TechniqueKnotting the pile of a hand-knotted rug. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The raised surface of knots that you see and walk on, as opposed to the foundation of warp and weft beneath it.
The pile is the cut, upright surface of a knotted rug, the part you see and walk on. It is built knot by knot: each knot is tied around the warp, and after every row the weft is beaten down to lock the knots in place. Once the rug is off the loom, the pile is sheared to an even height.
A shorter clip reveals fine detail and reads as a more formal rug; a longer pile feels plush and rustic. How tightly the knots are packed, the knot density, sets how fine that detail can be.
