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The first step in carpet weaving is to decide on a design or a motif. In regional carpet production, experienced weavers create the design as they weave,where as in the production of thight-knotted carpets a pattern to refer to is necessary. There is a great variety of motifs of geometric designs. Stylised animal, human and animal motifs are found scattered amoung the geometric designs, and the colours used bring out these motifs.

Some of the carpets with floral designs exhibit such harmony and colours that they resemble flower gardens. The carnival of flowers, branches and plants that covers the surface of the carpets is always framed by a complementing design.

The most important element in design is proportion.The design should be weaved in a manner that there should be no irregulatiries in the corners.

The design is drawn in sections on sheets of millimetric paper and placed on the loom to help the weaver. As the carpet increases in size,the number of these sections increase too.

The second most important element is the material used, which varies according to the type of carpet. It may be wool, pure silk,cotton or mercerised, or silk like cotton called floss.

Bursa is one of the few centres of silk production in the world, and for centuries, the pure silk produced here has been used in the making of handmade Turkish carpets. The real beauty of silk comes out best of all in these magnificent looking rugs and wall carpets. Lamb’s wool is the most popular material used. The grasslands of the Anatolian plateaux are the reason behind the durabilty and sheen of the wool. Turkey is a land of sheep and lambs, and therefore woll is plentiful. The wool used in carpet production must be special, strong and soft. In certain regions, the woll as the olden days is spun by hand to make the yarn used in carpet weaving. Today, textiles are a major industry in Turkey, and the country is a leading cotton producer.

In carpet weaving, the base ( warp and weft ) is constructed of cotton; Wool is then knotted onto this to form the pile. Such handmade carpets made of both cotton and wool, are as attractive as the others. Floss is used only in Kayseri, and it makes up the pile. A floss is easliy dyed, bright and attractive carpets in a varity of colours are produced by using Floss

Knotted carpets are woven on a loom consisting of horizontal bars, onto which the warp threads are streched. Onto these threads, the pile knots are tied according to the pattern. The thread ends, which make up the pile, are clipped off to get a velvet- like soft surface. Thus, the motifs are made up of thousands of individual knots. The tighter the knots, the finer and stronger is the carpet.The pleasure one gets from a beautiful carpet equels the pleasure one gets from a beautiful painting.

The double knot, known as the Turkish or Gordes knot is used in all typcial Turkish carpets. Another well known system is the Persian knot. The Turkish knot is wrapped around two warps and the Persian knot around a single warp. A Kilim, which is similar to a carpet, is woven on the loom but with a different technique; knots are not used

The Turkish Knot makes a carpet stronger, firmer and more durable, while Persian knot allows the weaving of different and smaller patterns. However, once the carpet is made it is difficult to determine which knotting system used

The colours also are characteristic of the region where the carpet is made. The threads used in the weaving of antique carpets used to be dyed with natural dyes, the formulas of which were known only by the family that manufactured the carpet. Today , chemical dyes are used along with vegetal dyes. Natural dyes are produced from leaves, roots,and fruits. Many of the vilages engaged in carpet making have a grazing land called ”Boyalik ”. Plants from which dyes are made are grown there. The various formulas for dye production have been passed down form generation to generation. Ths the colours traditonal to Turkish carpet production have survived till today. Red is dominant in Turkish carpets. This striking colour express wealth, joy and happiness. Green symbolises heaven ; blue nobilty and grandeur, yellow is believed to keep evil away, and black symbolises purification from worries.

Handmade carpets are generally called after the region or town where they are produced. Contemporary carpets are madein various sizes and with combination of different materials. In some regions, the threads used in weaving the knots maybe only wool, and the other regions pure silk is used in the weaving of carpets.