If you were born into a weaving family, like Zeynep Deneri (shown below), your elders would teach you. (This Turkish girl's picture comes from Marla Mallett's book, Woven Structures.)
Were you a Persian nomad, like the heroine of Mohsen Makhmalbaf's film, Gabbeh (1996), you would depict your life story in the carpets you wove.
Through such glimpses, I have come to love the idea of women knotting carpets of original design in handspun wool. Emmett Eiland's excellent blog suggests that this may be "an idealized model of some distant time." To be sure, the world is not at all what it was when Mallett and Makhmalbaf wrote.
In spite of which, throwing common sense to the wind, I found some classes (thanks to Madrona Fiber Arts) and wove a small (14" x 19") knotted pile carpet depicting my two favorite dogs. It took me 18 months. Based on that quite convoluted experience, I can wholeheartedly suggest: Dive into this 3,000 year old craft if you wish. Learning awaits.
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| Zeynep Deneri's first rug |
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| Two dogs under the stars, front side |
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| Two dogs under the stars, back side |
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| Loom being warped, with oriental carpet in background |
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