Jaipur 120-knotted (Tibetan knot) silk carpet ~ AIPS-1003 Taisar

This classic medallion rug was designed by Jocelyn Burton, an award-winning silversmith, internationally recognized as a world-class precious metal artist, and one of the few women to be awarded the title of Freeman of London. Her powerful combination of bold creativity and technical perfection has made her work an enduring legacy.

Tassar is a meticulously handcrafted masterpiece of intricate character. Originally inspired by the inlaid stone tabletop, the rug’s other decorative elements are ornate wreath patterns, arranged with totems containing botanical elements.

The fluff is 100% silk (SILK), and the warp and weft are cotton yarn.

Tibetan knot, as the name suggests, is a weaving technique that originated in Tibet. The yarn is wound around two warps and a pole. After the pole is covered with loops, it is cut to form a pile and the pole is removed, and the above action is repeated until it is completed. It deserves its reputation and is known all over the world. Taisaryin is woven with Tibetan knots, and its density is calculated according to the Tibetan knot tradition of 120 lines per foot.

How many steps are involved in the production of a hand-knotted rug?

The craftsmanship behind hand-knotted rugs blends modern designs and materials with age-old techniques passed down from generation to generation. Beautiful and valuable hand-knotted rugs are made in Jaipur, India, using only the finest craftsmen to weave them. The entire manufacturing process is entirely hand-crafted by the craftsmen, from spinning the yarn to dyeing and finally to the hand-binding and knotting of the rug, the important steps of which are listed below:

• Material Selection ~ The process of making carpets begins with the careful selection of raw materials, that is, obtaining wool from sheep.
• Carding ~ The carding process involves combing or straightening the fibers and removing impurities and tangles so that the spinner can obtain a yarn of consistent thickness.
• Spinning ~ After carding, the wool fibers are twisted to form yarn. Traditionally, this step is done by women using simple tools such as spinning wheels to spin the wool yarn by hand.
• Hand knotting ~ The process is shown in the slideshow of a female weaver, who uses local wood or bamboo as a weaving frame and cotton as the warp, wool, silk and cotton as the weft. The process is then hand knotted, chopped and sheared, and the steps are repeated until the weaving is complete. Depending on the size and complexity of the carpet, the process can take months or even years.

After the weaver has finished, there are still 18 important processes to be processed as shown in the figure below. Only the important steps are listed below:

• Repairing ~ For discrepancies in knot counts, and if certain areas of the rug have knot counts below the minimum, a skilled rug doctor will step in. They will surgically repair the rug using a large needle and thread. This is a painstaking and lengthy process, with every quality check being done to ensure that no mistakes will need repairing. After the repair, there is no sign of it on the rug, which speaks to the craftsman's skill.

• Knot beating ~ Due to the imprecise hand knotting process, variations in yarn width and differences in each knot often distort the design on the rug. This warp is caused by the knotted threads not being straight when it comes off the loom. The craftsmen at the finishing center measure the warped sections and then use large nails and hammers to beat knots along the warp and weft to align the pattern. This process is quite time-consuming and noisy, and requires the precision of the craftsman to ensure the pattern is perfectly displayed.

• First shear ~ This is the first stage of shearing of the carpet. Its sole purpose is to ensure that the pile reaches the same height throughout the carpet. Since the yarn is cut by hand during the weaving process, there are slight differences in the size of the pile, which are smoothed out by a shearing machine with a gyroscopic motion and operated by the craftsman on the carpet.

• Design correction ~ Due to the long pile height and due to the weaving process, the yarns blend with neighboring yarns, which blurs its design. The craftsmen go through the rugs one by one with a large halberd, untangling the yarns and giving the design the intended definition.

• Stretching ~ After washing, the yarn and the underlying cotton warp and weft shrink. This helps to make the carpet more compact, but also causes the original design size to change. In order to achieve the preset size, the carpet must be stretched to the exact size on the iron frame, so that it maintains the exact size while also being compact and symmetrical.

• First shear ~ The final stage of shearing, when the desired pile height is set on the shearing machine before the craftsman cuts the carpet. The measured pile height is how the carpet is classified before sale.

• Detailing ~ This is considered as the second stage of design correction, where the craftsman sharpens the design with the carpet needle. The interlocking yarns are separated knot by knot to sharpen the image and make it more perfect in appearance. The name Kalam Birai means to correct with a pen, which perfectly describes its intricacy.

• Snipping Visible Cotton ~ This step is common in textiles, where the craftsman will go through the entire carpet, remove and cut the excess cotton. While this may be a simple task on cloth, on carpets, the craftsman must comb through the pile, looking for the tiniest flaws to ultimately make the carpet perfect.

• Cutting three-dimensional high and low wool effect (High low) ~ This is the last step of the finishing process. The craftsman uses scissors to carve and emboss the pattern on the wool to make the pattern more three-dimensional. In this way, the carpet will have a high and low relief effect.

The origin of Jaipur handmade carpets

JAIPUR® was founded in 1970 by Mr. NK Chaudhary, who initially set up only two handlooms in his home. The founder firmly grasped a key technology, which was to build and serve a team of weavers belonging to the village and break the old rules of the game. This innovative model of selfless cooperation with community weavers and artisans with love and care has enabled Jaipur Handmade Carpets to continue to grow and thrive over the past few decades and now become a global carpet company.

Why are hand-knotted carpets more valuable than other carpet making techniques?

• The product design and production process are much more complex than other processes. Depending on the size of the carpet, the average weaving time is 10-12 months.
• The service life is superior to other production methods, with an average service life of more than 30 years! Hand-knotted rugs are known for their durability and long life. They can be passed down from generation to generation and often become precious heirlooms. Although they are more expensive, their quality, craftsmanship and timeless appeal make them a reasonable investment.
• Hand-knotted rugs are a great choice for high-traffic areas, such as hallways or living rooms. Their dense knotting and sturdy construction allow them to withstand the rigors of daily use with exceptional durability and minimal shedding.