Hand Knotted

In this rug weaving method, weavers knot the pile yarns around the warp fibers that run length ways down the rug. The more knots per square inch, the more valuable the rug.

Hand Tufted

A rug making process where weavers insert yarn into the rug backing with a hand held tufting gun to push and pull the threads through a pre-woven grid foundation. The pattern is stenciled onto the primary backing material and once the tufting is complete, an additional backing is attached to protect the stitches. In a tufted rug, the tops of the loops are sheared to expose the ends of the threads for a softer, plusher pile.

Flat Weave

With this technique of weaving, no knots are used in the weaving process, and the rug surface appears flat. The warp strands are used as the foundation and the weft strands are used as both part of the foundation and in creating the patterns. Some examples of flat weave rugs are kilims and soumaks.

Tapestry

A form of textile art woven by hand on a vertical loom. Most weavers use a linen or cotton warp thread and the weft threads may include cotton, wool or silk. In this method of weft-faced weaving, all of the warp threads are hidden to create a beautiful image.