An edge finish in which yarn is wrapped over and over around the outer edge of a rug, by machine or by hand, forming a rounded, rope-like band. It is the usual finish on the long sides of machine-made rugs (fringe usually marks the warp ends), and the way a worn edge of a hand-knottedA rug construction in which the weaver ties each knot of wool or silk pile yarn by hand around adjacent warp threads on a loom, then runs a weft through the row and beats it down. The cut knot ends form the pile, the warps and wefts form the foundation, and the warp ends become the fringe. A rug can take months or even years, and the work leaves subtle irregularities: patterns not perfectly symmetrical, opposite edges a few inches different in length, an uneven fringe. Authentic Persian, Oriental and Turkish rugs are hand-knotted, unlike hand-tufted rugs (sometimes sold as “handmade”) and machine-made ones, whose backs feel stiff and evenly aligned. rug is rebuilt (the repair called overcastingThe woven-in side edge of a hand-knotted rug, made during weaving as the weft is wrapped several times around the outermost warp to form a rounded, corded band. Depending on the region, the wrapping may use wool of a contrasting color, use the warp itself, or be kept flat rather than round, so the edge is one clue experts use to place a rug's origin. The word overcasting names this same edge and also appears in lists of common rug repairs.). The original edge of a hand-knotted rug is normally a selvage, woven in as the weft wraps the outermost warp during weaving, rather than an applied serge. On hand-made pieces, the evenness of the serging is a quick clue to the care taken in finishing.