Technology of carpet weaving
In the fabric of carpet products, the most diverse weaves are used, creating a beautiful play of texture. The first and main weave is plain weave, where the weft thread crosses every other warp thread from above and below, forming a fine rib. A larger rib is formed if the warp is crossed every two threads. The use of colored weft creates a play of two colors in a checkerboard pattern. If one dark-colored weft thread is alternated with a light-colored weft thread, vertical stripes in the form of columns are formed.
The wool weft thread of a certain color is turned from right to left and vice versa within its section. It can be laid perpendicularly to the warp and diagonally, but then it must be at an angle of 45°, otherwise, the thread will pull the warp and the finished carpet will deform.
Colored areas of the pattern that rise more steeply than at an angle of 30° should be executed with a straight stepped contour. Exactly vertical contours are woven "on the edge thread," wrapping the weft threads of two adjacent colors around the same warp thread. This is done in two ways: by repeating thread by thread, then the contour will have the appearance of being lightly outlined, or after several (2-4) threads of one color weft, the warp thread is wrapped with the same number of threads of another color. This creates a contour in the form of small teeth. In the case of executing a large diagonal contour, the stepped line is formed from separate sections.
In carpet weaving, any line can be executed — straight, curved, circle, oval, etc. With the help of these lines, complex compositions can be woven: architectural, landscapes, human figures. For this, it is necessary to perform the weaving precisely along the contour, taking into account the connections and transitions of threads of two colors. Thus, a straight curved line is formed by plain weaving, while long weft layers in certain places do not connect with each other, creating gaps between them. Then the subsequent passes cover the warp where the two previous weft passes did not connect. Similarly, rounded areas are woven. The places where differently colored threads did not connect can be in 2-3 passes. Then at the boundary of different colors, through holes — windows — will form, which will provide additional play of light and shadow along the contour of the pattern.
The most complex and widespread weaving technique in Ukraine (especially in the Poltava region) is "round weaving." It consists of laying colored weft threads in a circle, as if applying them with a brush.
In carpet weaving, the technique of wrapping cords is often used. The combination of a smooth surface with several wrapped cords on the carpet's plane creates a beautiful mesh. Individual areas of the pattern can be highlighted with color. When working in this technique, it is necessary to wrap the core threads of the warp tightly and densely. Loose wrapping will create a perforated structure of the product.
The technique of woven stripes is similar to the technique of wrapping cords. Two warp threads are alternately woven with weft threads, forming flat narrow ribbons. If, moving to further warp threads, in some places they are connected with the first stripes, a beautiful lace formed by vertical stripes will result. This method of woven stripes is used both in the main composition of the carpet and in its finishing part. Flat ribbons will create a beautiful border (edging) of the product. The color solution is especially important in this technique. The dominant color palette of the tapestry can be continued in the finishing part — the border; a contrasting solution is also possible.
The pile technique has gained great popularity in carpet weaving. Depending on the required length of the pile, wool threads are cut into pieces approximately 10 cm long. Folding the pile thread in half, it wraps around two warp threads, and the ends of the wool thread are laid between the two warp threads and pulled out.
In tapestries, increasingly, alongside wool threads for the weft, other fibers and even materials such as pieces of leather, beautiful stems of grass are used. Cuban fiber sisal, which has a beautiful golden hue, has gained great popularity. In tapestries, it is used to create a fluffy texture. For this, individual sisal threads are woven into the structure of the tapestry, leaving the long ends of the fibers free, which create the fluffiness.
