The wool, the dye, the hand
Oon
Touch a strand to open its rug
A plain rug has nowhere to hide.
There is no pattern to carry it, so everything rests on the wool, the dye and the hand that knotted it.
Rajasthan is wool country. Around Bikaner the Magra sheep grow the white carpet wool the trade calls lustrous, and the Chokla and Marwari are kept beside them for the same work. The colour came from the dye pot: indigo, madder, lac, pomegranate rind and the bark of the kattha tree.
Oon, the word for wool, is fifteen plain rugs in three chapters: the fleece as it grows, one colour from one pot, and what the shears can do when the colour keeps still.
- Origin
- Jaipur, Rajasthan
- Materials
- Hand-spun wool, undyed or dyed with natural dyes, cotton warp
- Density
- 6 to 14 knots per inch
- Lead Time
- 6 to 10 months on the loom
The Fleece
Undyed. The colour each sheep grew, spun by hand and left alone.
The Dye Pot
One rug, one pot. Five old dyes, and the soft bands each dipping leaves behind.
The Shears
The colour keeps still, and the shears, the edge and the depth take over.
In the room
Oon, at home
Shown as a rendering. Woven to order in Jaipur.
Made to order
Knotted for your room
Every piece is knotted by hand in Jaipur, in the size and colours your room needs. Tell us about the space and we will help you choose.
