Typically, silk carpets hold 400 threads per inch. An expert weaver can knot many as 1200 silk threads per inch into a carpet.
One of the most fascinating aspects of learning about Turkish rugs is discovering that the silk used comes from cocoons rather than silkworms.
Farm raised, then shot with steam to shock the incipient butterfly within, cocoons are then soaked in a vat of water.
Using a wide brush, a worker teases out a hair-thin thread from each cocoon and affixes it to a spinning wheel that extracts all the silk from the casing. It is then twisted, dyed, and ready for weaving.
