All about Rugs "White Knott" Beautiful hand knotted rugs have a characteristic known as "white knots". These off white or white spots may appear at random on the rugs surface. These spots are part of the rugs foundation yarns that have over time worked there way to the surface of the rug. They are often more noticeable after a clean due to the removal of soil that may have been hiding them within the face yarns. The "white knots" are formed when the foundation yarns are spliced together or the foundation yarns break during weaving and the two ends are knotted together. Some clients are not perturbed by the "White Knott" and see it as part of the natural beauty of the rug. However, many clients have requested that we add a little colour to the "White Knott" so that they become less noticeable or disappear. Abrash Variations in colour Authentic Oriental rugs will always vary due to the fact that they are hand made and not machine made. This fact leads them to being unique in characteristics and sets them apart from inferior reproductions. As these rugs are hand made they will always have variations in their surface colouration, density of knots and irregularities in shape along the borders and fringes. The beautiful colour variation found particularly in the older "nomadic" rugs is known as "abrash". This is one of the most common and typical characteristics of a real oriental rug as it creates differing colour patterns and also various shades of colour within one colour. Abrash colouration can vary from very subtle differences to very bold and distinct colour variations. The abrash is caused by the fact that small quantities of skeins of pile yarn are dyed by hand and consequently when the next lot is dyed there is an inevitable slight colour variation. Often the abrash colour variation is obscured or covered over by soiling and so is not apparent until the rug has been cleaned. These colour variations are not defects but characteristics of the many variables and dye lot differences that went into making the original hand made rug. Flatwoven Rugs These include the likes of Aubusson, Berber, dhurrie, drugget, killim (kilim or kelim), Navajo, rag rug, soumak and Zapotec. As the name suggests they have a flat surface without a distinctive raised pile and are usually hand woven in a tapestry like construction. These rugs are very popular as they provide good value and a pleasing appearance. However, they can exhibit some problems when cleaned. The warp in most of these rugs are generally cotton (although they can be wool or even on occasion silk) and are hand-wound onto the loom before weaving. Even with the best weavers irregularities in warp and weft positioning, tension and weave structure appear. The yarn twist and diameter may also vary. These irregularities may or may not be visible prior to cleaning. However they may be revealed post cleaning in the form of curling, rippling, striping or buckling in the rug. The sides or edges of these rugs are especially prone to curling. Another problem that can be unearthed by cleaning is colour bleed. Often the weaver will have pattern markings which are placed on the warp to aid in the weaving. Once the rug is completed these markings are completely hidden. The markings are made using coloured chalk or ink, and generally these are not colour fast. Since these are not visible the cleaner has no way of predicting the presence of these markings and consequently can result in colour bleed. The fringes on many of these rugs are a continuation of the warp yarns, which are part of the rugs weave structure. With age and dirt all fringes fray and darken, but with specialist chemical treatment these can lighten. Some clients prefer to leave the fringes "natural" looking. Unfortunately flatwoven rugs readily show soil, dirt, dust, spills and stains so should be vacuumed regularly and cleaned more frequently than other rugs. Rug Shrinkage There are few soft floor coverings which are guaranteed against shrinkage, therefore when we clean your rugs we take every step possible to minimise this inherent characteristic. During the weaving processes the yarns are kept at a constant tension on the loom. Together with the variation of foundation yarns, knots and density of the face pile used the rug is kept under constant tension throughout the weaving process. The rug will remain in this stretched state until moisture causes them to relax, often referred to as relaxation shrinkage. Shrinkage can also take place in the home due to the rug's backing yarns absorbing moisture from humid air. More often shrinkage occurs during the cleaning process, when the foundation yarns become wet they tend to swell and this forces the weave threads to contract forcing the rug to shrink. Most shrinkage occurs during the first clean. Rug Fringes During the day to day use of your rugs the fringes take a fair amount of abuse that in turn causes some deterioration. In most instances the fringes are cotton with a very low twist and an open end, under normal usage; being walked on and vacuumed the fringes are susceptible to untwisting and texture loss. If there is a spillage or the fringe becomes damp the cotton may develop cellulosic browning, a natural brown discolouration that occurs in cotton fibres or a colour run from the face fibres of the rug. There are two ways to clean rug fringes the first is by hand using mild detergents and drying the fringe as quickly as possible. The second is by using bleaches. We prefer to use the first milder method as it does not cause as much physical deterioration on the fringe as the bleaching process. Ripples Rugs are made under tension. Tension is used so that the loom is able to function correctly. If two areas of a rug are held under differing amounts of tension then rippling may occur. If there was a spillage on a rug and the foundation yarns became wet they may swell causing the face yarns to contract in turn causing an isolated case of shrinkage, this may cause the rug to ripple. In some cases this may be reversed by wetting the backing of the rug, stretching it and tacking the rug in position. Silk Rug Silk fibres can be dyed to produce bright shades and very beautiful designs making it a very desirable fibre. However it is also an expensive fibre and so used in the manufacture of expensive rugs. The cleaning of silk rugs is very specialized as they are prone to colour bleed and the formation of water spots. Being a very delicate fibre it is susceptible to abrasion, sunlight damage, discolouration and can show texture changes.