|
Synthetic materials are never
used in the pile or foundation
of handmade carpets.
Wool, silk, or a combination
of the two are the traditional
materials used. Dyed
wool is customarily found
in tribal carpets, and depending
on the region, will vary in
quality. Persian carpets,
especially older pieces, have
the absolute finest and softest
wool while in Turkish and
Indian carpets, the wool tends
to be coarser.
Most
Chinese carpets are made of
silk, primarily because China
is the world's leading producer
of both natural and manmade
silk, and also because the
Chinese once believed that
the use of wool was a barbaric
practice.
Today,
the finest carpets are made
of silk, and the most luxurious
Persian carpets may actually
feature highlights containing
threads of pure gold.
The
foundation of a handmade carpet
is made up of strong threads
that run the length (warps)
and the width (wefts) of the
carpet. In Turkish and nomadic
carpets, including those from
Western Iran, tightly spun
undyed wool is used almost
exclusively for the warp and
weft. The foundations of finer
pieces from Persian workshops
today are often cotton, and
only the very finest carpets
in Iran are woven on silk.
The
Fringe
At either end of the carpet,
the warp may form a variety
of fringes. The weaver
decides how they will shape
the fringes, either by braiding,
knotting, or simply twisting
it. The type and length
of fringes is not a standard
characteristic of carpets
of the same area and the fringes
have nothing to do with the
quality of the carpet.
Until the introduction of
chemical dyes in the late
19th century, only natural
color sources such as fruits,
vegetables, bark, roots and
fungi were used. Most
popular were the madder root
used to produce reds, and
the indigo plant for blues.
Chemical dyes are more popular
today but natural dyes are
still common in Persian tribal
carpets. Before wool is dyed,
it is prepared by scouring
in boiling water followed
by steeping in a mordant.
Next, it's placed in a big
pot with the prepared dye
and boiled for a few hours.
It is then rinsed in water
until there is no more running
of color.
Although
natural colors are fast, they
do fade slightly over the
course of time when exposed
to direct sunlight and alkalis.
This fading, however, produces
a muted antique look which
many people desire, and which
cannot be equaled with chemical |
