Pashtoon cultural centre, S Afghanistan, second largest city in Afghanistan.
KAPUNUK
(Turkmen) a pile weaving used as door surround, often associated with dowry and wedding function.
KARAKALPAK
a tribal group often thought to be aligned with the Uzbeks. Jon Thompson called them either Uzbekicised Turkmen or Turkmenicised Uzbeks, living primarily in the Khiva region of Uzbekistan.
KARCHIN
also karshin - storage bag.
KASHMIR
Controversial home of some moghul carpets
KATHMANDU
market for some Himalayan weaving, capital of Nepal.
KAYSERI
Centre of turkish commercial weaving especially silk
KAZAK
In origin, a tribal name, now a town, river and district in the extreme west of Azerbaijan, the Caucuses. Kazak rugs are noted for their coarse, long-pile carpets with shiny wool and vigorous designs. The weavers were Turkic nomads, now settled, who came to the region at the time of the great westward migration of Turks in the eleventh century.
KEJEBE (Turkmen) wedding litter placed on top of the camel, baskets for transporting a load.
KELLEGI
A Persian word for a wide runner, for example 6 x 13.
KEPSE GOL (Turkmen) pattern name for a motif seen only in Yomud Turkmen rugs and weavings.
KERMAN
elegant southeast Persian traditional weaving centre
KESE
(Turkmen) tobacco pouch
KETKEN
plant used as a mordant in treating yarn before dyeing.
KHALI
Turkmen) pile rug, related to the Turkish word for rug (Hali).
KHALYK
(Turkmen) long narrow small rug hung on the chest of the wedding camel.
KHORJIN
(Turkmen) also korjin, a saddle bag.
KILIM (KELIM, GELIM, GILIM)
A pileless smooth surfaced weaving in which pattern is formed by the wefts, which completely conceal the warps.
KIRMIZI
(Uzbek) cochineal dye.
KIRSHEHIR
Centre of Anatolian prayer rugs.
KIZYL
(Turkmen) red
KNOT
A knot is formed when wool, cotton or silk yarn is looped around the warp threads. There are different procedures for knotting and each knot type has a name, for example there is a Turkish (Ghiordes) knot and a Persian (Sennah) knot.
KNOT COUNT
The number of knots in a square inch of a rug. Hand made Chinese rugs are often described in terms of "line." A 65 Line rug would have 65 knots per foot of width, 65 knots per foot of length, and 29 knots per square inch. Knot makes the pile or nap of a carpet and distinguishes it from the machine made and flatweaves.
KNOTTED PILE
The type of weaving most associated with oriental rugs in which tufts of wool forming pile are wrapped around one or more (usually two) warps to project at right angles to the plane of the weaving. They are tied individually, one row at a time, and held in place by ground wefts. The process is to be distinguished from the making of hooked rugs in which tufts of wool are poked into pre-existing loosely woven fabric.
KONYA
important Anatolian weaving and cultural centre
KORAK
Patchwork
KORK WOOL
The very finest quality wool obtained from the shoulder and flanks of shearling lambs.
KOUCHI
also Kuchi, Generic Afghan name for tribal pastoralists or nomads
KOWDANI
a type and quality of Afghan rug, Baluch group from eastern Afghanistan.
KPSI (KNOTS PER SQUARE INCH)
Number of knots per square inch rates the knot quality.
KUFIC
early Islamic script stylised in carpets usually borders.
KULA
West Anatolian historically important weaving town.
