Age: handmade area rugs fit into one of three age categories, which include antique, semi-antique, and contemporary. Antique rugs are at least six decades old, semi-antique are between 25 and 60 years old, and contemporary rugs were made in the last 25 years.
Brocading: a type of area rug weaving that creates a flat surface where the base of the rug is patterned with colored strands of weft.
Fringe: both decorative and functional, the fringe refers the warps that extend from the main body of the rug. They prevent the area rug's weave from unraveling.
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Knot: a technique of typing threads to create a rug. The most used technique in creating handmade area rugs. Nap: the pile in an area rug faces one direction, referred to as the nap. Pile: the fiber used in weaving area rugs. Pile weave is the most commonly used fiber and technique in making area rugs. |
Warp: vertical strands of fiber that span the area rug from the top to the bottom. Knots are tied to them to hold in place.
Weave: in handmade area rugs, this is the technique creators use to make the rug. Weavers generally use cotton, silk, or, most commonly, wool to create an area rug.
Weft: these horizontal strands of fiber are woven through the warp fiber to keep the knots of the area rug in place.
