Navajo weavers | Page 5

is lowered to the desired distance, a fold is made in the
loosened web, and the upper edge of the fold is sewed down tightly to
the cloth-beam. In all new blankets over two feet long the marks of this
sewing are to be seen, and they often remain until the blanket is worn
out. Plate XXXV, representing a blanket nearly finished, illustrates this
procedure.
Except in belts, girths, and perhaps occasionally in very narrow
blankets, the shuttle is never passed through the whole width of the
warp at once, but only through a space which does not exceed the
length of the batten; for it is by means of the batten, which is rarely

more than 3 feet long, that the shed is opened.
[Illustration: PL. XXXV.--WEAVING OF DIAMOND-SHAPED
DIAGONALS.]
Suppose the woman begins by weaving in the lower shed. She draws
apportion of the healds towards her, and with them the anterior threads
of the shed; by this motion she opens the shed about 1 inch, which is
not sufficient for the easy passage of the woof. She inserts her batten
edgewise into this opening and then turns it half around on its long axis,
so that its broad surfaces lie horizontally; in this way the shed is opened
to the extent of the width of the batten--about 3 inches; next the weft is
passed through. In fig. 42 the batten is shown lying edgewise (its broad
surfaces vertical), as it appears when just inserted into the shed, and the
weft, which has been passed through only a portion of the shed, is seen
hanging out with its end on the ground. In Plate XXXV the batten is
shown in the second position described, with the shed open to the
fullest extent necessary, and the weaver is represented in the act of
passing the shuttle through. When the weft is in, it is shoved down into
its proper position by means of the reed-fork, and then the batten,
restored to its first position (edgewise), is brought down with firm
blows on the weft. It is by the vigorous use of the batten that the
Navajo serapes are rendered water-proof. In Plate XXXVIII the weaver
is seen bringing down this instrument "in the manner and for the
purpose described," as the letters patent say.
When the lower shed has received its thread of weft the weaver opens
the upper shed. This is done by releasing the healds and shoving the
shed-rod down until it comes in contact with the healds; this opens the
upper shed down to the web. Then the weft is inserted and the batten
and reed-fork used as before. Thus she goes on with each shed
alternately until the web is finished.
It is, of course, desirable, at least in handsome blankets of intricate
pattern, to have both ends uniform even if the figure be a little faulty in
the center. To accomplish this some of the best weavers depend on a
careful estimate of the length of each figure before they begin, and
weave continuously in one direction; but the majority weave a little

portion of the upper end before they finish the middle. Sometimes this
is done by weaving from above downwards; at other times it is done by
turning the loom upside down and working from below upwards in the
ordinary manner. In Fig. 49, which represents one of the very finest
results of Navajo work, by the best weaver in the tribe, it will be seen
that exact uniformity in the ends has not been attained. The figure was
of such a nature that the blanket had to be woven in one direction only.
I have described how the ends of the blanket are bordered with a stout
three-ply string applied to the folds of the warp. The lateral edges of the
blanket are similarly protected by stout cords applied to the weft. The
way in which these are woven in, next demands our attention. Two
stout worsted cords, tied together, are firmly attached at each end of the
cloth-beam just outside of the warp; they are then carried upwards and
loosely tied to the yarn-beam or the supplementary yarn-beam. Every
time the weft is turned at the edge these two strings are twisted together
and the weft is passed through the twist; thus one thread or strand of
this border is always on the outside. As it is constantly twisted in one
direction, it is evident that, after a while, a counter-twist must form
which would render the passage of the weft between the cords difficult,
if the cords could not be untwisted again. Here the object of tying these
cords loosely to one of the upper beams, as before described, is
displayed. From time to time the cords are untied and the