Question 1

What exactly am I buying?

Accepted Answer

A digital rug pattern, the weaving cartoon known as the nakış. Each listing states the finished size, knot quality (warp × weft), color count and palette. You receive a production-ready file, not a physical rug.

Question 2

What file do I get?

Accepted Answer

A clean, watermark-free 8-bit indexed BMP cartoon at full knot resolution, plus a color palette sheet listing every HEX and RGB value used in the design.

Question 3

What software can open the file?

Accepted Answer

Weaving and cartoon CAD systems that import 8-bit BMP, such as NedGraphics or EAT, along with common loom-cartoon tools. The list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

Question 4

How is the pattern delivered?

Accepted Answer

Instantly. After checkout you get a secure download link, and there is nothing to ship. The preview images on the site are watermarked; the clean production file is only included in your delivery.

Question 5

What does the SAMPLE watermark mean?

Accepted Answer

It marks the browsing preview so it cannot be used for production. The purchased file has no watermark and carries the exact knot grid.

Question 6

Are the colors and yarn codes exact?

Accepted Answer

The HEX and RGB values are exact. Any yarn codes shown are illustrative; your yarn supplier matches each color to a real yarn on order.

Question 7

Do you sell finished rugs, or only patterns?

Accepted Answer

Both. Alongside the digital patterns, we buy and sell finished, hand-woven rugs and kilims. Ask us what is available, or describe what you are looking for.

Question 8

Where do the rugs come from?

Accepted Answer

They are hand-knotted by our family and the community around them in northern Afghanistan, in the Ersari Turkmen tradition, with hand-spun Karakul wool and natural dyes. More on that on the Craft & Heritage page.

Question 9

Are the rugs hand-knotted?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each one is tied knot by knot on the loom, not machine-made. Small irregularities and the gentle color shifts called abrash are the mark of a handmade piece, not a flaw.

Question 10

How is a rug delivered?

Accepted Answer

A finished rug or kilim is a physical item and is shipped to you. Contact us for availability, shipping and a quote.

Question 11

Do you offer custom patterns?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The family can draw a bespoke nakış to your size, palette and knot density, a new cartoon mapped square by square. Tell us what you have in mind.

Question 12

Can I get a different size of an existing pattern?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A pattern can be re-scaled to a standard or a custom size while keeping the same motif and knot quality. Contact us for a custom-size quote.

Question 13

Can you weave a custom rug for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We can commission a physical rug to your design, size and palette. Get in touch with your brief.

Question 14

Can I use a pattern to weave rugs for sale?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each pattern is non-exclusive and licensed for unlimited production. You may weave and sell as many rugs and kilims as you like, with no further royalty. The full terms are on the License page.

Question 15

Can I resell or share the pattern file?

Accepted Answer

No. You are licensed to weave from the pattern, but the digital file itself may not be resold, shared, gifted, published or redistributed in any form.

Question 16

Can I use the pattern to train an AI model, or make a derivative digital product?

Accepted Answer

No. The pattern, its grid and its images may not be used to train any machine-learning or AI model, or to produce a derivative digital pattern for distribution. See the License for the full list of limits.

Question 17

Can I get exclusive rights to a design?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Exclusive licenses, where a design is removed from sale so that only you may produce it, are available on request. Contact us for terms.

Question 18

Who owns the design?

Accepted Answer

The design and its copyright stay with us and the weaving family who created it. Buying a pattern licenses you to weave from it; it does not transfer the copyright or make the design yours.

Question 19

What currency are prices in?

Accepted Answer

Prices are shown in US dollars (USD).

Question 20

How is a pattern priced?

Accepted Answer

The price reflects the work in the design: broadly, the knot count and the number of colors, together with the finished size and knot quality.

Question 21

Which payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Checkout is handled securely with cards and common online methods through our payment provider, and the files are available to download right after payment.

Question 22

What is your refund policy?

Accepted Answer

Digital patterns are delivered on download, so sales are generally final once the file has been downloaded. If a file is faulty or will not open, email hey@kalbenrugs.com and we will fix or replace it.

Question 23

Who are you?

Accepted Answer

A third-generation Ersari Turkmen weaving family, with relatives still weaving in northern Afghanistan and this part of the family working from Turkey. The longer story is on the About page.

Question 24

What is the half-goes-home pledge?

Accepted Answer

We send half of the revenue from every sale to northern Afghanistan: first as fair pay to the people who drew and wove the work, and then as relief for those who need it most. More on the About page.

Question 25

Is the makers' half charity?

Accepted Answer

No. For the people who make the work it is fair pay, the value their craft deserves. Relief is a separate part, for those in need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Patterns and files

Rugs and kilims

Custom work

License and usage

Pricing, payment and refunds

Our family and the pledge

Help