Cotton.—The majority of the finer Persian rugs have cotton warp and woof. It makes a much lighter, better and more compact foundation on which to tie the pile, and a rug with such a foundation will hold its shape much better. Seldom is cotton used for the pile excepting once in a great while a Bokhara may be found with small portions of the white worked in cotton.
Silk.—In the regions bordering on the Caspian Sea and in some parts of China where silk is plentiful it is used to quite an extent in the making of rugs, not only for the nap but frequently for the warp and woof as well. It makes a beautiful fabric, but of course will not wear like wool.
Hemp.—Hemp is seldom used in rug making for the reason that it rots quickly after being wet and the entire fabric is soon gone.
Preparation of the Wool.—After being sorted, the wool is taken to a brook and washed thoroughly at intervals in the cold running water for several times until all foreign matters are removed, leaving the animal fat which gives it the soft, silky appearance. The results of washing depend to a certain extent upon the quality of the water used in the process, soft water giving much better results than does the hard.
After a thorough bleaching in the sun's rays it is placed in a stone vessel, covered with a mixture of flour and starch, then pounded with wooden mallets, after which it is again washed in running water for several hours and again dried in the sun. Under this process it shrinks in weight from forty to fifty per cent., and after being spun the yarn is sold everywhere for the same price as twice the amount of the raw material.
It is spun in three different ways. That which is intended for the warp is spun tightly and of medium thickness, that for the woof rather fine, and that for the pile heavy and loose.
There are so many different natural shades of wool that much of it can be utilized in its natural color. The dyeing is always done in the yarn, never in the loose fibres, and will be explained in the chapter under Dyes.
SPINNING THE WOOL
COURTESY OF PUSHMAN BROS., CHICAGO.