One of the things that makes hand-woven rugs so beautiful
is the visual texture of the rug.
Part of this texture comes from the natural abrash of the rug.
Abrash is a word that describes the natural color
variations that occur between the various strands of wool
used to make the rug.
This causes a striped appearance in areas
of the same color on a rug.
These stripes are not considered a flaw in the rug
but are a natural result of the way the rug is woven.
Abrash is a result of natural variations in the wool
as well as variations in the dyes used to color the wool.
If you were to look closely at a herd of sheep on a hillside,
you'd notice that they weren't all exactly the same color.
In addition, each sheep's wool has a different texture
from the other sheep, similar to the way
that different people have different hair.
When this wool is died, even if it's
dyed in the same batch of dye in exactly the same way,
the wool will still have subtle variations
in color and texture.
The wool also changes seasonally from year to year.
Color variations can also be caused by the dye process.
Each batch of dye is slightly different.
This can cause each batch of wool
to have slightly different color than other batches
dyed with that same dye, even if the wool is exactly the same
and the die comes from the same place.
Abrash is in every hand-knotted rug,
but it is generally more noticeable with tribal rugs.
The dyes used in tribal rugs are often
made of widely varying natural materials, including plants
and insects, and so there can be great variations in color
from batch to batch.
It is less noticeable in city rugs
because city rugs are generally made in larger facilities
and often use wool that is more processed and often dyed
with commercially produced dyes.
Abrash is usually more visible on the front side of a rug
because it's exposed to higher traffic and the elements.
It can also become more visible with age.
Cleaning can make abrash seem more visible because
of the removal of dirt that can dull the rug
and cause the colors to look more uniform.
Since handmade rugs are truly one of a kind pieces,
you would expect there to be natural variations from rug
to rug.
Abrash is one of those characteristics
that gives your rug its own unique personality.
If you have any questions about your rugs,
feel free to give us a call for no-obligation, helpful advice.
And please let us know if you like this video.