One of the things that the tour company we have used for all of our tours for the last four years does is make stops at "trusted partners". Part of it is to display local traditions and crafts (like, for example, the coffee plantation in Costa Rica or the Icon Factory and Olive Farm in Greece). I suspect there may also be some sort of "advantage" to the company to do this, or at least to its tour guides. I do not really mind: the stops have always been interesting, the pressure to purchase low, and it has really been a great way to see local practices and crafts.
In this case, it was a rug factory.
Traditional rugs being woven in wool, wool and silk, and silk. Silk is obviously the finest, can be woven to the greatest detail, and takes the most time.
A loom with a partial and finished rug:
Part of the tour was demonstrating traditional rug making. Pots for dyeing:
Dyed yarns:
Traditional herbals used for dyes:
Bobbins and silk rollers (and some random things I have no idea what they are):
The undyed silk:
Silk cocoons being soaked for unwinding:
If this works [I sure hope it does], it should be a video of a machine that de-cocoonizes (is that even a word) the cocoons into thread:
The finished pre-dyed product:
After the demonstration of course, comes the sales floor:
The rug below is the one we bought. Yes, it was probably more money than needed to be spent, but it just makes me happy. (Interesting note: You can tell a traditionally woven rug versus a machine woven rug in that the color of the fibers will vary to the sight when brushed one way or the other). And I am finding overall that I would rather buy one "larger ticket" item from a trip than many small ones, both from the "not leaving too much for my heirs to deal with" as well as the quality of the purchse.
This is that same carpet in the living room of our apartment. Every day I see it - and I see it every day - it makes me happy. Much like the icon I purchased in Greece, it is a daily reminder of a grand adventure.
So excited to see this post (of course!) What a great place to visit, especially considering the popularity of these rugs. Fascinating to see the displays and the weavers at work. The rugs are exquisite. I've dabbled a bit in tapestry weaving and have a real admiration for it. It's like painting with yarn.
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