My First Project - The Tiger Rug
In the midst of my obsession with fly fishing, I started an unexpected journey into rug weaving. It was completely by chance. My wife was working on a friendship bracelet when she caught my eye and said “Hey, look at this!” She put in a row of Turkish (or symmetrical) knots and explained this is how rugs are made. I was blown away. I can’t really explain why, but I felt an immediate connection to this art form and knew I’d create a handwoven rug one day.
Tiger Rug - Rug #1
My first rug project was inspired by the tiger rugs of Tibet. I researched a bunch of designs online and loved the antique designs with the entire body of the tiger. After plotting out my designs on graph paper, I quickly realized I needed to scale back my expectations. The design of a pile rug comes from the individual knots, that come together to form an image, like pixels on a screen. In order to make complex designs, you need more knots. That means either a larger rug (and a larger loom) or a higher knot density. I was limited in my design choices by the loom, so I went with a simplified design.
I got started using a PVC frame loom, synthetic rug yarn, and a simple cotton warp. I would recommend investing more time and building a permanent loom, which can be done using materials from Home Depot.
This setup resulted in a few challenges. The PVC loom wasn’t glued together, so the pieces kept popping out under tension. Thankfully, I was able to save the project multiple times.
I also ran out of my original color, so I ordered more online. When I laid the yarn side by side, the colors were clearly different. Maybe the skein was left in a window and faded. Definitely not ideal, but a lesson learned for my next project. I started slowly incorporating the new color, and I’m happy with how it turned out.
You might never notice in person, but it’s a fun story and a reminder of the lessons learned along the way.
