Tibetan 'slit-loop' knot: continuous yarn looped over a gauge rod, then cut
Research finding · not yet checked at the source
- Date
- tradition undated; similar technique in Coptic Egyptian and Central Asian fragments (Britannica)
- Place
- Tibet; Tibetan refugee workshops in Nepal
- Materials
- wool, cotton weft
- Themes
- Rug-making techniques, Woven carpet
Cite this source
Research notes
How it works: Britannica says the yarn is looped under a warp, brought toward the weaver over a metal gauge rod, and looped round the next warp. After a row, a knife run along a groove in the rod cuts the loops into pile. Tamarian Carpets patents describe the same knot as yarn looped round two warps and a temporary rod (e.g. a 3 mm aluminium rod). Kvadrat says a 'punja' is then used to beat the row down. Conflict: dealer pages differ on whether each loop grips one warp or two. Dating: Britannica says archaeological fragments in a similar technique survive from Coptic Egypt and Central Asia. No dated early Tibetan rug was found here (the repo already covers the 1860 Tibet note: ner-cn-tibet-1860). Sources: https://www.britannica.com/art/Tibetan-carpet · https://patents.google.com/patent/US8794270 · https://kvadrat.dk/en/kinnasand/about/journal/product-story-icon Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.