The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Carpets And Rugs

Figure 60 shows a Chenille with worsted pile, while Figure 59 shows one with woolen pile. The difference is easily discernible from the face of the carpet by the size of the tufts, the wool being much coarser and rougher than the worsted.

Most Chenilles are made in solid colors, although it is possible to use an unlimited number of colors, and thus imitate almost perfectly genuine hand-made Oriental rugs. Figure 63 shows an excellent Chenille rug of this type. Without looking at the back of the rug it would be difficult for even an expert to tell it from a line Oriental.

On account of the way it is woven, it is very difficult to count the number of tufts in a Chenille rug. The rows are easily counted but the number of tufts in a row is almost impossible to count. Figure 78 shows the method of counting the number of tufts in a row. The piece of pasteboard here shown is 1 inch wide and when the carpet is opened up in this manner, it is possible to count the number of threads along the edge of the pasteboard. In the finest Chenilles there are as many as 144 tufts per sq. in., and by using double threads the number of loops is actually 288, which is equal in density to the finest Oriental carpets.