The most labour-intensive weaving process, conducted by specially-trained artisans
Working off a rug map, artisans tie individual knots to build up the rug’s design one row at a time
The quality of a hand-knotted rug is determined by the number of knots per square inch (KSPI)
A higher KPSI requires greater skill on the part of the weaver and results in a higher-quality rug

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Knotted	5-12 months	20+ years

How To Identify:

Individual, often uneven knots are visible on the back of these rugs, mirroring the pattern visible on the front.

Individual tufts of yarn are punched into a pre-made backing fabric with a special tufting gun
This tool hooks and pulls yarn through the backing to form loops or piles
This process is less skill and labor-intensive than hand-knotting, so rugs can be completed in a shorter amount of time

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Tufted	4-6 months	3-10 years

How To Identify:

These rugs have a canvas backing glued on to hold the knots in place and usually have a cut or cut and loop pile.

Flat-weave rugs are created on a loom, rather than knotted or tufted
These rugs are often reversible, with designs on both sides
Because they only consist of warp and weft threads they don’t have the thickness of knotted and tufted rugs
Flat-weave rugs are lightweight and often require rug pads to stay in place

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Flat-Weave	3-4 months	20+ years

How To Identify:

With their woven construction, these rugs are flat and don’t have a pile.

Weavers use a loom to create these rugs by hand
The loom holds the warp (vertical) threads in place and allows the interweaving of the weft (horizontal)
Different looms are used to produce different types of rugs: including felted textures, shag, naturals or solid and border rugs

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Loomed	Construction dependent (3-5 months)	3-10 years

How To Identify:

Hand-loomed rugs usually have a low to medium pile (other than shags, which have a deep pile) and can have a canvas backing added to them.

Carpet Design Awards winners 2014, one year on

Cover Magazine

Posted: Jan 15 2015 By Cover Magazine

Afghanmade sponsored two categories at last year’s Carpet Design Awards at DOMOTEX Hannover; that of ‘Best Student Design’ and ‘Best Young Designer’. We caught up with the winners one year on to find out how the award has influenced their careers. Read the full article in COVER 37.

Allistair Covell, Eclipse rug for Rugmaker

Sheefalika Misra, winner of the Student Design Award was exposed to a rich pool of traditional crafts, growing up in India. But the CDA revealed to her the magic possibilities of carpets. ‘It made me understand that the rug industry can be a responsible design choice,’ she says, ‘a powerful medium for creative expression that empowers skilled communities by providing a sustainable livelihood.’

Her ability to transition easily between historic Indian aesthetics and contemporary design is evident in her new collections for Jaipur Rugs. The ‘Painted Heritage’ collection takes direct inspiration from a Mughal miniature painting, The Musical Mode by Gauri, and murals at Morarka Haveli, Rajasthan. The contact with Jaipur came as a direct result of her presence at DOMOTEX.

Sheefalika Misra, Painted Heritage collection for Jaipur, inspired by wall paintings at Morarka Haveli, Rajasthan

Sheefalika Misra, experimental work for a felted rug collection at Jaipur Rugs

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Carpet Design Awards winners 2014, one year on

Cover Magazine

Posted: Jan 15 2015 By Cover Magazine

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