Carpet Weaving - Bhadohi
The wool to be used for carpet weaving goes through following process before designs on carpet are drawn. These are:
• Washing and Drying of the wool
• Carding
• Spinning
• Dyeing / Coloring
Washing and Drying of the wool:
The wool to be used for carpet weaving carries dust, grease which has to be removed and it is done by thoroughly washing and drying in the sun for 2-3 days.
Carding:
It is a mechanical process that disentangles, cleans and intermixes fibres to produce a continuous web. It breaks up locks and unorganized clumps of fiber and then aligns the individual fibers to be parallel with each other. This process ensures that the fiber strands flow smoothly while spinning. This process is also used to blend different wools.
Spinning:
The carded wool is spun on a Charkha or the spinning wheel to produce the yarn. The thickness of the yarn depends on the quality of the carpet and usually a 3 ply yarn is used.
Dyeing / Coloring:
Wool to be used for carpet weaving, is dyed using various dyes and chemicals like mordant dyes, vat dyes, sulphuric acid, soda ash, cabinet or carrier type dyes.