Hand Woven Rugs: The Making Process

We offer a unique collection of hand woven rugs that are either hand-tufted in India, or hand knotted in Nepal by skilled artisans. All our rugs are GoodWeave certified. But what does this actually mean and how are they made?

We hand weave our rugs using two traditional techniques; hand knotting and hand tufting. Each rug is entirely handmade using the finest New Zealand wool. This wool is renowned to be the whitest, cleanest wool in the world, therefore providing vast colour choices as well as being among the softest and most durable. Learn more about this natural, sustainable yarn.

Our yarn is carefully hand dyed to our colour palette, and intricately hand woven by expert craftsmen and women whose skills have been passed down for generations. Niki reinterprets these ancient skills with her unique colour sensibility and original pattern designs to create a distinctive rug collection.

Hand Tufted Rugs

Tufted rugs are made using a hand-operated tool, which ‘tufts’ loops of yarn into a stretched canvas. This process is repeated to follow the design of the rug. The tufted pile is secured using latex on the back and the face of the rug is then hand sheered. This technique can be varied by using different yarn thicknesses and qualities, or by tufting contrasting loop and cut pile techniques; we can create a desired design and effect. This method can be more time efficient, which is reflected in its price point, compared to hand-knotted rugs.

Hand Knotted Rugs

Our hand-knotted rugs are hand woven in Nepal using a traditional Tibetan knot weaving technique brought to Nepal generations ago. Each individual knot in the rug is tied by hand; every line of the weft is knotted over a metal rod by hand and is then combed down using traditional tools to close up the structure. The number of knots per square inch determines the detail of the rug design and density of knots; our collection uses 60 knot and 100 knot qualities (100 knot being the densest and more intricate). Only a truly skilled weaver can intuitively make subtle adjustments during weaving to maintain the integrity of each pattern, this knowledge comes from years of experience. Hand knotted rugs are the most superior and labour intensive of all rug weaving techniques.

Hand Finishing

At the end of the weaving process our rugs are carefully finished off by hand. If the design calls for a raised pile detail the thick pile is hand carved – intricately cut down with carving scissors - and then the rug edges are hand stitched and bound. To learn more about the hand carving process visit our Hand Carving Story. The rugs are trimmed for stray yarn ends then washed and laid out in the sun to dry, then brushed during before their final quality check.

Custom and Standard Rug Sizes & Colours

Our hand crafted rugs are available in standard sizes and colours or can be customised to your specific dimensions and colour scheme. View our standard rug collection, and our custom rug collection. Find out more about customising your rug.

The handmade nature of our rugs allows for this customised made to order service as each piece is individually crafted by hand. No two pieces are ever exactly the same, each piece tells its own story of the makers hand.

GoodWeave Certified

All our rugs are produced under the GoodWeave scheme, which means our rugs are ethically made and we’re helping make a positive impact within rug making communities.

GoodWeave ensures that no child, forced or bonded labour is used in the production of our certified rugs. When you choose one of our rugs, your purchasing decision also supports programs that educate children, provide critical services, and transform communities in South Asia.

Our rugs come to you with a Certificate of Origin and GoodWeave label displaying a unique number, which can be traced back to the maker and ensures the highest quality and craftsmanship of skilled adult artisans.

To learn more visit our GoodWeave Story.