Your rug is often the foundation of your room’s design and may influence everything from wall color to furniture layout. When choosing a rug, we usually consider physical attributes like color, pattern, size, or how it feels beneath our feet on a chilly morning. But a less obvious but equally important consideration: How is your rug made?

A rug’s craftsmanship is key to how it will fit within your lifestyle, room, and budget. Today, we’ll walk you through the story behind a hand-knotted rug, as well as where a hand-knotted rug is best suited in the home.

There are six primary methods to construct a woven floor covering:

• Hand-knotted
• Hand-tufted
• Flatweave
• Hooked
• Braided
• Cut Pile

Each method has different benefits and best uses in the home. Today we’ll focus on hand-knotting—the oldest method of rug craftsmanship.

In fact, the oldest known rug, the Pazyryk Carpet, is a hand-knotted wool rug unearthed in the mid-20th century that dates back to 400 BC—that’s over 2,400 years old! The Pazyryk Carpet tells a story all its own, and its existence is a testament to the quality of handcrafted pieces and the treasure they are for generations to come.

Hand-knotted rugs are individual works of art that take months to complete by a highly skilled hand.

At Corador, we work with artisan rugmakers to share beautiful rugs with a story and longevity. The art of rugmaking is an ancient skill honed through generations. Today, rug craftsmen make up a cottage industry tradition cherished worldwide, and it’s through the artisans’ skilled hands that you can see the long-term value of the piece.

Hand-knotting is the oldest rug-making method, and also one of the most time-intensive. An unparalleled attention to detail is required to create a hand-knotted rug; its heirloom quality is inherent in every strand. Let’s dive into the method of this time-tested technique.

Preparation: To begin, weavers carefully prepare the fibers (typically wool or silk) into yarn. The first step is carding, which involves brushing fibers between two bristled pads called carders. This process aligns the naturally wavy fibers, priming them for the spinning stage.

Once carded, skilled spinners in Katwaris, New Delhi, utilize a spinning wheel to twist the fibers, binding them into yarn. The yarn is then wound into hanks and submerged in dye. Once the desired shades are achieved, the hanks bask in the warm Indian sun to dry. When the yarn is ready, the knotting begins.

Weaving: Artisans meticulously tie individual knots on each warp thread, progressing line by line. They knot on upright looms using a taut foundation yarn. Pro Note: Warp is the yarn stretched over the loom vertically and held under tension, aka the rug's backbone. Weft is the yarn woven horizontally, over and under the warp.

Upon completing a line, the knots are secured in position with a weft thread before proceeding to the next knotting line. Larger projects often involve multiple weavers working together to complete the piece.

Finishing: The finishing process leaves no detail unchecked. After several washings, knots are meticulously counted and sized, and the pile is sheared to precision. The final touch includes thorough cleaning and inspection, ensuring each rug is impeccably prepared for its journey to your home.

To support our artisans and maintain familial bonds, we establish upright looms in villages far and wide, ensuring weavers can work close to home throughout the extensive construction process. Each Corador rug is meticulously crafted by skilled weavers, tying upwards of one million knots in a single rug. Larger projects often involve multiple weavers working together to complete the piece.

Hand-knotted rugs are crafted with upwards of one million meticulously tied knots. The high knot count prevents the rug from unraveling, therefore maintaining its shape, integrity, and quality for generations.

So we know why hand-knotted rugs are renowned for their durability and longevity–but their other superpower is that they're also soft and stain-resistant. Hand-knotted rugs are crafted from wool and silk, two fibers famous for their feel. When thinking about where to place one of these rugs in your home, a hand-knotted rug works great in high-traffic areas, like living rooms and hallways.