Bill in Carpet School

This month I decided it was time to learn how to make a Beni Qurain carpet.  These are world renown carpets and are available in medium and large sizes.  The colors vary with white and sometimes brown field color and brown, black and blue accents.  We make these with live wool that gives the carpet a sheen.  All the colors are natural dyes made from different roots and bushes.  The carpets can start at more than 3,000.00 in Europe and the US.  Many sell for multiples of that, 6K  to 12K, depending on size design and pile.  Weight and loops per inch are a good indicator of value.

The process starts with a loom being prepped with what seems like a mile of wool thread.  This carpet is being made on a commercial metal loom which produces a superior dimensional carpet.  Wood looms tend to produce a less square product and smaller in size. 

As the carpets are made the rollers top and bottom feed onto the bottom roller.  You cannot see the entire carpet until it is done and taken off the roller.  The carpet bottom starts with a weave that ties the knots in the end so everything does not unravel.  If you do not have tassels on the end of the carpet many do not consider it an authentic Beni Qurain carpet.  I have heard some comments from tourists that they do not like the tassel ends, but they do not know the significance and cannot appreciate the product.  Machine made carpets usually do not have the tassels. It is easy to get misled in Morocco and sold something cheap for a lot on money if you do not know what you are looking at.  Just knowing a carpet is made with live vs dead wool is a huge difference.  Being able to tell the difference can make the difference between buying a treasure and buying a knock off worth much less that you paid for it. 

The pictures show the back side of the carpet.  There are six women working on the other side of the carpet.  It is quite the social event. Lala Fatoum is the teacher for the class and watched what I was doing.  She was great and very patient.  This weave pattern has three horizontal white threads then a row of brown loops which is what I was working on in the photo.

This is a Tshka which is used to pack down the rows of thread to make the carpet tight.  It is a dangerous looking thing.  Do not put this in your carry on luggage when you fly.
The crew is great to work with and patient.  I can get done a 1/5 of what most of the other ladies do.  They seem to like working with me and i started singing a carpet rap song which they thouroughly enjoyed.  It was also discussed that I could marry all the single women (6) and move with them to the states to make carpet.  Great idea, then I have a job when I get home.  Everyone had a good laugh with that.

We sherb atay (drink tea) every day and today we had a corn bread treat that Norhuda made and brought in.  I may make some cookies or cupcakes this weekend and bring in for break.  The crew consists of Lala Fatoum, Nadia, Layla, Sarah, Fatima, Zubida and Norhuda.  It will take about a month to make the carpet we are working on.  There are three carpets being made in the room.  Different women work on each carpet, but several jump from carpet to carpet depending who needs help. 

Making carpets is a group affair and is very much a social get together for friends.  I will be working with my new friends for a couple more weeks before I move on to basket making.  We are certainly having fun, even though with my limited language skills it is not clear what is being said.  I am use to not understanding and slowly I am learning more.  The ladies are helping me practice my Darija.  I just hope I do not end up saying the wrong thing and find myself at my own wedding with six new brides.  lol