is of a cardinal red woven upon a white warp. It was chiefly made of
white rags treated with cardinal red Diamond dye, and was purposely
made as uneven as possible. The border consists of two four-inch
strips of "hit or miss" green, white and red mixed rags, placed four
inches from either end, with an inch stripe of red between, and the
whole finished with a white knotted fringe.

A safe and general rule is that the border stripes should be of the
same colour as the warp--as, for instance, with a red warp a red
striped border--while the centre and ends of the rug might be mixed
rags of all descriptions.

It is also safe to say that in using pure white or pure black in mixed
rags, these two colours, and particularly the white, should appear in
short pieces, as otherwise they give a striped instead of a mottled
effect, and this is objectionable. White is valuable for strong
effects or lines in design; indeed, it is hard to make design
prominent or effective except in white or red.

[Illustration: THE LOIS RUG]

These few general rules as to colour, together with the particular
ones given in other chapters, produce agreeable combinations in very
simple and easy fashion. I have not, perhaps, laid as much stress upon
warp grouping and treatment as is desirable, since quite distinct
effects are produced by these things. Throwing the warp into groups of
three or four threads, leaving small spaces between, produces a sort
of basket-work style; while simply doubling the warp and holding it
with firm tension gives the honeycomb effect of which I have
previously spoken. If the filling is wide and soft, and well pushed
back between each throw of the shuttle, it will bunch up between the
warp threads like a string of beads, and in a dark warp and light
filling a rim of coloured shadow seems to show around each little
prominence. Such rugs are more elastic to the tread than an
even-threaded one, and on the whole may be considered a very desirable
variation.

It is well for the weaver to remember that every successful experiment
puts the manufacture on a higher plane of development and makes it
more valuable as a family industry.

CHAPTER IV.

INGRAIN CARPET RUGS.

Undoubtedly the most useful--and from a utilitarian point of view the
most perfect--rag rug is made from worn ingrain carpet, especially if
it is of the honest all-wool kind, and not the modern mixture of
cotton and wool. There are places in the tex