Patent ID: 8347800

Claim:
A method of tufting a pattern in a backing material using a tufting machine comprising a needle bar having a width and comprising a plurality of needles oriented across the width of the bar, the method comprising: a) providing a plurality of different yarns for tufting the pattern, wherein the plurality of different yarns comprises yarns A, B, . . . n; b) threading at least some of the plurality of needles with one of each yarns A, B, . . . n to form a sequence of yarns across the width of the needle bar, wherein at least a portion of the sequence comprises some of yarns A, B, . . . n arranged in an order different from yarn A, yarn B, yarn C . . . yarn n; c) tufting the backing material by: i) moving the backing material under the needle bar in a direction, wherein the backing material comprises a face side and an underside and wherein feeding the backing material under the needle bar comprises feeding the backing material face side down under the needle bar; ii) reciprocating the needle bar downwardly and upwardly to drive the needles at least partially through the backing material to force the yarn threaded on each needle to repeatedly penetrate through the backing material and thereby form yarn loops; and iii) controlling a tension on each yarn threaded on a needle to control the position of the yarn loops formed with each yarn relative to the backing material, wherein at least some of the yarn loops remain visible on the face side of the backing material and wherein at least some of the yarn loops are pulled at least partially out of the backing material so as not to be visible on the face side of the web.