Regions
Hand knotted woolen carpets are made in Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Khamaria, Ghosia, Varanasi and Agra in Uttar Pradesh; Amritsar and Pathankot in Punjab and Jaipur in Rajasthan. Each place has a varying degree of expertise and style.
Patterns and Colors
The Indian woolen carpets are inspired by the classical Persian motifs transformed to the most contemporary style. Bright glowing colors, hand-knotting technique allowing high number of knots per square inch and exquisite design sense have made Indian Hand knotted woolen carpets a cherished products in a home Decor apart from the fact that they spread warmth.
Their design and colour schemes have the artists' own independent logic. The art of weaving carpets has percolated through generations and the Indian craftsmen have been creating the greatest of specimen since the medieval period.
Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Khamaria, Ghosia, Varanasi are influences with the Buddhist and Tibetan motifs Amritsar and Pathankot for geometric mixed with floral and Agra and Jaipur for modified Persian and Turkish Styles.
Technique
The wool used in carpets varies with the quality, design and style and so do the colors. Usually the best grade of Indian wool is used for medium quality carpets. For the best grade woolen carpets, imported and best grade Indian wool are blended. Fine woolen Kashmiri carpets uses worsted yarn. The high grade wool with gradual wear develop a luster. The get the effect immediately, the wool is washed with special chemicals.
The process of hand knotting involves
» Stretch warp threads on a loom and knotting the pile to them.
» Insert a weft thread.
» Shorn the pile
The quality depends upon tightness of the knot and shortness of pile. These two features also contribute to the design quality. Number of knots per square inch indicates the quality of the rug. More the number of knots, better the quality. Best Kashmiri carpets can have upto 400 knots per square inch.
13 years ago
