Hand-knotted rugs

Each knot tied by a person — the most durable construction.

The oldest, slowest and longest-lived rug construction. Hand-knotted pieces are the reason antique rugs still trade — a discipline that our looms in Bhadohi continue to run to specification.

Rug on the loom — warp threads under tension above the weaving edge, with loop and cut pile emerging row by row — Tibetan weave. Warp under tension — each row tied by hand before the pile is trimmed.

A finished round hand-knotted rug in a hotel lobby at PiHue, Bhadohi

How the construction works

The cotton warp is stretched vertically on a loom. Weavers tie individual knots around pairs of warp threads — the Persian (Senneh), Turkish (Ghiordes) or Indo-Tibetan knot — row by row, beating each row down with a comb, cutting each knot flush with a curved knife. The pattern is read from a graph-paper knot map hung behind the loom.

20–180 KPSI
Wool, silk, wool+silk
Cotton warp & weft
Custom sizes

Finished pieces

Hand-knotted in the room

An oval hand-knotted rug installed in a hotel guest room — Oval · hotel

A hand-knotted rug anchoring a modern living room — Living room

An heirloom-quality hand-knotted Persian rug drape — Heirloom-quality Persian

A weaver's hands tying individual knots around warp threads on the loom — Every knot · individually tied by hand

A single 250 × 300 cm hand-knotted rug at 100 KPSI holds around 1.16 million knots. Each one is a small human decision — which is why no machine has ever matched a hand-knotted rug's price at auction, and no machine ever will.

Close detail of a deep ivory shag pile with dark hand-drawn diamond lattice — Deep pile shown at close range — lattice lines drawn by hand, not printed.

Ivory shag rug with charcoal diamond lattice and chevron bands, shown flat — Moroccan-style diamond lattice in undyed and charcoal wool.

Ivory shag rug with concentric diamond motifs and hand-tied fringe, shown flat — Concentric diamond motifs with hand-tied fringe.

Hand-knotted rug corner showing a central medallion, layered geometric borders and fringed edge — Corner detail — medallion, layered borders and hand-tied fringe.

Hand-knotted rug with a plain gold field framed by turquoise, red and blue patterned borders — A plain field framed by patterned borders in a classical layout.

Hand-knotted rug in indigo and orange with concentric geometric medallions and banded borders — Concentric geometric medallions in indigo and orange.

Hand-knotted rugs with medallion and border designs laid out flat for inspection — Finished pieces laid flat for inspection.

Silk in wool

Highlights that catch the light

Hand-knotted silk rug in progress on the loom — Silk hand-knotted · on the loom

Silk being knotted into a rug as accent highlights — Silk accents · knotted into a wool field

Where hand-knotted belongs

A hand-knotted rug in progress on the loom seen from the side, warp threads visible — Side view of a vertical hand-knotted loom — warp threads rise above the finished pile.

A finished hand-knotted rug in blue and gold with a traditional central medallion design — A finished traditional programme — medallion design in the Persian idiom.

Programmes that need heirloom quality: signature pieces, showroom anchors, gallery collections.
Traditional patterns — Persian medallions, herati fields, Bhadohi's own designs.
Silk accents: highlights of mulberry silk knotted into a wool field for direction-dependent shimmer.
Retail and hospitality programmes willing to pay for construction that outlasts fashion.

What we verify

KPSI on random rows against specification.
GSM (actual weight ÷ actual area) against specified GSM.
Size against ±3% tolerance.
Colour against approved lab dip and strike-off under standard light.

A custom hand-knotted rug in progress on the loom at PiHue, Bhadohi — On the loom — a hand-knotted rug in progress.

Bundles of wool yarn prepared before weaving a hand-knotted rug — Wool yarn issued to the loom before knotting begins.

Hand-knotted vs hand-tufted — a plain comparison →

Frequently asked

Macro of hand-knotted pile showing individual knots tied around warp threads — Macro of the pile — each knot individually tied around a warp thread.

A finisher inspecting knot density on the reverse of a completed hand-knotted rug — Knot density checked on the reverse — the number that KPSI actually means.

A pile-height gauge pressed against a finished hand-knotted pile to check specified depth — Pile-height gauge — the finished pile checked against the specified depth per piece.

What is a hand-knotted rug?

A hand-knotted rug is a rug in which every knot is tied by hand around the warp threads on a loom. Each knot is a separate operation; a 250 × 300 cm rug at 100 KPSI holds around 1.16 million of them. It is the oldest and most durable rug construction — the reason antique hand-knotted rugs still trade after a century.

What is KPSI and what counts as high?

KPSI stands for knots per square inch. At 100 KPSI you get a solid, hard-wearing rug with clean pattern definition. 150 KPSI is our fine grade in wool. 180 KPSI in pure silk is the finest density we weave, and it is where the smallest detail becomes possible.

How long does a hand-knotted rug take to make?

Days on the loom depend on size, knot count and number of weavers. A single 8 × 10 ft high-knot-count piece routinely takes months. The knotting speed is set by human hands and is not accelerable.

Want this construction for your line?

Send an artwork or a brief and we'll return quotation, KPSI and material recommendation, and a sampling plan the same working day.

Get in touch WhatsApp us