Rug Vocabulary

There are very many different components that make up a beautiful rug. We- Rug experts- like to call it Rug Vocabulary. Here is a little vocabulary list to brush up on your rug geometry.

Warps: The parallel strings stretched from loom beam to loom beam on top of rows of knowts are tied. Weavers most commonly use cotton for warp material because it is easier to weave than warps that are made our of wool.

Wefts: Run across the width of the rug, over and under the warp strings and between rows of knots. Wefts are most commonly made out of cotton, wool, or silk. Wefts help hold the rows or knots in place and help to strengthen the structure of the rug.

Knots: Tied by looping yarn around pairs of warps and cutting off the standing end is how a knot is formed. The ends of the knot become the pile or the nap of the rug.

Foundation: The combination of warps and wefts in the body a rug, into which a pile is woven.

Edge Bindings: Made by wrapping several warps at the edge of the rug with yarn to reinforce this part of the rug.

End Finishes: Hold knots and wefts from working off the rug's wrap strings. Many rug types have a flat woven kilim selvedge at both ends.

Finges: Formed by gathering and knotting together bundles of warp strings at both ends of the rug after the rug has been cut from the loon. The knots in these bundles of warp strings keep pile knots and end finishes tight at the rug's ends.

Field: The part of the rug's design surrounded by the border. The field may be solid or contain medallions or an overall pattern.

Medallion: If a design has a large enclosed portion, usually in the center of the rug, that is called the medallion. Some medallion shapes consist of: tear drops, diamonds, octagons, or hexagon designs.

All Over Design: If a rug does not have a medallion, it will be known as an All Over Design Rug. The pattern repeats itself and fully covers the field of the rug.

Borders: Borders are most commonly known as the most exquisite detail work on the rug. The border is not the small band against the side of the rug, it is the design element along all four sides.

Spandrels: Ornamented space in the corners.

Design: If a rug comes from India it is referred to as an Indo-Persian design, and when a rug is from China it is referred to as Sino-Persian design, and rugs from Pakistan are known as Pak-Persian designs.

That is all for now on your Rug Vocabulary. I hope you learned about the different Parts of a Rug. Good luck identifying every part when you purchase your next rug.