How rugs are made.
The raw wool is brought into Katmandu from the high altitudes of Tibet. The higher altitudes create harsher conditions for the sheep, which in turn create a stronger fibered, higher lanolin content wool.
The wool is hand-carded, washed, and spun by artisans in Nepal. Even though these steps are more expensive by hand versus by machine, the handcrafted approach has a smaller impact on the wool and creates a stonger and more durable wool.
The spun wool is then pot-dyed in small batches and then hand knotted on looms. Each rug is hand-clipped and each detail is ‘carved’ from the rug. The rug is then washed. A 4x6 rug takes about 250 man-hours to produce.