The very first rugs were woven in Asia over four centuries ago. Carpet weaving is still practiced today. In earlier centuries, mostly all weavings reflected the culture and daily activities of the people weaving the rugs. Native American rugs usually depicted the hunting on wild animals, teepees, nature, and Native American symbols. The Chinese generally wove a round rug that consisted of a medallion type design, using many golds, browns, and muted colors.
Carpets are woven out of many rows of yarn. One set of rows runs the length of the mat and is referred to as the warp. The other set runs perpendicular up, over, and through the warp and is called the weft. The weaving starts with a the warp rows being set up on the loom. This is followed by a few pieces of yarn being strung along the weft to create a base. After the base is created, the weft is woven through the warp and each piece of yarn tied at the ends.
Today, there are various different types of rugs to buy from all over the world. Dyes greatly improved in the nineteenth century, when chemical dyes were invented, which do not fade nearly as much as traditional dyes. There are many different shapes to chose from including round, semi-circle, rectangular, octangular, oval, square, and runners. You can choose from machine made, cheap area rugs or luxurious, hand woven, double-knotted silk Persian rugs.
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