SERA HELSINKI
KNOTTED RUGS
Knotted rugs are thick and luxurious. To produce one six square meter knotted rug takes about one month from a team of five persons. One square meter of knotted rug weights about 5 kg. The rugs are made by using a traditional Ethiopian rug making techniques.

KNOTTING METHOD
The making of a knotted rug begins by stretching cotton warps on the loom, running up and down. The wool thread is taken through the warps one by one by hand. The warps lie vertically on the loom, and the thread is tied around two cotton warps and cut by hand. One square meter weighs around five kilograms.
The thread is bitten tightly using a tool called a bitter. Every single thread is tied around the warp and cut by hand. The knot is first shortened with a blade, and after the whole row of knots is done with scissors. After cutting and tying the warps, the rug is brushed. In the end, the threads are evened using scissors, and the rug is steamed to cleanse any impurities.

EMPOWERING DESIGN
In 2016 SERA HELSINKI started with eight female weavers. We trained these women weaving techniques, how to understand geometrics and how to measure. Currently, these eight women have trained about 160 artisans in Addis Ababa. SERA HELSINKI has several workshops in the city; some operate as NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and some private businesses. Every SERA HELSINKI rug is a result of teamwork. If one person is sighted, they can lead those that are visually impaired