Warp.—Always wool. Usually white in the antiques and coarse grayish brown in the moderns.
Woof.—Always wool.
Weave.—Woven in the same primitive fashion as of old. The only pileless Oriental rug besides the Ghileems. The different colored woof threads are twisted over and under the warp threads by means of a needle in such a way that each stitch is made diagonally, taking in two of the warp threads and leaving every alternate row of stitches to face in the opposite direction after the herring-bone pattern. On the under side the shaggy ends of the colored woof threads are left loose. They never have any lustre.
Sides.—Usually overcast in dark wool, sometimes selvaged.
Ends.—A long fringe at both ends formed by the loose warp ends. Usually white in the antiques and grayish brown in the moderns.
Border.—From two to five border stripes, usually four, the main one carrying a zigzag design. The Georgian border design is common, as is also the Chinese fret.
Prevailing Colors.—Light and dark blue, green, yellow, red, orange, black, and white. The field is most frequently of dark blue or red.
Dyes.—Good in antiques and poor in moderns.
