| DYING PROCESS The dying process takes place after all
the necessary wool to complete the rug has been sheared and gathered. Many rugs are made from wool that was
spun by hand which is traditionally of higher quality and coarser texture. Huge pots are
brought to boil, colors are added and the wool submerged into the solution. The longer the
submersion the stronger the colors will be. New rugs are dyed with chrome and aniline
dyes, while older rugs were naturally dyed. Dying wool is an art and many villages will
have one person who specializes in dying. Natural dyes are derived from roots, plants,
fruits and insects. In some areas, divers will collect certain sea shells which are then
crushed and boiled to obtain light purple. Red is derived from the madar plant, blue from
the indigo plant, yellow from various flower petals and/or saffron plants. The above
colors are mixed to obtain green. It is interesting to note the definitions of major
colors used by the weavers as the rug comes to life on the loom. Red means joy, wealth and
happiness; green, heaven; blue, nobility and grandeur; yellow, to keep evil away; and
black, purification from worries.
KNOTS, KNOTS AND MORE KNOTS
With all the wool dyed, dried and dorted, the loom and warp lines in place, the actual
weaving begins. First the weaver runs the weft yarn in and out each warp line to the width
of the rug, back and forth, to create a solid woven area (the Kilim end). Then the weaver,
using a diagram, starts tying different colors of yarn around each warp line, repeating
this process to the width of the loom. After each row of knots has been tied, another weft
line is added and the row is packed down with a comb. The harder it is packed the tighter
the weave. This process continues for months, even years of labor, depending how close the
warp lines are, and whether silk, wool or cotton is used as warp. Ultimately, the more
knots per square inch the denser the rug, the finer the clarity of design, and the greater
the longevity of the rug. An expert weaver can tie up to 10,000 knots per day!
Once the weaving is completed, the rug is taken off the loom and sheared by hand to the
desired pile height. In most cases the rug will be washed in the river to remove excess
dyes and then left to dry by sunlight.
 There are two major types of knots; the
Senneh (Persian) which is used in Central Asia, the Far East, India, Pakistan
Turkemenistan and China, and the Ghiords knot (Turkish) which is used mostly in Near East
Turkey and the Caucasus region.
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