Trading Posts
The Navajos and The Amazing Cochineal Beetle, Part I
Jennie Slick and I are in Albuquerque on our way to do a three day workshop in Massachusetts. Just before I left Phoenix, I washed and rinsed some custom yarns for the students to look at. One group of them was dyed with cochineal. There’s a picture of the grouping below. Isn’t it amazing that…
Read MoreWeaving Worlds Documentary to be Shown on PBS
Update on 11/07/08: If you’re looking for a broadcast time for Weaving Worlds, check with PBS at this link. PBS will be showing Bennie Klain’s Weaving World’s documentary this November as part of their observance of Native American Heritage month. The film was shown at this year’s Austin SXSW Film Festival and depicts the intricate…
Read MoreRare 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 MoreWeavers and Traders: A New Study by Teresa Wilkins
Teresa J. Wilkins of the University of New Mexico, Gallup has taken up the highly charged subject of the relationship between weavers and traders in her new book, Patterns of Exchange: Navajo Weavers and Traders. I’m just getting started reading it, but I like Dr. Wilkins approach, which analyzes the complex ways in which both…
Read More