Carpets

Kashmir " the heaven on earth " produces some of the finest carpets in the world especially the hand knotted type with oriental exotic motifs apart from persia. Khan carpet has not only revived the traditional crafts but imbibed professional tinge through traditional artisans and professional designers. The quality of a carpet is primarily determined by the quality of silk which depends on the climate and altitude where the mulberry trees are grown (the tender leaves of which are fed to the silk worms who produce cocoons from where one gets twenty eight silk fiber to make a single thread) and water used for processing and dying the yarn.
The wool quality again depends on the climate and altitude from where the wool comes from the neck and the shoulder of the spring clipper which gives suppleness, softness and lusture to the carpet. The kashmiri weaver ties his knots with great dexterity on upright wooden looms (which gives a nap to the pile of the carpet). The warp is mounted on the upper beam so that necessity of high ceiling is not required. The size of the loom varies according to the dimensions of the carpet. The basic fabric of the carpet is woven by tying rows of knots between adjacent warp threads. Warp weaves vertically and when knotted forms the intricate design on the carpet. The warp is usually cotton, except for a few carpets that have woollen of silken warp. We use 80% silk and 20% cotton in our carpets. The fitness of the carpet is judged by the numbers of knots per square inch area, the design, the colours , the quality of the yarn, the firmness, the thickness and the sharp appearance of the back of the carpets are important considerations.