Friday was a good theme day for area rugs being dropped off for cleaning. When I say a good day I mean it wasn't pet accident day or wet area rug day, although we did get 9 wet rugs for cleaning on Thursday. Friday was Tibetan/Nepalese area rug day. Luv-A-Rug got three Tibetan and 2 Nepalese area rugs. There isn't much difference between the two types of rugs since they are both made by Tibetan weavers using the same traditional methods that have always been used. The only thing that has changed from ancient times to today is the looms are larger.
The wool used to make Tibetan/Nepales area rugs is either Himalayan or New Zealand or a mixture of both and is hand carded and hand spun to give it a soft lustrous feel. The Tibetan/Nepalese area rugs are woven using the traditional method of using an 'axis rod', which is a warp divider (the warps are the foundation yards running the length of the rug) and a 'gauge rod', which is a special needle. I couldn't find pictures of either of these, sorry and I have not seen either of these tools. The use of the axis rod and gauge rod to weave Tibetan/Nepalese area rugs makes them very unique because no other rug weavers use them. The knots per square inch varies from 30-150 with 50-70 being the most popular.
Tibetan/Nepalese area rugs are very popular today because you can custom design your very own area rug. To custom design your Tibetan/Nepalese area rug in Victoria, BC, Canada you need only to visit The Keystone Rug Company on Douglas St, Victoria, BC, Canada. It is a great option if you are needing an area rug in a colour that isn't in fashion right now or in a size that cannot be found.
Back to the area rugs we received for cleaning.
This is an awesome Tibetan area rug. I enjoy the dragon design and the colours used in the area rug. An interesting fact to know about dragon designs, look at the feet of the dragon there should only be four claws because five claws were only done on area rugs for royalty. I am not sure if that is still true today, but still a neat fact.I love the two tones they used in the head and claws, I don't see that very often. The fringes are a twisted loop which are different from a Nepalese area rug where the fringes are straight. Another great detail of this ara rug is the use of teal in the dragon's mane. My picture doesn't do the area rug justice, the colours are very vibrant without being garish.
This is one of the Nepalese area rugs, client owns two, they are the same in colour and design. As soon as I saw the area rugs I knew we had cleaned them before, it was last year. I enjoy the more muted earth tones found in Nepalese area rugs.This last picture is the back of each rug to show the weaving difference. The Nepalese area rug has a more uniform back. There could be a difference in texture of the knots because of the two rugs that I choose to photograph or they could have
been from different villages. I can only give an opinion on what I know, can learn and can see, if I am incorrect in any way please let me know.Thanks for reading RugloverMary.
