Weaving in Beauty

Morris Muskett at left with printmaker/sculptor Melanie Yazzie (center) and exhibit developer Judy Newland (right0 at an early University of Colorado event as part of the Navajo Weaving: Diamonds, Dreams and Landscapes exhibit.

Tempe, AZ Weaver and silversmith Morris Muskett is having a 20% off sale on his jewelry at http://www.morrismuskett.com, but you’ll need to click fast because the sale ends today, January 20th.    Morris also wanted to let people know that he will be doing a talk entitled Hozho: Art by Morris Muskett on February 5th at the University of Colorado Museum in Boulder.  The talk will start at 6 PM in the Paleontology Hall and admission is free!  Morris will be discussing his weaving, jewelry and bridge art.  The event will open the last phase of the Navajo Weaving: Diamonds, Dreams and Landscapes exhibit.

Morris is also working on organizing some weaving classes in the Albuquerque area, so be sure to contact him if you’d be interested.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Sharie Monsam (left) and Lou Murphy (right) hold an 1880's wedge weave at John C. Hill Antique Indian Art in Scottsdale, AZ

Tempe, AZ During the 1870’s, Navajo weavers developed a new way of achieving the lightning bolt designs of their famous eye dazzlers.  Called a wedge weave, the technique involves weaving diagonal stripes which distort the vertical orientation of the warp threads, creating a scalloped edge.   My friends Liz Munk, who uses wedge weave quite a bit in her work, describes it simply as “sideways stripes”.    No one knows how Navajos happened onto the technique, which is also seen in Middle Eastern, Andean and Scandanavian  weaving, but the Navajos who used the method employed it far more extensively than others, creating whole textiles with it.    It’s possible that the weavers happened on the technique as a variation of the efficient sectional weaving method that ignorant and bigoted observers call a “lazy line”, a term that I truly detest and might write more about on a day when I feel really snarky.

The 1880’s blanket seen above alternates wedge weave sections with conventional horizontal weave, but you can still see the scallops in the wedge woven areas.   In the detail picture below, you can clearly see the bias woven wedges pulling the warp out of vertical alignment.   Thanks to John C. Hill Antique Indian Art for allow us to handle and photograph this wonderful example.

A detail of the blanket above clearly shows the bias weave and warp distortion in the wedge weave sections.

Wedge weaves seem to have been woven by only a few people and possibly because of their irregular edges they didn’t make the transition to rugs that began in the 1890’s.  Although they’re occasionally seen in contemporary Navajo weaving, the most prominent contemporary wedge weave practitioner is Connie Lippert, who will be teaching it this July at Convergence 2010 in workshop WA207.   If you’re interested in reading more about how the weave is done, try to find a copy of Joanne Mattera’s 1975 book Navajo Techniques for Today’s Weaver (Watson-Guptil, ISBN 0823031535).  Though it’s long out of print, you will find it frequently on Ebay, from used book sellers and at many public libraries.

Although this is the conclusion of this series on Germantown, Late Classic and Transitional weaving, there is a great deal more to be seen and written about in this period.  Those of you in the Phoenix, Arizona area who are interested in this aspect of Navajo weaving can look forward to meeting author Tyrone Campbell at the Old Territorial Shop in Scottsdale, AZ from March 4-6.  He will be presenting a collection of  historic Navajo, Pueblo and Rio Grande weavings that are for sale and doing informal appraisals.    I’ll be stopping by to photograph the textiles and hopefully speak with Mr. Campbell, so look for another visit with historic weaving and weavers in March.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Coming on Wednesday:  A Trip to the Crownpoint Rug Auction, New and Unusual Weaving

Sampler weavings produced by Weaving in Beauty students

Tempe, AZ Over the past 12 years, Jennie Slick and I have taught over 300 people how to weave the Navajo way, but not everyone who is interested can make the trip to the Southwest or get into one the workshops that we do on the road.   Starting on January 30, I’m going to try doing an online Beginning Navajo Weaving Techniques class.   Participants will need a high speed Internet connection and a headset and microphone in addition to a Navajo style loom, yarn and some tools.   A web camera is helpful, but not necessary.  Cost for this first time effort will be $30 per student to help defray the cost of the virtual classroom.   The class will be held on Sunday afternoons from 3 PM to 5PM Eastern time, 1 PM to 3PM Mountain time and will run for five weeks.  In that time, students should be able to finish a 12″x16″ sampler weaving.  I’ll schedule office hours when students can ask questions through online chat and I’ll also be available via email.   This first session will be limited to eight students.

The curriculum will include

• warping the loom
• mounting the warp
• starting to weave
• designing on the loom
• interlock joins
• turned joins
• problem solving
• finishing

We will warp the looms in the first lesson, get the looms set up and start weaving in the second session, work on interlock joins in the third session, try turned joins and diagonals in the fourth session and work on finishing in the last session.  No prior weaving experience is assumed or necessary; you just need to have an open mind and some free time.   Download access to handouts detailing the course content is included in the cost of the class.  I’ll schedule future sessions depending on the results of this class.   If you want to try accessing the virtual classroom to see you you’ll be able to participate, I’ll be glad to arrange that before or after my textile conservation work day on a first come, first served basis.

Quick update on 1/4/2010:  Right now, the class is full. There are a couple of students who aren’t sure that their Internet connections can handle it, so their seats may open up.  Please contact me if you’d like to know if and when the class will be offered again.     Upon registration, you’ll receive a list of materials needed, access to handouts and we’ll schedule a brief meeting to check out the classroom connection.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

A detail of a Late Classic raveled bayeta blanket at Turkey Mountain Traders in Scottsdale, AZ.

Tempe, AZ Navajo Germantowns were woven during two overlapping periods identified as the Late Classic (1865-1880) and Transitional (1868-1895).   Both periods are marked by increasing use of commercial materials and adaptation of designs from Rio Grande, Saltillo and other weaving traditions.  During both periods, Germantown yarns were sometimes combined with other available weaving materials, most famously with raveled bayeta.   Starting in the Late Classic period, the design geometries used extended from the wider than long Chief Blanket to the longer than wide serape more closely identified with the Hispanic cultures of the region.

The Late Classic weaving shown above is at Turkey Mountain Traders and clearly shows the influence of Rio Grande and Saltillo design.  The bright red background yarns are raveled bayeta which has been respun (and possibly recarded).  The pattern yarns are Germantowns.  In the detailed photo below, I hope that you’ll be able to see the difference in the texture between the bayeta and the Germantown yarn.   You’ll also see another aspect of Navajo weaving that was introduced during this period, a knotted finish at one end of the weaving, a departure from the traditional and time consuming closed warp finish that was deemed less important since the ends were covered by an added fringe, vestiges of which can be seen here.   The downside of this technique was that it was not as durable as the traditional method, so this particular weaving is all the more remarkable because the knotted end is in good condition.  Knotted finishes were largely abandoned as Navajo textiles began to be used as floorcoverings, but they’re still used to finish the modern Gallup throws that are woven for the tourist trade.

A detail of a Late Classic serape style weaving at Turkey Mountain Traders

When a gallery or museum professional is trying to authenticate or date a textile, the analysis of the materials provides crucial evidence that combined with the pattern, techniques and provenance determines the age and estimated value of the piece.  This weaving is an excellent case in point.  A visual examination shows what the background yarns are very clearly different from the plied pattern yarns, but are they Navajo-churro wool that’s been aniline dyed or are they the fabled raveled bayeta?  To definitively answer that question, we need to go into the lab and do some microscopic examination of the fibers and spectral analysis of the dye.   The shorter industrially processed wool fibers in bayeta are quite different from long staple crimpless hand-processed Churro wool and the carminic acid that produces the color in cochineal forms a distinctive fingerprint that immediately identifies the dye source.  For an interesting look at how this is done, you can check out the textile analysis pages at http://www.material-insight.com/NavajoBlanket.htm.

We have one more stop to make on our walk and we’ll be looking at a beautiful Wedge Weave from the Transitional Period at John C. Hill Antique Indian Art. Look for that installment on Sunday!

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

An 1880's Germantown at the River Trading Post in Scottsdale, AZ.

Tempe, AZ I didn’t say which Sunday I would do the next installment on the Germantowns did I?  This time of year offers more than it’s fair share of distractions and writing articles fell by the wayside somewhere between the recipe box and the post office.   But, it’s Sunday again and I’ve got some time to continue showing you the marvels of Germantown weaving that we found on Main St. in Scottsdale.   At the River Trading Post, we saw an excellent example of the heights of design and craftsmanship that the Navajo weavers achieved during this period.   The weaving in the picture above was created in about 1880 and shows the facility that the Navajos had developed with manipulation of color within design motifs, adapting borrowed design elements into a uniquely Navajo geometry.

This particular piece has some wear in the center that has exposed a few of the fine plied cotton string warp threads.  You can see a close view of them and the Germantown yarns in the picture below (and you can click on the picture for a larger view).    Germantown yarn was plied yarn intended for knitting.   The earliest yarns were three ply and later Germantown is four ply.  It’s a fairly fine yarn, between a sport and DK or double knitting weight.   Although some  early Germantown yarn was dyed with natural colorants, most of it was dyed with coal tar derived aniline dyes, especially after the Civil War.

A detailed view of the Germantown weaving in the picture above. You can clearly see the plied wool weft and the cotton warp.

After the Navajos had returned from the Long Walk,  traders began to stock the Germantown yarn and cotton warp, but this was costly for the weavers and only the best could sell their work at a price that would justify the investment.  Used for their intended purpose, Germantowns were not good blankets and the market for them reflected that.  The combination of cotton warp and machine spun worsted produced a blanket that had poor insulation and wearing qualities.  Potential buyers considered them to be inferior to the handspun Late Classic and Chief blankets that preceded them.  Many weavers put their work on hiatus, patiently building up their flocks and a supply of wool that was free in the sense that the supply of it did not depend on any outside source, which is the Navajo way of looking at it.   Ironically,  Germantowns became popular as wall hangings during the 1890’s, around the time that the Navajos stopped using the yarn and returned to using mostly their own handspun.

We’ve got two more stops on our gallery walk, and we’ll visit with Turkey Mountain Traders next.  There we’ll look at a Late Classic piece to see some of the differences in the work.  We’ll also see some authenticated raveled bayeta.

A Rio Grande Blanket (left) and a Navajo Germantown weaving, both from the 1880's. These pieces are at the Old Territorial Shop in Scottsdale, AZ.

Tempe, AZ The Germantown period, which lasted from 1864 until about 1915, represents one of the most vibrantly creative eras in the history of Navajo weaving.  The very existence of these textiles is a testimony to the perseverance and will to survive of the Navajo people.  Although commercial yarns had been available to the Navajos in very small quantities, it was when the they were incarcerated at the Bosque Redondo near Ft. Sumner, New Mexico that these knitting yarns were introduced to them as a means of producing textiles for use and trade.

The Army had destroyed nearly all of the Navajos’ sheep and they had no other means of obtaining wool.  They were living in holes they had dug in the ground, trying to farm in the alkaline plains near the Pecos and had lost many of their family members and their homes on the Long Walk of 350 miles to Hwééldí.  In a triumph of will and dignity, they took the new materials, adapted the patterns of the Hispanic and Rio Grande weavings that they had seen and produced some of the most celebrated textiles in history.   They continued to use the new yarns when they returned to their homeland in 1868, carefully rebuilding their flocks until they once again could once again use their own handspun for weaving, a process that took some 20 years.   Please re-read this paragraph as you look at the pictures.

The pieces that survive are in collections, homes, museums and galleries all over the world, but many have remained in or have been returned to the Southwest.  Once a year, as part of a class that I teach for the Fiber Factory on the Germantown period, I try to get a group of students together to see any Germantowns that may be displayed in several of the galleries near Main St. in Scottsdale.  Over the next couple of days, you can take a virtual gallery walk with me and I’ll show you some of the weavings that grace their walls.

Our first stop was at the Old Territorial Shop.   The owners, Deb and Alston Neal carry both contemporary and vintage work, and I wasn’t sure they’d have any examples of the Germantown period, but they had two that were absolutely wonderful.    They also had a Rio Grande blanket that Alston graciously arranged next to one of the Germantowns for comparison (the picture is the one at the start of this post).  The Rio Grande blanket is woven in two panels that were meticulously joined to make a wider blanket.   The Germantown weaving on the right has interesting variations in the background color that appear to have been both deliberate and original.

The Old Territorial Shop also has an excellent example of the Late Classic period that shows the facility of the weavers with color and the creative way that they adapted designs.  The weaving is behind the desk that is on your left as you into the gallery (see picture below) and is one of those weavings that seems to me to be more beautiful every time I look at it. Of course,  being in a beautiful gallery is a nice advantage too. It is woven from handspun wool.  The red was aniline dyed, the blues are indigo and the greens are indigo over rabbitbrush.   Although it isn’t a Germantown, it does reflect the design influences that are seen in the period just after the Long Walk and dates from about 1875.

An early Germantown blanket at the Old Territorial Shop.

I like to think that the spirit of the weavers of these blankets lives on in the beautiful colors and patterns that they have left for us to appreciate.

Our next stop will be a little further down Main St. at the River Gallery.  It might be Sunday before I can get it done, but you’ll get a good look at the warp threads and some really sophisticated design elements in a piece that they have right now.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker