Area Rugs & Flooring (08)

Tibetan Rugs
Information about the book named Of Wool and Loom: The Tradition of Tibetan Rugs. This is the first overview of the Tibetan rugmaking tradition to be written in English by native Tibetan authorities on the subject. Introductory material presents a brief history of Tibetan carpet and textile weaving from its earliest origins to the present, including "planted-pile" textiles, drumtse knotted-pile carpets of the Wangden Valley, and warp-backed rugs of the Lhuntse region. It next traces the emergence of Tibet as a commercial centre of carpet weaving, and reveals an insider's account of the arduous process required to learn the craft, from apprentice to master weaver. A final section gives an account of wide range of functions for which Tibetan rugs are employed -- by nomads, by the aristocracy, and by ordinary people, including special ecclesiastical and equestrian uses.

Clean Your Wool Rug with Snow
Did you ever think that you could clean your rug with snow? Apparently so. For those who live in colder climates, unprocessed wool is just the ticket for warm clothing, rugs and blankets. With its high oil content, wool gives good protection. Fortunately, snow can be used to clean rugs. Cleaning is best done at a temperature of 25° F or colder, and on shaded new or powdered snow, according to the Web site.

Hook Rug Designs
On the site of Orana Originals (which specializes in Australian and aboriginal themed needlework designs for cross-stich,longstitch, hook rugs and tapestry), this section provides good-resolution photos for many well designed, colorful hook rugs.

How to Choose an Interior Area Rug
Article details how to choose an interior area rug. Decorative rugs can be very versatile, and add colors in to giving a room character. Tips include making a rug the focal point of the room, working with patterns and upholstery, traffic patterns, choosing rug colors, mixing rug patterns, choosing a ug size and picking out a rug pad. A section on rug fibers includes synthetic fibers such as acrylic rugs, polypropylene, olefin and nylon. Natural rug fibers include wool, cooton, jute and sisal. Two or more fibers make a blended rug. Weaving methods include hand hooked, hand knotted, hand tufted, jacquard and wilton toom. A section on rug lingo includes hand carved, heat set, line count, pile, stitches, needle count, warpa nd wefts, border, field, and medallion.

Navajo Rug Cleaning and Restoration
Antique and modern Navajo rug cleaning and restoration is provided including speciality oxygenating hand washing of Navajo rugs, cold water wash and gentle hand scrubbing to preserve wool texture and color, mordants and dye setting, moth proofing chemical utilization, air drying, rug de-bleeding pet stain removal, and rug restoration. Specialized Navajo rug cleaning chemicals and enzymes get rugs their cleanest.