The Way to Weave a Navajo
blanket; simpler things you can easily make after this first lesson: Of Germantown wool you will need three colors, which are the colors most frequently used by the Indians—red (scarlet), white, and black, about half a hank of each. Take five yards of white wool, fold one end over a two-yard length, fold again, and push the double end through the eye of the shuttle ([Fig. 20]).
Fig. [20].—The threaded shuttle.
Tie the long end of the wool to the first pin at the lower left-hand corner of the loom, on the long line, making a tight knot and pushing it down close to the board ([Fig. 21]).
Fig. [21].—Starting the woof.
With the notched heddle on edge push the shuttle through the shed—that is, between the upper and lower threads of the warp. Draw it out on the other side, then turn the heddle down, notched edge toward you, and stand the plain heddle on edge. This will lift the lower threads of the warp above the others and make them the upper ones. Push the shuttle back through the shed, lay the plain heddle flat, and stand up the notched heddle. Weaving from the left, the notched heddle always stands, while the plain one lies flat. Weaving from the right, the plain heddle stands, and the notched one is turned down.
Do not draw the woof tight across the warp. When you have passed the shuttle through, leave the thread like [Fig. 21], and then push it down firmly with your finger-tips until it lies close to the pins.
A Coarse Comb