The Weaving News
Five years ago, Liz Munk, Jennie Slick and I decided that we wanted to add to the materials available to help people learn to weave the Navajo way. In particular, we wanted to provide a more detailed look at every phase of the warping process and add to the documentation on turned joins and diagonal…
Window Rock, AZ All of the students from our May class have headed home and most of them are already there. I’m still in Window Rock to take care of a few errands and I’ll be heading back to the Phoenix area today. I’ll be writing about the class this week, but I wanted to…
Window Rock, AZ Today, Rose and Henry Lee Dedman helped us to dye some wool in the Navajo way, over an open fire. We collected ground lichen, sage and rabbitbrush on the Defiance Plateau and used walnut hulls and wild carrot that we had harvested last year and stored. One of the students brought a…
Window Rock, AZ A very deep and welcome snow pack in the Chuska Mountains has led to historically high water in Canyon de Chelly, about 67 miles from Window Rock. The canyon was even closed to tours during late April, but the waters have receded enough in the last week or so to allow people…
Window Rock, AZ Today we went to the Two Grey Hills area, about 70 miles northeast of Window Rock. We took a spectacularly beautiful route along Indian Route 12 and crossed Narbona Pass on New Mexico route 134, stopping to visit the abandoned Crystal Trading Post, where J.B. Moore helped to extend the market for…
Window Rock, AZ The snow is gone! Today, our class took a field trip to R.B. Burnham and Company Trading Post in Sanders, Arizona. Burnham’s features yarns that are custom-spun for Navajo weaving, and it is always a favorite stop for our classes. Virginia Burnham spent some time showing us some of the rugs currently…
Window Rock, AZ Our May weaving class started off in a spring snow storm this morning. It was still snowing this evening, but the temperature is expected to rise tomorrow and we’re hoping for a return to more springlike weather. In the meantime, we had a chance to capture some out of season beauty with…
Tempe, AZ You can find Spider Rock Girl Laramie Blake’s graduation album on her page at the Spider Rock Girls web site. There are 29 pictures in the album. Hagoshíí (so long for now) Mary Walker
Chinle, AZ Spider Rock Girl Laramie Blake will be graduating from Chinle High School on May 22nd and I was honored to be asked to take her graduation pictures. We spent about two hours at the Spider Rock overlook at Canyon de Chelly today, taking about 125 pictures that we browsed through over dinner at…
Albuquerque, NM Master weaver and silversmith Morris Musket is beginning to offer classes in Navajo and other indigenous weaving techniques. He is currently working with one private student and will work with you to arrange classes in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area. He’s also willing to do combined class/tour events and will travel to your area…