What does it involve to make a quality Ibenstein Karakul carpet?
Wolfgang: Twice annually, wool is bought on a wool auction in Windhoek. Only Karakul wool is used, out of which all comes from farms in southern Namibia. After the wool is unsorted, and we do know some 20 25 natural color shades, we first sort the wool into its natural color shades. At the same time, big dirt particles are removed as well. Using our only machine, the wool is loosened with the help of an electric carding machine (opener). The spinners collect the wool from the electrical carding machine, and hand card it manually. Hand carding the wool already removes a lot of the loose dirt (sand etc.) prior to washing it. The wool is spun into a solid, strong thread. The spun wool collected once a week, is allowed to soak the whole night in a mixture of cold water and soap, before it is washed and rinsed by hand and hung outside to dry. As wet wool shrinks, some weights will be hung on the drying wool, stretching it to its original length again. The wool can be used in its natural col
