RYA RUGs - RYIJY

Rya Rug Backing

Paivatar Rya Rug Backing

For those who don’t weave but like the plushness of a Ryijy – Rya rug I now am able to supply the backing so you can make your own rya.
The backing is woven using a pure linen warp and wool weft.

I am very pleased to say that I am now able to weave some rya backings. These will be narrow in width 40-60 cm as I do not yet have the arm strength required to weave larger widths.

Rya Backing on Loom

Rya Backing on Loom


The Paivatar rya backings are similar to the Finnish Wetterhoff rya backing. The sett of the cloth is approximately the same (number of warp threads per inch/cm. As I worked with the Wetterhoff backing, I found it a bit difficult to use thicker weight yarns, due to the firmly packed weft. I prefer to weave the backing with a slightly looser beat, to allow a bit of wiggle room for tying the rya knots.
As you work with the rya knots and add more, the knots will fill in the extra spacing of the weft threads. Give a firm tug to each knot across the row, before stitching the next row. This helps to even the sett, and to leave extra room for tying the next row of knots.

Wetterhoff Rya Backing

Wetterhoff Rya Backing

The backing cloth has been woven using natural cream coloured organic wool and linen yarns.
I have also sourced some lovely yarns from small spinning mills in eastern Europe. The flax and wools are sourced from local farmers and are spun using traditional methods using organic materials.

Please Contact me if you have any questions.

The spacing between each Rya knot row is approximately 1 cm

Rya Rug Backing Fabric/

This Table gives a guideline of how many knots are per row of backing. Because the backing I weave varies with each warp, I will provide the details of the number of rya knots per row for that backing. If you are using thicker yarn for the rya knots, you may choose to skip a space in your stitching.

Backing Width CMBacking Width InchesKnots per RowRows Per Meter
35 cm14 inches52 knots100 rows
45 cm18 inches68 knots100 rows
54 cm21 inches80 knots100 rows
80 cm32 inches120 knots100 rows
100 cm40 inches150 knots100 rows
120 cm48 inches180 knots100 rows
130 cm52 inches195 knots100 rows
Rya Knots Closeup

Rya Knots Closeup

Rya Sample[/caption]

When working with Rya Backing, you can choose to tie the rya knots on every warp grouping or you can space the knots out by skipping one warp group in between each knot.
For example, if you are using a thicker weight yarn it is best to leave a warp thread untied between each rya knot.
If you are using finer weight yarn such as a 4Ply or Sock yarn, tie the knots around every 2 warp threads.
In Finland, many variations in the spacing of rya knots were used, depending on the weight of the cloth, the thickness of yarn or the desired effect of the finished pile.
There is no one right way to tie rya knots.

Rya Knots - Sirelius

Rya Knots – Sirelius

Source: U.T. Sirelius – The Ryijy Rugs of Finland

How to Stitch a Rya Rug – Closeup – YouTube