Weaving in Beauty

Sarah Natani demonstrates caring for Heard Fair chairperson Barbara Johnson.

Sarah Natani is tireless in her efforts to extend the appreciation for Navajo culture and weaving.  I found Sarah in the demontration area just across from Sallie Parker.  She was patiently showing carding and spinning for fairgoers, and as you can see in the picture above her weaving expertise had been rewarded with several ribbons.  The rope lashing that you see in the backbround providing the tensioning for Sarah’s loom is handspun Navajo-Churro wool which has been braided for this purpose.  You can also see some of the rope in the foreground.    Sarah’s spinning technique is shown in the two pictures below.

Sarah Natani drafts out a length of carded wool.

Sarah adds twist to the wool to create a weft yarn

Sarah lives near Shiprock, NM and maintains her own flock of Navajo-churro sheep and also uses wool from her sister’s flock.    She is an active teacher.   You can contact her regarding classes by emailing her daughter, TahNiiBaa.

I’ll leave you with Sarah today and we’ll continue with the Heard show until we’ve visited with all the weavers.