What Are the Key Features of Small Navajo Hand-Weaved Rugs?
If you’re looking to buy a small Navajo hand-woven rug, you might be wondering what the key features are. These traits will help you determine whether it is authentic or not. Learn about Lazy lines, continuous warp, and more. And get a better idea of the uniqueness of a Navajo hand-woven rug before you spend your money on it!
Authenticity
If you’re planning to buy a small Navajo hand-weaved rug for your home, you should know how to tell a genuine one from a fake one. While some rugs are imported, the majority are not. Before you purchase a small Navajo rug, you should learn a bit about the culture of the Navajo people. Also, different Navajo weavers weave different styles of rugs. Preliminary research on the Navajo people and the culture will help you navigate the rug showroom and discern the styles, colors, and designs. Knowledge is power, so knowing about the weaving’s culture will make it come alive.
A simple way to tell if a small Navajo hand-weaved rug is authentic is to look at the design. Authentic Navajo rugs usually feature unique diagonal lines. They are also known for their intricate designs. Colors that are unique to Navajo rugs include blue, white, and brown. The patterns in a Navajo hand-weaved rug can be extremely intricate, varying from intricate to simple.
Lazy lines
Authentic Navajo rugs are often made of diagonal lines, a feature unique to Navajo rugs. The weaver weaves the warp yarn to form the desired pattern, and then moves to work on adjacent warp sections. These alternating lines create a beautiful pattern within the body of the rug. It is important to remember that not all Navajo weavings have visible lazy lines. The quality of a Navajo handwoven rug will affect its value, and whether the lines are visible or not will depend on age, size, and design complexity.
If you’re interested in learning more about the pattern of the Lazy Lines in small Navajo hand-weaved rugs, you’ll want to read Posts and Rugs by H. L. James. The Southwest Parks and Monuments Association owns the copyright for the images in that book. The author, Marian Rodee, has written Weaving of the Southwest and has illustrated numerous Navajo rugs.
Continuous warp
A Navajo hand-woven rug is a great example of the traditional weaving process. Its continuous warp creates the beautiful pattern and color combination that makes it the perfect home accessory. Throughout its history, Navajos have been known as the finest weavers of small horse blankets, placed under saddles to keep them warm. However, when Spanish settlers introduced horses and sheep to the American Southwest, Navajos began to make large horse blankets that were prized as outerwear. Trading post-economics led to a transition from horse blankets to rugs.
Despite the varying weaving styles among Navajo tribes, the quality of a Navajo rug is unmatched. The continuous warp allows the weaver to create a unique geometric pattern, which is often recalled from memory. The quality of a Navajo hand-woven rug can be judged by how well it is made. Navajo hand-woven rugs are renowned for their beauty and intricate designs.
