Raise your hand if you have ever heard of a Rya rug. That’s not many.
I recently came across a YouTube video about Rya rugs. I’ll share that at the end.
For written information, here is what little I could find. A Rya is a traditional Scandinavian wool rug with a pile that ranges from 1 to 3 inches. They are made using a variation of the Ghiordes knot.
Rya means rug in English, but originally in Sweden, rya referred to a bed cover with a knotted pile.
As early as the fifteenth century, the first robes were made with coarse, long-piled wool and were said to be used by sailors instead of furs for heavy covers.
The insulation that rugs provide is said to be amazing. The pile side is placed face down on the bed or person, and the heat is trapped within the openness of the wool.
Rya is also a sheep breed. I will need to look deeper into the breed itself and see what I can find for another post.
Here is one of the videos I found: