Process of Making a Kashmiri Carpet

Kashmiri carpets have a long history around the world. If you look at the resources online, you will find out that they’ve been a part of various cultures. The word “Kashmiri” means the native or inhabitant of Kashmir.

This handmade category of carpets is one of the most reputed ones in the carpet industry. Various factors contribute to this. Kashmiri Carpets are known to have the great finesse of artwork and distinctive designs and quality above all.

Not only that but they are rich in art detailing and motifs as well. Kashmiri carpets have an essence of their own and the designs mixed with a bit of storytelling of the carpet weavers that are involved in the making of these carpets.

How are Kashmiri carpets crafted?

Kashmiri carpets are the hand-knotted categories of carpets and are handwoven by tying knots. These carpets are made in a “karkhana” or “carpet factory” where the skilled weavers work together to craft the wonders of art.

The Kashmiri carpets weaved by our master craftsmen and women are unique and a rare find. No two carpets are alike. Our carpets adorn some of the best bespoke homes in India and globally. Our carpets are placed in the living room, bedroom, foyer as well as under the coffee tables.

Some of the finest raw materials are used in crafting the carpets: pure natural Mulberry silk, 100% Merino wool and a perfect blend of wool-silk; to deliver masterpieces to our clients; who cherish the carpets for decades, if not more.

Making of carpets in Kashmir, there is a three-step process involved : Designing- Dyeing-Weaving.

1. Designing a carpet

The first and foremost step involves the designing of a carpet. Design and motifs are finalized and then comes the selection of a colour. After the colour selection comes the final layout of a carpet. The carpet weavers follow a written code known as Talim later to design a carpet.

2. Dyeing

After the finalisation of the design and colour, the yarn is sent out for dyeing. Later, this dyed yarn is left to dry in the sunlight. We exclusively use Azo-free, chrome and eco-friendly dyes for all our products.

3. Weaving

The process of weaving takes place in the following steps:

The dried ball of yarn passes to the carpet weavers which the weaver sets upon his loom. The weaver then prepares a strong foundation of warp and weft. Warp runs vertically to the loom whereas weft runs horizontally. It begins at the bottom of the loom bypassing several wefts through the warps.

Knots of the dyed material is tied in rows around consecutive sets of adjacent warps. More rows are tied to the foundation, hence become the pile of the carpet. Also, between each row of knots, one more section of weft is passed down to keep the knots stable and fixed in place. Wefts are then beaten by a comb-like instrument. The comb beater is used to beat the weft to secure the newly woven row in a carpet.

After completion, the warp ends form the fringes that are then weft-faced or are secured in other ways.

Important note about Kashmiri carpets:

As you know Kashmiri carpets are handwoven carpets and involve the process of tying knots. Different types of knots are used in this process of carpet making. The most commonly used ones are asymmetrical and symmetrical. Later is also one of the most used ones.

“Remember, the value or cost of carpet is directly proportional to the number of knots tied“

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LAST UPDATED: 03-05-2024, By SHAFIA