Carpet
A carpet or rug is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing underneath. In Europe, the pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century, synthetic fibres such as polypropylene, nylon, and polyester have often been used as cheaper alternatives. The pile usually consists of twisted tufts that are typically heat-treated to maintain their structure. The terms carpet and rug can be interchangeable, though they have different definitions; rugs are generally loose-laid and of a smaller size, though since the 19th century, there have been trends to produce wall-to-wall carpets for rooms that are fixed in place.
Widely-recognised carpet and rug traditions include persian carpet, Oriental rug and Anatolian rug.
Carpet flooring provides cushioning for sitting and kneeling and better insulates sound and heat than tile or stone flooring. Carpet is versatile and is often decorated with patterns and motifs. Due to technological developments, inexpensive, mass-produced synthetic carpets are now made as well as more costly hand-knotted wool rugs.
Carpets can be produced through various methods, including weaving, needle felting, hand-knotting, tufting, flat weaving, hooking, or embroidering. Carpet is commonly made in widths of in the US and in Europe. To create wall-to-wall carpeting, different widths of carpet are seamed or sewn together and fastened to the floor over a cushioned underlay using nails, tack strips, adhesives, or occasionally decorative metal stair rods.
Etymology and usage
The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the term carpet was first used in English in the late 13th century, with the meaning 'coarse cloth', and by the mid-14th century, "tablecloth, or bedspread". The word comes from Old French carpite 'heavy decorated cloth, carpet', from Medieval Latin or Old Italian carpita 'thick woolen cloth', which may derive from Latin carpere 'to card, pluck'. The Latin word "carpet" was introduced in the 13th century by the Florentines from the Middle Armenian word կարպետ. The meaning of the term carpet shifted in the 15th century to refer to floor coverings.The terms carpet and rug are often interchangeable, though carpet more often refers to wall-to-wall carpet that is fastened to the floor and cut to fit a specific room, or smaller than an entire room but of high quality with finished ends, while rugs or mats are usually loose-laid and free-floating floor coverings smaller than an entire room and maybe be of lower quality and smaller size. Historically, the term carpet was also applied to table and wall coverings, as carpets were not commonly used on the floor in European interiors until the 15th century.
The term rug was first used in English in the 1550s, with the meaning 'coarse fabric'. The term is of Scandinavian origin, comparable to Norwegian rugga 'coarse coverlet', from Old Norse rogg 'shaggy tuft', from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-. The meaning of rug "evolved to 'coverlet, wrap', then 'mat for the floor' ".
Techniques
Woven
A woven carpet is produced on a loom quite similar to woven fabric. The pile can be plush or Berber. Plush carpet is a cut pile and Berber carpet is a loop pile. There are new styles of carpet combining the two styles called cut and loop carpeting. Normally, many coloured yarns are used, and this process is capable of producing intricate patterns from predetermined designs. These carpets are usually the most expensive due to the relatively slow speed of the manufacturing process. Countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan as well as the Middle East in general are well known for their woven carpets.Flatweave
A flatweave carpet is created by interlocking warp and weft threads. Types of oriental flat woven carpets include kilim, soumak, plain weave, and tapestry weave. Types of European flat woven carpets include Venetian, Dutch, damask, list, haircloth, and ingrain.Knotted
On a knotted pile carpet, the structural weft threads alternate with a supplementary weft that rises at right angles to the surface of the weave. This supplementary weft is attached to the warp by one of three knot types to form the pile or nap of the carpet. The shag carpet, which was popular in the 1970s, is an example of knotted pile carpet. Knotting by hand is most prevalent in oriental rugs and carpets. Kashmir carpets are also hand-knotted. Pile carpets, like flat carpets, can be woven on a loom. Both vertical and horizontal looms have been used in the production of European and oriental carpets. The warp threads are set up on the frame of the loom before weaving begins. A number of weavers may work together on the same carpet. A row of knots is completed and cut. The knots are secured with rows of weft.File:Toranj - special circular design of Iranian carpets.JPG|thumbnail|A toranj medallion, a common design in Persian carpets
There are several styles of knotting, but the two main types of knot are the symmetrical and asymmetrical. Contemporary centres of knotted carpet production are: Lahore and Peshawar, Kashmir, Mirzapur and Bhadohi, Tabriz, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Northern Africa, Nepal, Spain, Turkmenistan, and Tibet. The importance of carpets in the culture of Turkmenistan is such that the national flag features a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls. Kashmir and bhadohi are known for hand knotted carpets of silk or wool.