CARPETS OF KASHMIR Carpets Of Kashmir APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Origin The origin of carpets can be traced back to the Neolithic age (7000 B.C.). In India this craft was introduces in the 15th century . Sultan Zainul Abadin brought carpet weavers from Persia and Central Asia into Kashmir to train the local inhabitants. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Types Of Carpets Zari carpets : metallic threads in the warp Shab-i-Charag carpet : embedded withpearls reflects the light of a candle in a dark room Khabdan : woven in sizes of 61 cms x 168 cms. The cotton warp is invariably of 6/6 quality count and the woollen yarn 2.5 mm in diameter. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR The Loom The loom used in Kashmir carpet weaving is com-posed of two horizontal wooden beams between which the warp threads are stretched, one beam in front of the weaver and the second behind the first. The difference between a carpet and other hand-loom textiles lies in the fact that short lengths of thread or yarn are tied to warp chains to form the pile of the carpets. These are commonly called 'knots' though it is a loop rather than an actual knot. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Materials Silk Wool Silk is luxurious. Silk is It has a luxurious hand. rich. It is extremely durable. It has high tensile strength. It is naturally stain It can be dyed in brilliant resistant. colors. It has excellent piling They have high artistic quality. value. It requires high They have more maintenance. decorative value. It dyes beautifully. They are preferred for low It resists flame. to medium traffic areas. They require high maintenance. Damp spoils silk carpets APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Synthetic fibers Jute Is one of the finest fibers Nylon is most preferred Has a soft texture. Durable have natural sheen. Can be woven, knitted, Resilient & easy maintain twisted, corded, sewn, or Other fibers: braided. polyester, olefin and acrylic Can be bleached and dyed. Olefin is preferred for Can be piled or flat woven. outdoors: has resistance for Have been introduced late water damage pilling. in the carpet & rug section but have created a niche due Polyester is not durable but to jute's inherent qualities. easy to maintain & provides with textures APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Dyes Till the 1860¶s extracted from vegetable/animal sources. madder root : pink and red Turmeric and saffron crocuses : yellow Pomegranate skin & distilled turmeric: reddish yellow Rhubarb plant: dark red and copper red Kusa (grass): Green & kikar tree leaves: brown APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Dyes Now In 19th century Aniline dyeing not succesful Chrome dyeing process for better reslts APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Process The wrap threads are stretched on the loom vertically. Each pile is knotted manually to the wrap threads following the design. The weft thread is inserted when a row of knots is completed. After knotting the whole carpet, the pile is shorn to the required length. The carpet is finally washed or treated with chemicals as and when requires. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Knotting The knotting of carpet is the most important aspect, determining its durability and value, in addition to its design. the more knots per square inch, the greater its value and durability. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Types of knots Persian Knot - It is an asymmetrical single knot also called Senneh knot or Farsibaff. Here the thread forms only one loop around one of the two warps. So the pile threads vary in protruding between the adjacent warps. Turkish Knot - It is a symmetrical double knot type also called Ghirdes. Here the pile thread forms a loop around two warps. Both ends of the pile thread come out between both warps. Tibetan knot has a different formation. A temporary rod which establishes the length of pile is put in front of the warp. A continuous yarn is looped around two warps and then once around the rod. Once through with the row, the loops are cut to form the knot. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Knot Density Knot density is an indicator of quality. More the number of knots per square inch, better the quality. Kpsi is the density i.e. knots per square inch. 80 or less kpsi denotes poor quality and 120 to 330 is medium to good. 330 or more kpsi denote good to very good quality and more than that are classified as exclusively fine pieces. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Talim Designs are written down on paper in shorthand style :talim There is a class of persons called talim writers who prepare the talim from a design worked out on graph paper The design on the graph paper is divided into squares of 25 compartments The colours are matched with the code. Copies of a talim are made by hand and several carpets of a particular design can be made on different looms at the same time. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Tools A blade to make the initial cut once the thread has been knotted, Wool/ metal comb to push knots and weft tightly together A pair of short scissors to cut the carpet to an even form once it is finished APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR MOTIFS Inspired by Per-sian carpets and Central Asian rugs Flora and fauna Gamla or vase design : sprays of flowers of many forms and colours burst like fire- works Khatirast : a design of narrow \ stripes or bands with flowers ranged alongside is another specialty of Kashmir. the rose, lotus, poppy, myrtle, crocus, narcissus, lily, the Tree of Life and a variety of . birds APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Present scenario The introduction of new designs The establishment of training programmes in rural areas and the encouragement given by official agencies to women to enter the profession have created a fairly widespread population of new carpet weavers wages of a good carpet weaver average Rs.20-25 per day against Rs.2 or thereabouts which was the rate before India became indepen-dent. The price in 1956-57 for a quality 196 (14 x 14) knots per square inch woollen carpet was Rs.15 per square foot, against Rs.2,000 today. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Unhealthy developments Mass production of carpets which lack even the minimum devotion to quality Traders from other parts of the country and others who know nothing about carpets have en-tered the business with just one asset - money. steady growth of production in artificial silk carpets introducing an element of synthetic artificiality in the famed high-value carpet of pure material as well as leaving the field open for dishonest substitution of pure silk by artificial silk. There has been a corresponding rise in competition from China and Pakistan. One drawback, however, is that Kashmir presently lacks sufficient dyeing and washing facilities. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Kashmir's rich tradition of skill, knowledge and designs remain great assets and constitute a firm basis for the future growth in production of finely knotted carpets. APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES CARPETS OF KASHMIR Thank-you APPRECIATION OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL TEXTILES.