Knitted Navajo rug design

Wide Ruins Design

Starting in the 1920's, Native American rug designs were named for the regions where they originated. Some of my favorite rug designs are from the Navajo Reservation. My friend Hank Hayou from Chinle, Arizona made me two rugs. One was a Ganado Red design with an an eye dazzler.  The other rug Hank made was the Wide Ruins design.  The art of weaving is alive and well. The idea of making a rug sounded so intriguing to me. I liked the mystery of how they weaved designs using wool from local wool, dyed from natural fibers. I once asked one of my friends if she would teach me to weave.  After thinking about it, I decided that i would just watch people weave.

Hank Hayou presenting the Ganado Red with eye dazzler

The rug pictured above was the rug made for my Mom. My neighbor and friend Hank Hayou wove this rug  night after night. He finally finished it and offered it up to me. I thought it was brilliant.
http://navajorug.com/html/navajo-churro-collection.htm

I have decided to knit a pillow using the color work of the Navajo designs with the fair isle knitting technique I know so well.These are the two pillows that I have knit in the round. I will secure stitches and steek them as soon as I can.

Desert pillows knit in Fairisle

When you knit in the round, you are able to see your colorwork, eliminating the purl stitch. This is nice once you get the steeking figured out. The photos below show the technique for steeking. To secure the steek, you crochet up along the steek stitch. Once you have mastered that, you cut along the edge. Then you can open up your work. For this particular project, I am making pillows for my friend Marilyn. The photo shows me securing the stitch up the center of the steek stitches.

Once you have it secured, you cut along the steek, opening it up as you go. This is the scary part because you don't want to cut your work, especially fairisle. Once you are done, you can open up your work. I have put one row of knit edge on this but I am suppose to do an applied I-cord now. Now all i have to do is sew the knit piece to a backing and then wrap around my pillow that i bought for $1.50 from sierra trading post. I will be working on another pillow called the Mosaic pillows. tess *