Posts by Mary Walker
Rare Weaves: The Bisti Rug
In an earlier post, I made a reference to the Bisti area and received a question about the characteristics and history of the Bisti style of weaving. Many people have never heard of a Bisti rug and if they’ve seen one, they may not have recognized it. The name Bisti comes from the region where…
Read More2009 Weaving in Beauty Calendar
This afternoon, I put the finishing touches on the Weaving in Beauty calendar for 2009. Every year, I take umm, ah, about 2000 pictures of weavers, rugs, sheep and, yes, dyepots. Now, I suppose it can be argued that one dyepot looks about like another dyepot, but in the Navajo way of looking at things,…
Read MoreDirectly from the Weaver: Selling Rugs on Ebay
Emily Malone and her family, also known as the Spider Rock Girls, are on the forefront of weavers looking for new outlets to sell their work and have their own web site as well as an Ebay account. Emily’s just finished this Transitional Burntwater rug and it’s on Ebay this weekend. She’s also entered it…
Read MoreTextile Analysis: Counting Warps and Wefts
One of the ways to gauge the quality of a textile is to count the threads in an inch of weaving. The more threads per inch, the finer the cloth. Anyone who has ever slept on 800 count sheets knows how much difference this can make. In Navajo pieces, both the warps and wefts are…
Read MoreYe’i and Ye’i Bi Chei Weavings
Above: A 1950’s handspun Shiprock Ye’i dyed with vegetal and aniline colors People who aren’t familiar with Navajo weaving often confuse Ye’i and Ye’i Bi Chei weavings. The Ye’i design depicts the Diyiin Diné’é (Holy People) directly and they are always shown facing the viewer and are often surrounded on three sides by a Rainbow…
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