diyguy
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 147
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 Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:31 am Post subject: Carpets |
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A carpet is any loom-woven, felted textile or synthetic fabric floor covering. Earlier, table and wall coverings were also called carpets, as it was uncommon to use them on the floor in European interiors until the 18th century. The carpet probably traces its roots to Mongolia or Turkestan. The Moors introduced carpet-making in Spain in the 10th century. The Crusades acquainted the whole of Europe with Turkish Carpets, which were primarily hung on walls or laid out on tables. With the opening of trade routes in the 17th century, significant numbers of Persian Rugs were imported into Western Europe.
People tend to use the words "carpet "and "rug "interchangeably. However, some have made a distinction between the carpet and a rug based on their sizes. Technically, carpets are larger than rugs and cover more floor space. There are various types of carpets found around the world. One of them is the flat weave carpet which is created by interlocking threads. The types of oriental flat woven carpets include kilim, soumak, plain weave and tapestry weave.
The other popular type of carpet is a hooked carpet. It is manually woven by pulling strips of cloth such as wool or cotton through the meshes of a sturdy fabric. This type of carpet is a handicraft piece.
Carpets come from all over the world but perhaps the most famous are Persian carpets, which developed a reputation for durability, comfort and unique design patterns. These carpets are still imported majority of them are from third world countries like India, Pakistan and Nepal where the same techniques are used to create them.
Embroidery carpets, unlike woven carpets, are not made on a loom. Their pattern is established by the application of stitches to a cloth base. Embroidered carpets were traditionally made for women of royalty in their palaces. Since then, there has also been some commercial manufacturing of these carpets. The 19th century saw a rise in production of carpets due to the introduction of steel needles; earlier needles were made of bone.
Carpets have now become a fashion accessory and are abundantly used to decorate homes. |
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