Silk Rugs from Kashmir

At the Cottage Industries Exposition center in New Delhi, we viewed rugs woven from silk. These were made in Kashmir, which is believed to be one of the most beautiful regions of India. The weaving process is passed down through the family from generation to generation.

The warp is threaded vertically, and then, the weaver hand knots the design in place. Many o the carpets we looked at had up to 600 knots per square inch. As part of the presentation of their work, members of the staff showed us how a carpet’s coloring would change, according to the angle one views it from. They also demonstrated how they would not catch fire, and how the ends could not be pulled out. Each carpet design had a history, with regards to its origin, the region it was from and the motifs and colors used in weaving.

Below you can see the loom, yarn, turning a rug to show its various colors (and that is known as a Magic Carpet)...and folding a carpet.