Traditional rugs are handmade using natural materials like wool and cotton, which must be prepared beforehand so that they can be used in weaving. This process is often sacred or jealously guarded by members of the tribal society who hold knowledge of it. Dyeing, for instance, is usually the preserve of men. There are five main stages to preparing natural fibres:
Firstly, the material must be gathered. Cotton is picked, or wool is sheared from animals. Shearing generally takes place no more than twice a year, and the fleece must be washed to remove dirt. Wool can be taken from sheep, alpaca or other animals depending on the region and conditions.
The natural state of the fibres will be a clump; carding is therefore the second stage of preparation. It involves drawing the material through a series of pins or serrated card (or even fingers) to tease out all the tangles. By repeatedly drawing the fibres, they can be turned into long, straight threads. These threads are needed for the third stage; spinning.
Spinning can be performed by hand or by machine; it spins the carded fibres into strands of thread that can be used on their own for sewing. For rug-making purposes, the threads are twisted together to form a thicker yarn. Yarn can be made up of just a few strands or many, and the 'ply' is a measurement of this. For example, a yarn containing 2 strands is known is '2-ply'. The higher the number of strands, the stronger and thicker the yarn will be.
The fourth stage of preparation is dyeing the yarn, and this is a more complex process. The yarn may be prepared with a solution that helps to bond the dye; this solution can contain alum, chrome and even urine. Then the yarn is placed in a dye bath, and left to dry out afterwards. A final wash is performed to remove excess dye. This can also recreate a patina of age by toning down the colours, depending on the chemicals used.
There are hundreds of ways of producing natural dyes; they can be derived from animals, vegetables or minerals. Some dyes are easy to source and some are not; purple for example usually requires a mix of more than one dye. Some natural dyes will change colour over time; only synthetic dyes have allowed us to have the full range of permanent shades that we do today. Natural dyes also fade over time, which is why faded colours are always associated with age. The chemicals used in washing can reproduce this look however, as can the method of storing a rug. For example, a rug left in direct sunlight will be far more faded than one of the same age that lies in a shady corner.
The colours used may be chosen because of the pattern, or they may be chosen because of what they represent. Red for example is used for wealth, and yellow is sacred to Buddhists.
Once the natural fibres are prepared in this way, they are ready to be used in weaving.
Source: www.articlealley.com
