Handtufted

The expedited version of the hand-knotted rug, these are hardier, best used in high traffic areas. Made mostly from wool they are great for any areas on an interior prone to stains. This technique utilizes a tufting gun that quickens the process of constructing the rug and keeps the price of the rug much lower than a knotted rug of equal size. The hand-tufted rug looks and feels very much like a hand-knotted rug but Instead of tying each knot by hand, the tufted rug is made with a tufting gun from the back of the rug. (Rug hooking is similar but done from the front and the tops of the loops are not sheared.) First, the rugmakers hang and stretch taught a foundation cloth on a frame. Through the little squares in the cloth’s weave, they then shoot yarn loops from the back to the front using the tufting gun. Once they finish the whole front surface in this way, they shave down the loops to create an even surface. Skilled artisans may also cut the yarns with specialized angled scissors to achieve varying heights of the pile on the rug’s surface. This further complements the designs that they pattern across them.