GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Warp: Comprising the foundation, parallel warp yarns run the length of the rug and are interlaced with wefts.
Warp-faced: A rug in which warps are more closely spaced than wefts and the wefts are concealed. In a balanced plain weave rug, warps and wefts are equally visible.
Warp offset: A technique whereby some warps are held tightly in place while others in the same rug are held in place loosely.
Washing: See "Chemical Washing."
Weft: The yarns woven horizontally through the warps.
Weft-faced: A rug in which the weft yarns are more closely spaced than the warp yarns.
Weft twining: A weft wrapping method in which two wefts pass across warps, twisting together after each warp or at regular intervals.
Whip stitch: A stitch used to overcast and lock the final weft in rug ends.
Wool: The soft wavy or curly undercoat of various hairy mammals, especially sheep.
Woolen: A wool yarn of mixed staple that has been carded. Fibers are neither as long nor as parallel as worsted yarn. The average length of woolen yarn is shorter than 3 inches.
Worsted: A process that occurs prior to spinning, whereby wool yarns are firmly twisted from combed fibers that are longer than three inches in length. This process improves the wool’s quality by leaving only the longer pieces of fiber for final spinning. It is used to weave more intricate patterns.
Yarn: A continuous, often plied strand composed of either natural or man–made fibers or filaments. Used in weaving and knitting to form cloth.
