The Material and Dyes Used in Weaving Afghan Rugs Offer a Lot to Ponder

Oct. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- The wool taken from sheep is used in the warp and weft besides the pile. In many cases, goat hair is also used for overbidding the sides. Camel hair is used categorically to work on the field areas of these prayer carpets. In case of wool usage, the same gets sorted out by colour and quality, eventually to be combed and spun. It then gets dyed, with the coloured wool becoming integral to the final weaving of the rug.
The dyes used in Afghan Rugs (http://www.rugstoreonline.co.uk/afghan-rug.aspx) are natural and date back to the era of the 1950’s. Some are wild colours, whereas some are synthetic ones. The yarn is pre-soaked in a fixing bath of alum, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, urine and tin. It is then transferred to a dye bath and soaked until the design colour is obtained. Finally, it gets dried out and hung.
The natural dyes used while weaving Afghan Rugs are a coloured lot. Reds are retrieved from madder, rather the roots of the madder plant. Cochineal is taken from the female shield louse. Lac Deep Purple comes from the excretion of a scale insect native to Indian Kermes. The Blues are taken out of the Indigo Plant. Black is often achieved via using a dark blue or a bath of tannic acid, acorn cups, pomegranate skin and oak galls.
Yellow comes from multiple sources such as dyers weeds, saffron, wild chamomile, tanners sumac, buckthorn, pomegranate tree and isperek. Green is a result of walnuts and olive leaves mixed together, and also blending blue and yellow agents.
All these natural extracts besides the original craftsmanship put in by the weavers ensure the rugs woven in the end exude majesty. Afghan Rugs are the most naturally known mattresses across the world. Evidence of this claim lies in the popularity they enjoy across the globe and the high volumes in which they are bought.
All these are judiciously used by artisans and weavers working multiple shifts to stitch and weave these masterpieces. They are woven in different sizes and shapes to ensure all buyers with differing tastes have something to choose from.