The carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering, usually an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The word comes from the Old Italian carpita, from carpire, to pluck.
Rugs are smaller than carpets, often laid over one, and often decorated.
How carpets are made
Fitted carpets were first woven to the size of the room they covered. Later they were made in strips and held down with tacks around the edge.
In the early 20th century, tufting changed the trade. Pile yarns are stitched through a textile backing and coated underneath. It replaced traditional weaving and now makes up about half of all production.
Shag and rya
Shag carpet has a high pile of cut yarns, 1½ to 3 inches long. It was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and drew on much older Scandinavian rya and Greek flokati rugs.