Are finely knotted rugs better than others?

No… not really. A rug that is more finely woven (with more knots per square inch or “KPSI”) is not necessarily a better rug. A finer weave allows for more detail and smaller designs. Curved lines in a rug’s design can be “drawn” more smoothly and gracefully in a rug with many knots per square inch. It is the same thing as pixels in a picture. More pixels in an image allow for more detail and clarity. But it must be said that fine knotting alone does not make a rug good.  I have seen many finely woven yet unattractive rugs. Also, a fine weave simply is not appropriate in certain kinds of informal tribal or village rugs. It is more important to consider each rug individually. When judging a rug, the overall qualitative nature of the materials, the workmanship and the balance of designs/colors are more important than the easily quantifiable KPSI. That said, a finely woven rug can have a strikingly beautiful look when fine weave and good materials are used in tandem. And more finely woven rugs oblige a higher level of craft and attention from the weaver. So more finely woven rugs do require substantially more time to weave and hence a higher level of artistry and also a higher cost.