Cottage Industry Rug Weaving

Our rugs from Afghanistan come from cottage industry producers. These rugs are not woven in factories or compounds. The weaving actually takes place in the individual families homes. The weavers are provided with dyed wool, loom and design and they weave on their own time and according to their own schedule.
This type of weaving projects requires a whole support network. There are the shepherds who raise the sheep; the spinners who prepare the raw wool, the dyers, the designers, the weavers, the finish crew for clipping and washing and the export team. Here are some shots taken in Northern Afghanistan. This shows aspects of this whole fascinating industry and the enormous amount of work that goes into making one rug!