The Techniques of Rug Weaving
Reference Antiquarian & Collectible Crafts & Hobbies Textiles & Rug Weaving Engineering & Technology Art & Design Practical Skills
Peter Collingwood’s 1987 hardcover, “The Techniques of Rug Weaving,” is the undisputed bible that serious weavers, textile artists, and collectors reach for when they want to go beyond pretty patterns and understand how rugs are actually built. First published in London and long out of print in this sturdy cloth-bound edition, the book distills four decades of the author’s research, travel, and studio work into 500+ illustrated pages that explain every warp, weft, knot, and finishing trick used from Anatolian villages to contemporary studio looms. Whether you are a young adult tackling your first frame loom or an adult artisan restoring an antique carpet, the step-by-step diagrams, technical tables, and troubleshooting tips turn complex engineering into repeatable, practical skills.
What makes this volume truly special is Collingwood’s fusion of engineering precision and cultural storytelling. Each chapter pairs meticulous scale drawings of loom mechanisms with close-up photographs of historic rugs, so readers learn both the “why” and the “how” behind soumak, gilim, and double-weave techniques. The author’s own innovative shaft-switching system is included, giving modern weavers a gateway to create rigid, rug-weight cloth on multishaft looms without a traditional carpet frame. Collectors value the book for its gallery of museum-grade examples and its authoritative glossary of regional terms—an essential reference when evaluating provenance or commissioning custom pieces.
This hardcover copy, still in good condition after nearly four decades, is the edition that libraries refuse to discard and used-book hunters type into search bars again and again. Because it was never reprinted in an equivalent cloth format, acquiring a clean 1987 copy secures a lasting workshop companion and a collectible textile-history document in one purchase. Keywords: Peter Collingwood rug weaving, rug weaving techniques hardcover, antique textile reference, carpet loom engineering, how to weave rugs, out-of-print weaving books, collectible craft manual.
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