Construction of Hand-Knotted Rugs – Knots part 2 of 5
In the first blog in this series on Hand Knotted Rug Construction, we reviewed the foundation – the warp and the weft. Today’s topic will cover the key visual element that makes hand-knotted rugs what they are – the knots themselves.
Knot Type
There are several different methods of creating knots, some particular to a region or tribe. Different people have different preferences, we would not say that one particular knot is inherently “better” than another type of knot; it’s really a matter of preference and tradition! The two predominant types of knots are Asymmetrical Knot and Symmetrical Knot.
Asymmetrical Knot
Asymmetrical Knot: Also known as the Persian Knot or Senneh Knot. This knot is used in Iran, India, Turkey, Pakistan Egypt and China. To form this knot, yarn is wrapped around one warp strand and then one end is passed under the neighboring warp strand and brought back to the surface. The asymmetrical knot may open on the left or the right.
Symmetrical Knot
Jufti Knot
Jufti Knot: The Jufti Knot is used in Khorasan, Iran. This knot can be either symmetrical or symmetrical and is distinguished by the doubling of the warp strands.
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Tibetan Knot
Tibetan Knot: The Tibetan knot is used in Tibet, and in the Tibetan weaving centers located in India and Pakistan. This knot is generated by a distinctive rug-weaving technique in which a temporary rod is put in front of the warp. A continuous yarn is looped around two warps and then once around the rod. When a row of loops is finished, then the loops are cut to construct the knots.
Materials
Wool: Wool continues to be the most frequently used knot material in hand knotted rugs. It is hard to beat its luster, softness, durability, and cost effectiveness. One interesting note, one good quality room size rug can use an entire flock of sheep worth of wool!
Silk: Silk has always been a luxurious option for those able to afford it! Silk is both beautiful and strong and can be used alone, or as a highlight for wool. Silk originated in China and travelled the silk road for many centuries for use in rugs in the Middle and Far East. China continues to be the origin of most of the best quality silk available today, although it is now cultivated in many other countries including Iran, Turkey, and India.
Cotton: Cotton is primarily used in the foundation of hand knotted rugs as discussed in the previous article. However some weaving groups such as the Turkomans also use cotton for small white details in their rugs.
Knot Count
A rug can be made from 25 knots per square inch (kpi) to over 1,000 kpi. Anything over a 300 kpi is pretty rare, and is most likely made of silk. Most good quality wool rugs run between 75 and 150 kpi. At 100 kpi, a typical 9’ x 12’ rug contains over 1.5 million knots! This means one skilled weaver – even at a rate of several thousand knots per day – would take 2-3 years to complete his rug – luckily for those waiting for their rug; the larger rugs are generally woven by several weavers at a time, cutting the time to a few months.
I hope you enjoyed this quick summary about knots – there’s plenty more to write about including patterns, designs, and such, but we’ll save that for another day!
See Foundation part 1 of 5
See Dyes part 3 of 5
See Wool part 4 of 5
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