process. Lighter wool for lighter coloured dyes and darker wool for the darker dyes and texture by the feel. The texture is also important because it can determine the overall quality of the yarn. Blends of different wool help moderate how bristly or soft it turns out.
We choose to source dyes that are eco-friendly and are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified dyes, the colours do not bleed or damage the yarn, resulting in a more durable rug.
Artisans wind the yarn on a wheel-like frame, and then dip and keep in boiling hot vats of dye to embed its intended colour. The yarn is then hung to dry in the sun, and stored until use. Each batch of yarn has inherent colour variations, which brings character to the rug, along with wool ageing and raw material preparation. Rugs with this effect easily observed are known as Abrash or Antique.
Keep in Mind - Spinning & Dyeing:
Handspun Yarns absorb dye unevenly and produces variegated color. It has an uneven, nubby surface. This creates an informal, hand-made look in carpets. Handspun wool is irregular in the tension of its twist; and when soaked in dye, it is spun tightly and more where it is spun. Owners of handspun wool may encounter loose ends of the pile are pulled up by vacuuming and pieces of pile stick up. This is all common problems that happen to a rug when they are new. If clipping is done properly, it should not have a problem maintaining its longevity.
Mill (Machine) Spun Yarns absorb dye evenly. The color and surface is uniform and even. The look of a machine spun wool Oriental rug is completely different from a handspun wool. It is very evident in a new rug because the tension of the spin is uniform, the dye absorbs evenly into the wool. The colors are also very consistent and the wool will take on a slight sheen.
7. Sua Birai – Design Correction
With a longer pile height and because of the weaving process, yarn intermixes with the neighbouring yarn, which can blur its design. Craftsmen go over line by line of the rug with a large skewer, untangling the yarn and giving the design its intended definition.
8. Back-burning
The back burning process is fairly straightforward. A carpet is placed at a distance from a flame, or a torch is taken over it. The flame singes the back of the carpet which clears out any loose strands, but more importantly tightens all the knots in place. When exposed to heat, the yarn recoils and shrinks which increases its durability immensely.
9. Back-burn Cleaning
The singed particles that collect on the back of the carpet are brushed off to give the carpet a pristine look at the back.
10. Dipping
Dipping is when a carpet is placed in a cleansing wash. The carpet soaks and sanitises to clear out any impurities that were lodged in. The carpet absorbs all the fluid for it to throw out all the impurities when washed.
11. Washing
One step that can be easy to associate with is washing. It may sound simple, but there’s a reason carpets aren’t washed in every home. Each carpet isn’t washed, but rather bathed and groomed. It’s an art in itself. Washers lay the carpets onto the floor, and methodically pour water and mild cleansing solution, using a unique oar-like paddle to flush out the dirt trapped inside. Each stroke takes out what is unnecessary and at the same time increases the strength of the underlying knots. The strokes are done in unison and perfect coordination, and technique is so effective, it uses a prescribed minimum amount of water and is done in 15 minutes!
12. Khinchai – Stretching
Once washed, yarn and the underlying cotton warp & weft shrink. This helps tighten the carpet, but also changes its size. To bring it to its prescribed size, the carpet is stretched out on an iron frame to the precise size requirement. The knots stay tight but are now balanced and even.
13. Cutting
When the carpet is taken off the loom, artisans bind the edges of the carpet with the warp and weft they use. To allow freedom of design and creating more durable binding, the original binding done on the loom is cut off the carpet.
14. Binding
The edges of the carpet are binded together to give it its finishing look and durability. The style of binding done along the width of the carpet has a range of patterns to style the carpet, but uses a standard style along the length to hold the carpet together. The traditional designs use a tassle, while modern designs are binded on all sides.
15. Pucci Kainchi – Final Shearing
In this final phase of shearing, the intended pile height is set onto the shearing machine before the craftsman goes over the carpet. This measured pile height is what the carpet is then categorised under before sale.
16. Kalam Birai – Detailing
This is considered the second phase of design correction, when an artisan takes a carpet needle and sharpens the design. The interlocked yarn is separated knot by knot to make the image clear, perfecting its look. The name Kalam Birai means correcting by pen, and perfectly describes its intricacy.
17. Chinte Nikalna – Snipping Visible Cotton
This step is common across textiles, where an artisan goes over the entire rug, removing and snipping extra strands of cotton thread. While this may be an easy task on cloth, in a rug the artisan must brush through the pile searching for the smallest hints of imperfection and finally perfect the carpet.
18. Carving & Embossing
Khadi Gultarash is also known as carving. This is a method to give cuts in the design. During this process, the artisans keep the scissors straight up and make a cut in the design.
Put Gultarash is also known as embossing. This method is used to give a high and low effect on the rug. During this process, the artisan keeps the scissors bent and moves it around the design to provide a three-dimensional look.