Carpet Knots

Knotted pile carpets are the most durable handmade pile carpets. Tufted carpets with different types of piles or loops are also available but knotted are the best in the category. Usually an Oriental rug quality is judged by the knots per square inch. The more the count, better the quality.

The two most common types of knots used in an oriental carpet are Persian knot and Turkish knot

Persian Knot - It is an asymmetrical single knot also called Senneh knot or Farsibaff. Here the thread forms only one loop around one of the two warps. So the pile threads vary in protruding between the adjacent warps.

Turkish Knot - It is a symmetrical double knot type also called Ghirdes. Here the pile thread forms a loop around two warps. Both ends of the pile thread come out between both warps.

There is another type called the Jufti Knot. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical and the difference is that it is formed over four wraps.

Tibetan Knot has a different formation. A temporary rod which establishes the length of pile is put in front of the warp. A continuous yarn is looped around two warps and then once around the rod. Once through with the row, the loops are cut to form the knot.

As per the experts no knot is good or bad. They give a different texture to the carpet.

Knot Density
Knot density is an indicator of quality. More the number of knots per square inch, better the quality. Kpsi is the density i.e. knots per square inch. 80 or less kpsi denotes poor quality and 120 to 330 is medium to good. 330 or more kpsi denote good to very good quality and more than that are classified as exclusively fine pieces.