Types of rugs

With pile rugs, the weight of wool must clearly depend on the length of pile chosen by the individual worker but the minimum length for safety against knots working loose will again depend on the size of the mesh and the corresponding amount of wool carried in the needle.

A factor affecting both types of rug is the intricacy of the pattern, since wherever a new colour is started wool is wasted—particularly in smooth-faced rugs—so that intricate patterns waste more than simple ones. It may be added that a beginner is likely to waste more wool than an experienced worker.

The number of different colours used must also be taken into consideration as regards waste. A complicated pattern might be worked in very few colours but many colours mean many skeins of wool and all of these are unlikely to be exactly used up.