about our carpets

Materials
Our carpets are made from Tibetan wool which has intense durability and will grow more beautiful with time, developing a silk-like sheen with age and use.

Carding
Carding is the process of combing and cleaning the wool, which is the basic raw material used in carpet making. Carding ensures that no fiber is intermingled with another and all foreign particles and dirt are removed. Carding can be done by machine or hand.

Spinning
After carding, the wool is spun -- drawn and twisted into yarns of desired thickness. The Tibetan people are skilled spinners by tradition. We use hand-spun yarns, which have an uneven structure, when a particular artistic look is desirable in the pattern of the rug. Machine-spun yarns are used when appropriate to the design.

Dyeing
We use the type of dye that is most appropriate to your order to achieve the desired color and texture. The complicated process of dyeing wool can utilize natural dyes or synthetics. Natural dyes promote special textures and are less harmful to the environment, but the process is more demanding and colors are less brilliant. Synthetic dyes are easier to use and offer brighter colors than natural dyes. We use azo-free chemical dyes which are almost completely absorbed into the wool, leaving very few residuals in the waste water.

Weaving
Once the yarn has been spun and dyed, the real work of making the carpet begins with weaving. All of our carpets are hand woven in Tibetan tradition using a simple vertical loom. The yarn is woven to create an unusual knot called a Senna loop. These elongated and continuous knots are tied off only when the weaver changes color or reaches the end of a row. Tibetan rugs are woven in three densities, 60, 80 and 100 knots per square inch. The more the knots, denser the weave.

Finishing
When the rug is taken off the loom it is then trimmed to smooth out the surface and remove any irregularities in the height of the pile. This process can take up to a week to ensure the highest quality. Carpets are washed in a mixture that includes cooked and mashed fruit, which helps to fix the color. We do not use harsh chemicals during the washing process that can harm the environment and damage the wool. Rugs are dried in the open air and stretched.