Glossary of Rug Terms #9

Every month or so, we will post a few interesting rug-related terms and their definitions in this glossary for your knowledge and enjoyment. Always educate yourself on a topic before you make a purchase, especially with something like Persian Rugs!

This month we will be focusing on rug terms starting with the letter ‘W’.

Wall-to-Wall capreting- any broadloom carpet fixed to the floor and entirely covering the surface.

Walnut- walnut husks are sometimes used for black or brown dyes.

Warp- Warps are the initial structural components of loom-woven fabrics. Parallel warp yarns run the length of the loom. Wefts are woven through the warps and pile knots are tied to the warps.

Warp beam- The beam on which warp is wound or attached opposite the breast beam. On a vertical loom, the highest beam. On a horizontal loom, the beam farthest from the weaver’s first weft.

War rugs- Pile rugs of Afghanistan woven since the Soviet Russian occupation with images of modern weaponry. These rugs are thought to have been woven as souvenirs for the occupying forces. The subjects of these rugs include tanks, helicopter, fighter planes, hand-held weapons, grenades, rocket-launchers and so on. These images are mixed, to a varying extent, with traditional motifs and designs.

Washing to bleach- rugs may be washed in chemical solutions to soften (bleach) colors and to increase the luster of fibers.

Weft- wefts are yarns woven through warps. Wefts are horizontal or crosswise yarns when the fabric is viewed on the loom. In pile rugs, there may be one or more wefts between each row of knots. Wefts help to lock knots in place. Wefts and warps make up the foundation. Wefts may be either structural or supplementary.

Glossary Source: The Oriental Rug Lexicon (Paperback) By (author) Peter F. Stone