Baskets made by the people of the mid-Columbia River are among the finest examples of Indian textile art in North America, and they are included in the collections of most major museums. The traditional designs and techniques of construction reveal a great artistic heritage that links modern basketmakers to their ancestors. Yet baskets are also everyday objects of a utilitarian nature that reveal much about mid-Columbia culture---a flat twined bag has greatest value when it is plump with dried roots, a coiled basket when full of huckleberries.

In Columbia River Basketry, Mary...

This is the first paperback edition of a manual well known to weavers for its great thoroughness, clarity, and value to beginning and professional weavers alike. The author has drawn upon many years of experience as a teacher and writer in preparing this practical text of basic weaving techniques and projects from the simplest to the extremely complex.
Each topic of weaving theory and technique is presented with its practical applications in mind. Within the first thirty pages, readers learn enough to complete their first weaving project, a bookmark, and this leads directly to the...

The origins of basketry are lost in the mists of prehistory, but making baskets is certainly one of the oldest and most nearly universal crafts of mankind. In the Americas, basket artifacts found in caves in Utah have been dated at 7000 B.C., while twined baskets said to be at least 5,000 years old have been uncovered in Peru. In the American Southwest, an entire Indian culture (ca. 100-700 A.D.) is known as -Basket Maker- because of the distinctive baskets it produced.
This exhaustive survey (two volumes in one) of American Indian basketry, perhaps the finest book ever published...

Navajo weavings, long regarded for their remarkable aesthetics, have never before been investigated from the standpoint of the weaver's process and intent. This book explores the patterns and irregularities often overlooked or considered "flaws" in these beautiful textiles, and it seeks to identify the mythic symbols and historic and personal stories they contain. The inclusion of objects and the use of color, pattern, and weave variations are found to be significant symbols of the way a weaver thinks about the world. A weaver may pray her way into the center of the rug, where the most...

Alden Amos shares his deep knowledge of wheel mechanics, spinning fibers, wheel construction, and yarn, as well as a wealth of spinning history and traditions. Every aspect of handspinning is explored, including dissolving lanolin, washing fleece, rotating wheel position, and choosing types of wool. Also discussed are various hand positions, which can result in everything from smooth, fine thread to funky, bulky yarn.

Originally published in 1995, more than 40,000 weavers have used this unparalleled study guide to learn from scratch or to hone their skills. Written with a mentoring voice, each lesson includes friendly, straightforward advice and is accompanied by illustrations and photographs. Crafters need only to approach this subject with a willingness to learn such basics as three methods for step-by-step warping, basic weaving techniques, project planning, reading and designing drafts, the basics of all the most common weave structures, and many more handy hints. Beginners will find this guidebook...