Carpets – Woollen Works of Art

From shearing... – Karakul sheep are shorn twice a year and the wool is colour-sorted into white, beige, brown, grey and black. The raw material is packed into bales and taken to the wool auction in Windhoek. Prices depend on the length, colour and purity of the hair.

At our weaving workshop we sort the wool once more - into about 20 to 25 shades - before combing it into fleeces which in turn are plucked into strips and hand-spun on the spinning wheel. We then coil the yarn into manageable hanks, wash it, dye some of it as needed and leave it to dry.

... to weaving – The actual weaving process begins when the 'warp' (vertical lines of cotton strings) has been mounted. Threads of Karakul wool are woven into the warp horizontally. As for the size of the carpet: only the loom is the limit. We make anything from small covers for chairs, to wall hangings, runners of various sizes and carpets measuring up to 4 by 10 metres.

The variety of themes, on the other hand, is entirely a matter of imagination. Whether abstract or tangible, modern or traditional, whether landscapes, plants, animals or geometrical patterns – we have more than 400 designs to choose from. We are happy to accept special requests, too, or will weave according to a pattern (photo, drawing) supplied by the client.

Once the carpet is ready it is permanently treated against moths. We strongly recommend mothproofing but will certainly respect your wishes should you want your carpet without it.