Navajo weaving workshop

15 to 17 December 2024

 

We're wintering in Tucson, so it seemed reasonable to join a three-day workshop on Navajo weaving.  The first day of the weaving workshop was good – although this is more exacting than the tapestry weaving I did in Italy, because apparently Navajo weaving has rules, and things need to be carefully measured and counted. I'm fine with the math, but, well, I'm not a very rule-oriented person. (Just in case you all hadn't noticed that, LOL!)

Anyway, it's a very complicated loom, I can't even explain it. Plus our instructors already set up the warp, which seems to be sewn into heavy grey yarn at the top and bottom.  But it needs to be worked with the loom upright, and bolted to a table. Eight rows woven in a special weave (instead of one over and one under, it's two over and two under), then another 2" in a closer weave. Then the central design (which is measured so it's EXACTLY centered. Then 2" in basic weave, then eight rows in the beginning weave. That's what I mean, I'm not quite that exacting in my artwork.

Our two instructors are sisters, from the Navajo nation. (Hence the traditional Navajo weaving.) There are 13 students in the class (one man and the rest women). Three or four students are also Navajo, or perhaps Pueblo – people introduced themselves, and all the Native American people introduced themselves both in English and in Navajo.

I will admit, part of me was debating introducing myself as being of the tribe of Judah, and doing part of that in Hebrew. But I didn't think that would go over well, nor that anyone would think that was as amusing as Richard and I think it is. So, I few sentences in English – I’m a retired art teacher, husband and I have been travelling since retiring in 2012, attended some art lessons in other countries learning about their cultural art forms, so sure, Navajo weaving made perfect sense.

 

So on Day #1, I made it as far as that first 2.5" on my first day. And I had my design laid out on graph paper, and my colors selected.  On Day #2, I started on the design in a contrasting color.  Most of my day was spent at the weaving workshop, and my design is going well. Unfortunately, I'm not a speedy weaver, and I don't know that I'll get it done. I stayed an extra hour on Day #2, trying to get the design finished, and most people brought their looms home to finish up that portion. But I'm at a point where my stepped pyramid is decreasing, and I'm confusing myself on how to move the yarn when the rectangles shift over.  Part of my confusion is that the yarn is moved into position when one is weaving only in one specific direction, and of course, I keep forgetting which that direction that is, and sometimes it seems as if I'm adding an extra row to only part of my pattern which also is confusing.

Plus at our rental house, we only have a bar-height table with a metal frame under the table top and tall chairs, not a normal kind of dinner table – I'm not sure the vertical loom can even be secured on that table. (It uses blocks of wood and C clamps to make a base, and the loom fits into that.)

So, I may need to just end my weaving with either basic weave, or make it shorter, or something. Not sure if that's possible.

Anyway, I'm having fun. If nothing else, I've learned how the Navajo weaving manages to not have the loose yarn ends showing on the back – the trick with the yarn in Navajo weaving it to break or shave the end of the yarn so it's super tapered – then overlap another piece that's also tapered. (Overlap about 1/2 to 1 inch.) The two tapered ends prevent the yarn from working out of the weave. That way the end doesn't work itself out of the finished piece – the shaved tapered part kind of grabs onto the other piece, and they stay put! I'd guess that might work with knitting or crochet work as well!  Although the yarn is thick single ply, not four ply the way most knitting/crocheting yarn usually is.  I'm not sure if that works with multi-ply yarn, I meant to ask but forgot. We were using thick single-ply because it doesn't have as much air so it weaves more densely.

 

On Day #3, we finished our weavings and cut them off the loom today – and it was all so much more complicated than I had even imagined! And we actually used little electric lint shavers to clean off the fuzz that builds up and wool ends that stick out – it really is pretty impressive! 

 

Our class ran two hours late because three of us were slow, me being one of them. Most people took their looms home at least one evening to catch up, but I didn't think the blocks and clamps would work on the tables we have at our house. Oh well, the two instructors took pity on me and each did about four to eight rows of weaving on the last part, where it gets really tight and difficult. (The vertical warp threads are attached to a horizontal wool thread, and that wool thread is attached to cross bars on the loom. So we HAVE TO weave all the way up to that horizontal wool thread – that makes it super difficult for the last several rows – we used special large yarn needles to weave!)

When everyone was finished, our teachers said a special blessing in Navajo, thanking the Creator for all sorts of things, including the gift of weaving (which Spider Woman brought to human women, according to legend). It was pretty interesting.

Because Navajo weaving was traditionally done by women, the whole process is sort of an analogy for childbirth and child-rearing. A certain thread that creates the heddle, the process that lifts and separates the warp threads to create the weave, is supposed to have special female powers and links us to Spider Woman. The ritual is that the instructor tells us when that string needs to be cut, they begin it, and the student pulls the thread and it comes out. Weirdly, I felt a strange internal physical WHOOSH of energy! One of the instructors said we should get a rush of woman power, so who knows, maybe it was all in my head, but maybe it was real! (I will admit I'm susceptible to the power of persuasion, so I never know if it's real or if I'm convincing myself it was real.)

 

Yes, the whole thing with Navajo weaving is that the legends surrounding this art form are so entwined with the culture – Spider Man and Spider Woman came to Earth at a certain tall rock pinnacle (I think it's near Canyon de Chely), and they brought weaving with them. Spider Man built the first loom, and Spider Woman taught people how to weave.  I love legends like that!  Lynda, the instructor who helped each person take that special string off their loom, said something different to each person – makes me wonder if she somehow got a sense of what that person needed to hear at that moment somehow!

 

I did a little online research and it turns out our Navajo weaving instructors are fairly famous in this field, especially the older sister whose weavings are in museums, have won prizes, all sorts of exciting things! They both will be at the Heard Museum (in Phoenix) in March when there is a large Native American art event.

 

Anyway, it was a really interesting class, and I’m so glad I attended.  I’m going to try weaving another version of my design from the weaving class in Italy, and incorporate some of the techniques from Navajo weaving.  The way they do the change from one color to another in a side-by-side design is much easier than the traditional French style of color changes.

 

I’ll report back after I finish another castle from San Gemini!