Carpet design and talim writing studio

This studio designs new hand-knotted carpets and writes their talim, the coded script a weaver reads to know which colour of yarn to knot where. Using carpet design software, you draw a pattern, set its colours and knot count, print the talim in sections for the loom, and sell the set to carpet dealers, exporters and loom owners. You can also turn worn paper talims of old designs into clean digital copies, and draw custom designs in a buyer's own colours and size.

Srinagar's hand-knotted silk carpet is the district's One District One Product and carries a GI tag. Most weavers sell to dealers at loom-gate rates, and fresh, well-drawn designs are one way a carpet earns a better price. Many designs are now drawn on computer, not by hand on graph paper.

You need one person who truly understands talim and Kashmiri carpet patterns, training in design software, two or three good computers and a colour printer. The hard parts: dealers guard their designs and copying is common, so agree ownership in writing; the number of weavers has been falling; and payments can come late.

Find buyers by visiting loom clusters and dealers with a printed design book, and by showing carpets woven from your designs to interior designers and hotels who want a carpet made to order.