FIBERS – Elongated natural or synthetic thread-like filaments capable of being spun into yarn.

• Benefits of natural fibers include long life-span and soft, low-luster hues.
• Benefits of synthetic fibers include easy maintenance and vibrant, lustrous tones.

FIELD – Interior of a bordered rug which may feature a print, pattern, medallion, or solid color.

FLAT BRAID – Two parallel cores anchor yarns braided around them.

HARD TWIST-CUT PILE – Twisted yarns, heat set at high temperatures to increase durability and stiffness, thereby minimizing flattening.

HEAT SET – Fiber strengthening process that uses heat to treat twisted yarns in order to increase durability.

HOOKED RUG – Design is created by pushing yarns through a canvas, then pulling them back through to form a pattern.

KNOT – Tie-off of each individual yarn on the underside of a rug. Quality is determined by the number of knots per square inch.

LINE COUNT – Total number of knots in the horizontal row of a linear foot.

LOOM – Device used to keep warp strands tight during the weaving and knotting process. Looms may be mobile or fixed; horizontal or vertical.

MEDALLION – Curvilinear focal point central to the overall rug design.

MOTIFS – Pattern elements consistently repeated throughout a rug design.

NATURAL DYES – Mineral or plant dyes used to color yarn.

PILE HEIGHT – Yarn measurement from face tip to rug backing.

PLY – Number of individual yarns twisted together to compose the whole.

POWER LOOM – Electronically or mechanically operated weaving device.

RUNNER - Long, narrow rug used primarily for hallways and stairways.

SCRIM CLOTH - Heavy, protective fabric secured (with latex glue) to the underside of hooked rugs. See “backing.”

SEMI-WORST – Removal of shorter fibers through a combing process in order to give yarn a more lustrous appearance.

SHEDDING – Loss of loose fibers from new rugs.

TUFTING – Process whereby a pattern is formed using an electric tufting gun to push yarns through a rug foundation.

VARIEGATED – Consisting of several different colors.

VEGETABLE DYES – Natural pigments derived from plant materials such as berries, roots, and bark; typically less colorfast than inorganic dyes.

VELOUR/VELVET PILE - Hooked yarn loops, once pushed through a canvas, are cut to create an open pile leaving a soft, smooth, evenly finished surface. See “cut pile.”

WARP – Vertically woven strands which span the entire rug length; onto which knots are tied and wefts woven.

WILTON LOOM – Mechanized loom frequently used in the production of authentic Oriental rug patterns.