Mottled rugs are made of figured silkoline. Choose oriental colors, no
matter how gaudy the silkoline may look in the piece. It will have a
beautiful effect when woven. Portieres are pretty made in this way.
These rugs should always be plain--that is, without stripes.

[Illustration: _A mottled rug of figured silkoline, in which the colors
brown, blue, and old gold predominate_]

[Sidenote: _Plain rugs with mottled borders, or mottled rugs with plain
borders_]

Plain rugs with mottled borders, or mottled rugs with plain borders, are
the delight of the children. Adjust the frame for the size required, and
decide how wide the border is to be. It is necessary to have an extra
pair of rods, if one desires a smooth and well-finished rug. The border
of the rug represented in the illustration is two inches. This should be
woven with a tape needle. Weave the border at the foot of the loom. This
extends the entire width. Place the extra rods two inches toward the
center from the side rods on the outside of the rug, keeping them _back_
of the border already woven at the foot. This will outline the sides of
the plain oblong in the center. Weave the left and right hand borders up
to a point two inches from the head piece, taking care to go around the
rods just placed. Then begin the plain center. As you come to the border
on each side, run your tape needle _through_ the loops of mottled
silkoline which are around the rod, but do not go around the rod itself
with the plain silkoline, since doing so would make a ridge in the rug.
Draw the woof strips tightly and firmly, so that the work will lie flat
and smooth when removed from the loom. Be sure to weave the center far
enough, remembering that the upper woof strips in the border will crowd
it down. When the center is finished, remove the extra rods and finish
weaving the border to the head piece. In selecting a color for the
center, match one of the colors in the figured silkoline. The color for
the center in the rug of the illustration on page 90 is green, and the
same color appears also in the mottled border, with yellow and brown.
The ends should be left plain, the warp strings being concealed as
directed. These rugs are very beautiful, and can be made in an infinite
variety through the use of different colors, and by reversing the center
and border. They can be made of carpet or Germantown wool, in two colors
or in two tones of one color. In weaving rugs with centers and bor