Noel Bennett met traditional Navajo weaver Tiana Bighorse in 1968. In time Tiana took her into her family as a daughter. Together they sheared sheep, collected plants, dyed wool, carded, spun, and wove. This book records their many experiences together, a collaboration that spans nearly thirty years. In 1971, Tiana and Noel wrote Working with the Wool: How to Weave a Navajo Rug. Noel later wrote Designing with the Wool and The Weaver's Pathway. Now, this single, authoritative volume brings together those three books--with updates and revisions--as well as excerpts from other published articles and books by Noel and Tiana about Navajo weaving, culture, and history. Detailed charts and illustrations help the weaver find her way step-by-step through the making of a first sampler and through several more advanced techniques.
The publisher has performed a real service in making available the work of Bennett, whose books on Navajo weaving and tradition have been out of print for some time. In 1968, as young woman, Bennett moved to the Navajo reservation in Arizona planning a two-year stay to learn traditional Navajo weaving and spinning techniques. She remained for eight years, learned to weave under the tutelage of Tiana Bighorse, and began a life-long fascination with the Navajo way of life. This volume is a reworking of Bennett's Working with the Wool (1971), The Weaver's Pathway (1974), and Designing with the Wool (1979), combining material from these earlier books with new information on Navajo spinning and dyeing techniques. Recommended for scholarly decorative arts holdings as well as public how-to collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.