Silk carpets introduction 真丝地毯简介
Silk carpets, made of high quality natural silk, are produced in a complicated traditional way. They are the finest carpets. These highly valuable creations are visually stunning and exquisite to the touch. Silk is lighter than wool or cotton yet very durable when properly maintained and cared. A silk carpet is not only a treasure for a lifetime but can become a treasured heirloom. Whether you choose a carpet as a floor covering or as a decorative wall hanging it is really a piece of art. A lot of pre-work was involved before knot weaving.
真丝地毯用天然丝线为原料，以传统的复杂的打结方法编织而成，在编织前需要大量的准备工作。
1. Make design and match colors 制图和配色
Draw design on a chart and match the different colors on it so that the weavers can follow. This is a creative work. The artisans must have a blue print in their mind. Actually the finished carpet is the representation of the design. To some extent, this is the first important thing because it can determine the value of the carpet.

首先在表格上勾图并在每一个坐标点上用不同的符号代表不同颜色的线标示出来，以便织工依图编织。此为一种很有创意性的工作。工艺师必需胸有成竹。实际织成的丝毯是原图样的再现。在某种意义上讲，此为第一道 极为重要之工序，因为图样和丝毯的价值有极为重要的关系。
2. Prepare the material 备料
Reel off the raw silk filament from the cocoons. One third of the silk from the cocoons can be used to weave silk carpets. Then bind the silk fiber into silk strands. Put the silk strands into boiling alkaline water for 30-40 minutes to make it soft and later rinse the alkali and impurities by clean water. Traditionally use natural pigments (indigo, saffron crocus, acorn cup, and larkspur stem...) to dye the yarns into different colors.But now we also use chemical dye which is also called synthetic dye. Many different colored silk strands will be used when weaving carpets.

把丝从蚕茧中抽出来。一个蚕茧中仅有三分之一的丝可供织丝毯所用。把细丝合成小股，并把它们放入沸腾的碱水中煮三四十分钟，使其柔软.而后用清水漂去碱和杂质。传统上使用天然的植物颜料(蓝靛，红花，橡壳等)把丝线染色但现在更多使用化学颜料染色。多种色彩的丝线用做地毯编织.

3. Hang the warps 挂经
Warps will be fixed on the loom rack, which is almost like a standing frame consisting of 4 bars. The warps will be looped tightly between the top bar and the bottom one. Heddles will be bound between another horizontal bar and warps. After the foundation is woven by plain silk thread the carpet knotted weaving can start.

经线将被自上而下地绕在由两个横梁和两根立柱做成的架子上。综线将被缠绕在另一个横木和经线之间。底子用白色丝线编织成之后，手工打结即可开始。

4. How to knot silk carpets 如何打结编织真丝地毯
The silk yarn will be tied around the two adjoining warp yarns to create a knot. There are Turkish Ghiordes knots and the Persian Senneh knots. The end of the silk thread will be cut off by knife. When a raw of knots is finished the weft yarns will be woven through compartment space between front and back warps. With the comb the knots and wefts will be struck hard against the wefts.

把丝线缠绕在相邻的两根经线上打成双结（土耳其结，图2）或单结（波斯结，图1）。线头用刀割断。每当一行结打完时，纬线从前经和后经的中间穿过。并用梳子将其砸实，使丝结牢固地拴在经上。

5.Making tassel, shearing carpet and washing carpet

挽穗及平洗地毯
After monthes' or even years' work the whole carpet is finished. It will be cut down from the loom rack. The ends of the warps will be coiled up into beautiful tassels. The carpet will be sheared evenly and washed thoroughly before being sold.

历经数月或数载的工作，一整块真丝地毯织成，它将被从架子上割下来，经线的末端将被挽成穗子以增加美感。织成的真丝地毯在出售前将被整齐地剪平，并水洗去污。

It will take one girl about half a year to make a 2×3ft carpet of 300 lines (90,000knots per square foot), 1.5 years to weave a 2×3ft silk carpet of 500 lines (250,000knots per square foot), two years to knot a 2×1.5 feet silk carpet with 800 lines(640,000knots per square foot) and 3 years to make a 1.2×1.5 feet silk carpet with 1000 lines(1000,000 knots per square foot). The silk thread used to knot top quality carpet is as thin as a hair. When knotting, weavers even need to use magnifier. The work is so harmful to weavers' eyes that they seldom can make the second same piece. So this kind of silk carpet is named "soft gold".

一个技工熟练的女孩在半年中能织成一块2英尺乘3英尺的300线（90，000个结每平方英尺）的真丝地毯；一年半的时间能织起一块2乘3英尺500道（250，000个结每平方英尺）的真丝地毯；两年时间能织成一块800道（640，000个结每平方英尺）的真丝地毯；三年的时间织成一块1.2乘1.5 英尺的确1，000道（1，000，000个结每平方英尺）的真丝挂毯。编织高档挂毯的丝线细如毛发，当织高道数丝毯时，甚至用得上放大镜。由于编织时对眼睛的伤害很大，织工很难织第二块高道数的丝毯。故而高道数的丝毯（尤其是挂毯被世人称为软黄金）。
Carpet weaving history in China 中国织地毯的历史
Carpet weaving appeared in China during the West Han Dynasty 2000 years ago. During the 8th century Chinese felt carpets were prevailed and they were even stitched by silver threads. The dragon carpets of the 17th and 18th century were especially magnificent. This was possibly the peak of Chinese knotting art. But very few pieces of ancient carpets produced before the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD-1911AD.) are preserved. In the early times of 20th century Americans and Europeans established some carpet factories in Tianjin, Qingdao and Beijing. The mainly material was wool, but few silk was applied at that time.

早在西汉时（两千年前）中国已出现了编织地毯。在公元八世纪时的唐王朝毡毯颇为流行。那时曾出现用银线织成的毡毯。在17，18世纪，以龙为图样的地毯在皇宫中使用，那时是中国编织地毯的顶盛时期。但很少清朝以前编织的地毯被保存下来。在二十世纪初欧美商人在天津，包头，北京和青岛设厂编织地毯，但是那时大多用毛线为原料，很少用丝线。
After liberation (1949AD.), carpet-weaving industry was well developed. A lot of new designs appeared such as Peking Design, Esthetic Design, Floral Design, Embossed Design, Antique Design, and Chinese-Persian Design (originated from Middle East further developed in China, very popular at present.). Hundreds of academically educated designers improved the traditional models and trained weaving masters. China became one of the worldwide leading producers of the finest Oriental carpets in the 1980s. The finest silk carpet of the world, with a density of 1,000,000 knots per square foot (1000lines per foot) was from Zhenping, Nanyang Prefecture (our hometown) in Central China. That carpet was listed in Guinness Book of Record in 1998.

公元1949年解放后，中国的织毯业讯速发展起来，多种样式的地毯出现了。例如京式，美术式，大花式，片剪式，仿古式 和波斯式。特别是波斯图案被引进后，加上中国工艺师的改良和创新，中国波丝地毯倍受国际市场的青睐。在八十年代中国成为东方地毯的主要生产基地。在1998年第一块1，000道挂毯首先在河南省镇平县织成。它是一块最高档的挂毯，被列为纪尼斯世界纪录。
Chinese silk carpets are woven out of the high quality silk, Hand-knotted, with high-density of knots and superb quality, graceful and various in design, harmonious in colors matching, shining and smooth in surface, soft yet durable in texture, well proportioned and orderly in pattern. Free from confusion, anti-worm-eaten. Due to these features, Chinese silk carpets are of high artistic value, and good for decorations or collection. In addition the reasonable price, Chinese silk carpets become one of the best-welcomed carpets in the international market.

中国真丝地毯以上等的蚕丝为原料，采用手工打结，打结密度高，图案多样，结构严谨，比例精当，配色和谐，光彩华丽，质柔耐用，不生虫子。由于此种种优点，它具有很高的艺术价值，装饰使用价值及收藏价值。鉴于加上价钱合理，中国真丝地毯已成为国际市场的走俏产品。

Knot density 打结密度
120lines（道，线）: 14,000knots（结,点）∕square foot（每平方英尺）
300lines: 90,000knots ∕square foot
400lines: 160,000knots ∕square foot
500lines: 250,000knots ∕square foot
600lines: 360,000knots ∕square foot
800lines: 640,000knots ∕square foot
1000lines: 1,000,000knots ∕square foot

Normal size and shape 通常尺寸

1ft（英尺）= 30.48cm（厘米）1m（米）=3.28ft（英尺）1 square meter（平方米）= 10.76 square foot（平方英尺）

Rectangular, square, runner, oval and round are normal shapes of silk carpets.

真丝地毯一般分为长方形，正方形，长条形，椭圆形，圆形。
When choosing a carpet you should consider the size and shape of the carpet. Silk carpets have special measures. So the size could be approximately with that you want. Silk carpets are works of art and are not made to cover the entire floor, so there usually will be at least 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) of vacant space between the edge of carpet and its surrounding furniture or walls. For the sizes of rectangular, square and runner carpets, it is no need to explain. However for the round carpet the size is measured by its diameter. For the oval shaped carpet, the longer diameter is considered to be the length and the shorter one the width.

当你挑选真丝地毯时，你应首先考虑它的大小和尺寸。真丝地毯有特殊的尺寸，所以它只能是接近你所需要的准确尺寸。真丝地毯是一种工艺品，它不是用来覆盖整个地面，故而，其边缘一般来讲要离墙或家具30至60厘米左右。对于长方形，正方形和走廊毯而言，尺寸大小就是指其长和宽，而对于圆形而言，指的是它的直径，椭圆形的指的是它的长轴和短轴。

　　　　　　　　　　　Basic layout 基本图案

Allover 满地花式
Carpets in this layout have no central design and the designs spread throughout the whole carpet separately or connected. There may be one same design or several designs appearing repeatedly throughout the whole carpet.

此种图案没有中心图案，图案单独地或者是相联地展开在毯面上。可能是由一种或多种图案地不断重复。
Medallion奖章式或奎龙式
In this layout, a large centerpiece is the main design called "Medallion". And this layout is the most popular one in handmade carpet. The shapes of medallions are usually circular, oval, octagonal, hexagonal and star-like. This kind of carpets is always symmetric in layout.

此种图样由一个突出的大的中心作为主图案，此中心叫奖章或者奎龙，此图案最为常见。中心奎龙可圆可方，也可为多边形或者是放射状的。此图案多为轴对称的。

One-sided 直上图案
For this layout, the designs are woven in only one direction. Therefore the carpet can only be properly viewed from one side. The designs on one-sided carpets are usually images of people, animals and sceneries. Since one-sided carpets should not be viewed upside-down they are often used as tapestries.

此图案为直上型的。所以只能从一个方向来观赏，其内容多为人物，动物，风景。它们多为高道数挂毯。

Colors 颜色
Silk carpets have many colors but the first impression of the color a carpet gives you is the contrast of various colors that creates the different designs. This is the same way in all other art fields. The colors of a carpet are mainly identified by the field (background) color and the border color. The field color is dominant. It usually covers the entire carpet with the exception of the border and the most commonly used colors are red, blue, black, beige and yellow. But some times, the colors of background and the border are so distinguishable. So when choosing the silk carpet you should consider whether the field color matches your furniture and the wall.

真丝地毯由多种颜色的丝线织成，但给予你最初的印象是各种颜色的对比结果。这和其它的工艺美术品一样。丝毯的色彩主要由它的地色（背景色）和边框色来定。常见的颜色为红，蓝，黑，米色和黄色。有时地色和边框色对比很强。所以当你选择时一定要考虑好主色和你家具色彩是否匹配。
Styles 风格
There are many styles in Chinese silk carpet. Typical Chinese styles are like dragon design, phoenix design, Buddhist and Taoist symbol design. Persian style is very important and popular. Since introduced in China, it has been very well developed. A lot of high-density knot silk carpets are woven in Persian style. Turkish style and other styles also can be seen in Chinese silk carpets.

真丝地毯图案有多种风格。典型中式的有龙凤图案，佛教，道教中的吉祥符号图案。波斯图案高贵华丽，当下十分流行。高道数的真丝地毯一般都是波斯风格，当然也有人物故事，风景图案。

　　　　　　　Quality Criteria 质量标准

What Determines A Good Silk Carpet? 质量由何而定
The knot density is one of the most important criteria of quality. The quality of silk,the workmanship, the harmony of colors and the balance of the pattern are also important factors to determine the quality.

打结的密度是质量高低的重要参数.此外，丝质，工艺，配色，图案都决定真丝地毯的质量。
As far as the knot density concerned, we consider 120 lines (14400knots/square foot) silk carpet medium fine, 300 lines (90,000knots/square foot) silk carpet fine, 400 lines (160,000 knots/square foot) silk carpet super fine, above 500 lines (250,000 knots/square foot) silk carpet extreme fine, 1000 lines (1000,000 knots/square foot) silk carpet the finest. The Persian and Turkish silk carpet are very famous for their design and quality but compared with Chinese silk carpet, the knot density is much lower. China produces extremely high knot-density silk carpets and silk tapestries, which workmanship are incredibly exquisite.

就打结的密度而论，120道丝毯每平方英尺有14，400个结，此属中档丝毯。而300道真丝地毯（每平方英尺有90，000个结），400道真丝地毯（每平方英尺有160，000个结）属中高档真丝地毯，500道以上的真丝地毯（每平方英尺有250，000个结）属顶级高档真丝地毯。一般来讲多用于挂毯，非常精细，非常薄。600道以上的大尺寸的极少。

　　　　　　How to take care of silk carpet?

如何保养真丝地毯？
Silk carpet is a kind of luxury decoration. When use it, you should attach great attention so as to prolong its life.

真丝地毯是一种高级豪华的装饰品，应注意延长其使用寿命。
Placing the silk carpet 铺毯
When place the silk carpet, put a good quality underlay below it. This will not only give better resilience underfoot, but also prolong the life of silk carpet. The carpet mat can absorb the moisture of the floor and prevent the carpet slipping.

最好在真丝地毯下铺一衬垫以使脚感更好，延长其寿命，再者来讲衬垫能使真丝地毯不滑动，能吸地面的潮气。不过衬垫不是非用不可。

How to clean silk carpets (silk rugs)?清洗及去污
Generally speaking, every 2 years you should look for a professional carpet cleaning company to clean the silk carpets one time. In daily life you can vacuum the carpet to remove dirt but not vacuum the fringes. If beer, wine or oil stains the silk carpets but not seriously you can use a towel to dilute the spill quickly then use lukewarm water with a mild detergent and a dash of vinegar to dab stain with soft cloth.

一般来讲，每隔两至三年可清洗一次，丝毯需专业清洗，在日常生活中，你可用吸尘器除尘。不要吸边穗。若是酒或油不小心洒在丝毯上，但不是非常严重，可迅速用毛巾吸释被污处。然后用布蘸点放有洗涤剂和醋的温水擦拭脏处，并把它擦干。
Preservation 保存
When you don't use the carpet you should roll it against the direction of the nap and sore it at a dry place in case of being damped. You should not put the carpet in a plastic bag.

当不使用时，把真丝地毯依顺毛的方向卷起来，放在通风干燥处，不可把它长时间放在塑料袋中。
Shifting directions 调换方向
Depends on the traffic every 6 months or one-year please shift the direction of the carpet so as the piles can keep in good condition.

每六个月到一年把真丝地毯的方向调换一下以使其绒毛受力均匀。

 How to test real silk rugs?
1.Rub the surface. You could feel real silk from artificial silk by vigorously rubbing the pile with your open palm. The real silk rug feels warm, the artificial silk rug stays cool to the touch.
2.Burn the yarn. This test is very effective and actually can be helpful. Clip off a small piece of the fringe, or pull a knot out of the rug from the back. Burn it. Look at the ash and smell the smoke. If the material was cellulose (rayon), the ash should be soft and chalky, and the smell should be like burning paper (most paper is made of cellulose). If it is real silk, the ash should be ?black and crispy, and the smell should be like burning hair (you're burning protein, the same stuff your hair is made of).
3.Dissolve the yarn. The most accurate test is one that chemically differentiates protein from cellulose or petrochemicals. One such test: at room temperature, mix a solution of 16 g copper sulfate (CuSO4) in 150 cc of water. Add 8-10 g glycerine, then caustic soda (sodium hydroxide: NaOH) until a clear solution is obtained. This solution will dissolve a small sample of natural silk, but will leave cotton, rayon, and nylon unchanged.