My New Rug

We took a mini-vacation to Sioux Falls this weekend for a pharmacy convention. I was able to download the kids on my SIL for awhile and make a trip downtown to Warp and Weft. This is a rug store where the owner brings back the rugs from Turkey twice a year to sell in the shop. He was in the Twin Cities picking up a shipment when I was there, so I didn't get to meet him, but I am told he is very knowledgeable and a hoot to boot. I have been wanting to go there for a couple of years after reading an article about the store in the newspaper, but have never had the chance. Since taking the tapestry class and even before, I have been doing a lot of reading about different styles of tapetry weaving. I have never had the chance to view handwoven rugs before, so this was a real treat for me.

The lady who was working was very helpful and kind to a begining weaver who wanted to study real rugs, rather than just pictures. I think the thing I enjoyed the most was the variation in color. This was also my first chance to see knotted pile--not mechanical rugs. The most amazing thing I saw was an antique silk knotted pile Persian rug. It was so amazing, I have never seen anything like that before. Since seeing this, I have been thinking when does craft become art? I used to paint a lot as a young adult and was very talented at it. Many wondered why I chose to enter the field of science instead of art (I find myself asking myself this now as well). Since begining to dive into the fiber arts, my father hasn't been real excited (it got better when I started spinning and dyeing). He has often asked why I don't go back to painting. I am looking forward to working with tapestry this summer.

Oh yes, back to the rug. I did buy a rug, I really liked the colors. My husband actually questioned whether or not it was indeed from Turkey. When I repsonded that is was, he said he thought it looked to Southwest to be from that area of the world.