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.
ReplyDeleteYay! I was thinking how much you would have enjoyed this the whole time we were there.
DeleteOne of the things I probably should have stated above is that this is a public/private partnership with local weavers. To my mind, remarkable that a government would actually recognize such a thing as a worthwhile item to preserve and keep.
One thing I also learned - which changed my perspective on a lot of things - is that the cost of the rug is essentially all labor. So when one buys a traditional rug, one is paying pretty much directly for the labor that went into it.
Excellent post TB, fascinating to read. Took an ingenuitive mind to construct that device to "de-cocoon" cocoons.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nylon12!
DeleteIt indeed took a mind far more innovative than either of us to design that. On the other hand, given the alternative of unwinding by hand, it likely had some incentive as well...
I live fairly near a colony of sorts that maintains old order ways and part of them is having and running a woolen mill that makes rugs, blankets and carpets. I am always fascinated by how they automated much of the hand looming process. I'll have to run my hand over it though the next time to verify that it doesn't change colors.
ReplyDeleteEd, this was a truly fascinating experience. They always seem to have good ones, but this one was spectacular.
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