2020.2/17 (Mon) Mashhad Purchasing Day 5
The story takes place in a village near the Afghan border where the Baluchi people live.
I'm sure there are many of you wondering how many times they plan to split this up into, but there was a lot going on in one day, so please bear with me a little longer.
Third home visit
The last house we visited had a horizontal loom, which is a type that is placed on the floor.
The rug that was being woven was a so-called Khorasan type rug with a curved design.
You can see a glimpse of the floral design. The construction and quality are similar to a wool Persian rug.
The previous house we visited used a vertical loom, so we discovered that this type of rug is made using both horizontal and vertical looms!
At this home, we were able to hear about how the Baluchi people tie the threads they commonly use.
It seems that the most common knot is the asymmetrical knot (Persian knot) that opens to the left.
When I asked why it was left-handed, I was told that with this way of tensioning the warp threads, the left-handed opening makes it less likely for the threads to come loose.
This is the first time I've heard about the compatibility between warp threads and knotting threads, so I'd love to put it to the test!
The weft threads are a type that uses both thick and thin threads, which matches the characteristics of Baluchi rugs, which are often said to be made from these threads.
About rug knotting
Since we're talking about rug tying, I'd like to talk a little about it.
To put it simply, the structure of a rug involves tying the pile threads horizontally to the warp threads stretched on a loom, then inserting the weft threads to create a twill weave with the warp threads, and then beating and tightening the rug, a process that is repeated.
The knots used in this case are often broadly divided into two types: the Turkish knot and the Persian knot. However, since there are right-opening and left-opening Persian knots and the Turkish knot is also used in Persia (Iran), I have always thought that it would be easier to understand and less misleading to call them the symmetrical knot and the asymmetrical knot.
Symmetrical and asymmetrical refer to whether the left and right shapes of the two warp threads are symmetrical when viewed from the front.
Symmetrical knot (Turkish knot) 
Asymmetric knot, left-hand opening (Persian knot)
This Baluchi rug is knotted asymmetrically, meaning that the ends of the yarn are open towards the left side.
Although not all characteristics necessarily match, it's great to hear directly from someone who actually weaves in the area!
I would like to visit the place and gather information little by little by seeing and hearing what I see.
This time, I had the opportunity to visit three Baluchi homes, and it was a very valuable experience to see how the Baluchi people who have settled there live!
A breath of relief...
We took a short break at the home of Shaharbanu, who had been showing us around the village the whole time.
A cute baby was taking a comfortable nap in front of the stove, and I was feeling soothed as I looked at his sleeping face.
Were black box-shaped stoves that resemble giant speakers and emit deep bass that resonates through your body also used in Japan in the past?
It had a shape I had never seen before.
The closest thing I can remember to this shape is the oven in the Sylvanian Families kitchen.
(Maybe some of you can relate!)
While enjoying some hot chai, we were shown a little rug.
We bought a few player rugs, but they wouldn't sell, and she showed us a rug that her brother had woven for his wedding!
The initials are engraved in English at the base of the tree. It's really nice to receive a heartfelt gift.
The rug, made for a precious family member, seemed to give off a warm and gentle aura.
The long Mashhad chapter is coming to an end!
After feeling tender with the baby and the lovely rug, a small incident occurs.
The journey is still on.
to be continued