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Half-Hitch Bands
(Philippine Edges)
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Attractive and
durable half-hitch bands, sometimes called Philippine edges, are
constructed by forming overlapping half hitches with the warp ends. A pair of warps
at the left edge of the rug are held taut, straight out from the rug, and the warp just to
the right is looped back around them in a half hitch, emerging next to the fabric. This
yarn is tightened, then turned downward, to become one of the next two warps encircled.
Sometimes half hitches are tied back around single warp units, so that they do not
overlap.
When one row of half hitches is completed across the width of the rug, a second row can be
worked in the same manner, in the same direction. This gives the front surface a neat
allover braided look, while the back has small horizontal nodules. As many rows can
be constructed as desired. Even narrow bands made in this manner, however, are
secure.
The structure can instead be worked alternately on a rug's front and back. The two sides
are then the same, with ridges formed first on one face, then on the other. If you
pull outward on such a band, it will seem quite stretchy, like a knit fabric with
alternating knit and purl rows. Bands worked alternately on the two sides are
straight at both ends, while those worked consistently from the same side slope--inward on
the beginning end, outward on the other end. All of those pictured below have been worked
on the two sides alternately.
To identify some half-hitch bands, it is necessary to probe a bit with a needle--to see if
the yarns actually loop rather than interlace. |
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Kuba Kilim. The Caucasus
73½" x 42" (290 cm x 166 cm)
STRUCTURE: Slit tapestry.
SECONDARY STRUCTURE: Two-color, two-span twining edges the tapestry bands.
YARN SPIN: Z.
WARP: 2-ply ivory and medium brown wool (barber pole), 15 per inch.
WEFT: 2 wool singles, 40 per inch.
SELVAGES: Paired warps.
END FINISHES: Half-hitch band, worked alternately on
the back and front. Warp ends finished with offset overhand knots.
[DD-122. Daniel Deschuyteneer] |
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Three rows of half-hitches make up the transverse band on this Kuba kilim, and in
this example the half-hitches do not overlap. For each successive row the kilim was turned
over when it was worked; thus the center row here bulges outward, while on the reverse
(below), the first and third rows bulge forward. The warp ends were finished with
offset overhand knots.
(Front above; back below)
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Kuba (Chi-Chi) Knotted Rug.
Caucasus
48½" x 69½" (123 cm x 177 cm)
STRUCTURE: Symmetrical knots; H: 10, V: 13, 130 per square inch (H: 39/dm, V: 51/dm,
1989 per square dm).
Slight warp depression.
YARN SPIN: Z.
WARP: 3-ply tan/ivory wool, barber-pole ply.
WEFT: 3-ply white cotton; 2 shots between knotted rows.
PILE: 2 wool singles.
SELVAGES: 2 warp units (2,1) interlaced and overcast with the ground weft.
END FINISHES: ½ inch half-hitch band, worked
alternately on the two faces; weft-faced plain-weave band of white cotton.
[MM-0100. M. Mallett] |
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As on the kilim above, this band was worked alternately from the front and the back; thus
the two faces are nearly identical. The tan and ivory plies in the fine warps
obscure the structure.
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Kuba ("Perpedil")
Knotted Pile Rug. Caucasus
4' x 7'1" (114 cm x 213 cm)
STRUCTURE: Symmetrical knots; H: 13, V: 15, 195 per square inch (H: 52/dm, V: 60/dm,
3120 per square dm).
Severe warp depression.
YARN SPIN: Z.
WARP: 3-ply ivory wool.
WEFT: 2-ply ivory wool; 2 picks, crossed between sheds.
SELVAGES: 2 warp units (2,1) overcast with the white cotton ground weft.
END FINISHES: Half-hitch bands. 3 rows of
non-overlapping hitches, worked alternately on the front and back faces.
[DD-127. Daniel Deschuyteneer] |
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On the front of this half-hitch band two rows of hitches crowd closely together. On the
back (below), only the one intermediate row is visible. Units of three warp yarns
have been used together, and the hitches do not overlap.
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