MARY IMITATES NAVAJO BLANKETS.
On her return from an afternoon spent at Professor Schmidt's, Mary
remarked to Aunt Sarah, "For the first time in my life I have an
original idea!"
"Do tell me child, what it is!"
"The 'New Colonial' rag rugs we have lately finished are fine, but I'd
just love to have a Navajo blanket like those owned by Professor
Schmidt; and I intend to make a rag rug in imitation of his Navajo
blanket."
"Yes," answered her Aunt, "I have always greatly admired them myself,
especially the large gray one which covers the Professor's own chair
in the library. The Professor brought them with him when he returned
from 'Cutler's Ranch' at Rociada, near Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he
visited his nephew, poor Raymond, or rather, I should say, fortunate
Raymond, an only child of the Professor's sister. A quiet, studious
boy, he graduated at the head of his class at an early age, but he
inherited the weak lungs of his father, who died of consumption.
Raymond was a lovable boy, with a fund of dry humor and wit--the idol
of his mother, who, taking the advice of a specialist, accompanied her
boy, as a last resort, to New Mexico, where, partly owing to his
determination to get well, proper food and daily rides on the mesa, on
the back of his little pinto pony, he regained perfect health, and
today is well, happily married and living in Pasadena, California, so
I have been told by Frau Schmidt, who dearly loves the boy."
"But Mary, forgive an old woman for rambling away from the subject in
which you are interested--Navajo blankets. Ever since we planned to
make a rug with a swastika in the centre, I have been trying to evolve
from my brain (and your Uncle John says my bump of inventiveness is
abnormally large) a Navajo rag rug for the floor of the room you
intend to furnish as Ralph's den, in the home you are planning. Well,
my dear, a wooden crochet hook in your deft fingers will be the magic
wand which will perform a miracle and transform into Navajo blankets
such very commonplace articles as your discarded gray eiderdown
kimona, and a pair of your Uncle's old gray trousers, which have
already been washed and ripped by Sibylla, to be used for making
carpet rags. These, combined with the gray skirt I heard you say had
outlived its day of usefulness, will furnish the background of the
rug. The six triangles in the centre of the rug, also lighter stripes
at each end of the rug, we will make of that old linen chair-cover and
your faded linen skirt, which you said I might use for carpet rags;
and, should more material be needed, I have some old, gray woolen
underwear in my patch bag, a gray-white, similar to the real Navajo.
The rows of black with which we shall outline the triangles may be
made from those old, black, silk-lisle hose you gave me, by cutting
them round and round in one continuous strip. Heavy cloth should be
cut in _very_ narrow strips. Sibylla will do that nicely; her hands
are more used to handling large, heavy shears than are yours. The
linen-lawn skirt you may cut in strips about three-fourths of an inch
in width, as that material is quite thin. I would sew rags of one
color together like carpet rags, not lapping the ends more than
necessary to hold them together. The rug will be reversible, both
sides being exactly alike when finished. I should make the rug about
fifty-three stitches across. This will require about six and
one-fourth yards of carpet rags, when sewed together, to crochet once
across. I think it would be wise to cut all rags of different weight
materials before commencing to crochet the rug, so they may be well
mixed through. I will assist you with the work at odd moments, and in
a short time the rug will be finished."
The rug, when finished, was truly a work of art, and represented many
hours of labor and thought. But Mary considered it very fascinating
work, and was delighted with the result of her labor--a rug the exact
imitation of one of the Professor's genuine Indian Navajo blankets,
the work of her own hands, and without the expenditure of a penny.
Mary remarked: "I do not think all the triangles in my rug are the
exact size of the paper pattern you made me, Aunt Sarah. The two in
the centre appear larger than the others."
"Well," remarked her Aunt, "if you examine closely the blankets owned
by Professor Schmidt, you will find the on the ones woven by Navajo
Indians are not of an equal size."
'Tis said Navajo blankets and Serapes will become scarce and higher in
price in the future, on account of the numerous young Indians who have
been educated and who prefer other occupations to that of weaving
blankets, as did their forefathers; and the present disturbance in
Mexico will certainly interfere with the continuance of this industry
for a time.
[Illustration: IMITATION OF NAVAJO BLANKET]
[Illustration: RUG WITH DESIGN]
"Mary, while you have been planning your Navajo rug, I have been
thinking how we may make a very attractive as well as useful rug. You
remember, we could not decide what use to make of your old, tan
cravenette stormcoat? I have been thinking we might use this, when
cut into carpet rags, for the principal part of the rug, and that old,
garnet merino blouse waist might be cut and used for the four corners
of a rug, and we might have gay stripes in the centre of the rug to
form a sort of design, and also put gay stripes at each end of the
rug.
"And you might crochet a rug, plain 'Hit or Miss,' of rather
bright-colored rags."
"Yes," said Mary, "I think I will crochet a swastika in the centre of
a rug, as you suggest, of bright orange, outlined with black, and a
stripe of orange edged with black at each end of the rug to match the
centre. Don't you think that would be pretty, Aunt Sarah?"
[Illustration: "HIT-OR-MISS" RUG WITH SWASTIKA CENTRE]
"Yes indeed, but Mary, don't you think the swastika would show more
distinctly on a rug with a plain background?"
"Perhaps it would," replied Mary, "but I think I'll crochet one of
very gayly-colored rags, with a swastika in the centre."
[Illustration: A "PRAYER RUG" OF SILK SCRAPS.]
"Aunt Sarah," said Mary, "do tell me how that pretty little rug
composed of silk scraps is made."
"Oh, that _silk_ rug; 'twas given me by Aunt Cornelia, who finished it
while here on a visit from New York. I never saw another like it, and
it has been greatly admired. Although possessed of an ordinary amount
of patience, I don't think I'll ever make one for myself. I don't
admire knitted rugs of any description, neither do I care for braided
rugs. I think the crocheted ones prettier. But, Mary, this small silk
rug is easily made should you care to have one. I will commence
knitting one for you at once. You will then find a use for the box of
bright-colored silks you possess, many of which are quite too small to
be used in any other manner. Professor Schmidt calls this a 'Prayer
Rug.' He said: 'This rug, fashioned of various bright-hued silks of
orange, purple and crimson, a bright maze of rich colors, without any
recognizable figure or design, reminds me of the description of the
'Prayer Carpet' or rugs of the Mohammedans. They are composed of
rich-hued silks of purple, ruby and amber. 'Tis said their delicacy of
shade is marvelous and was suggested by the meadows of variegated
flowers.' But this is a digression; you wished directions for making
the rug.
"Use tiny scraps of various bright-hued silks, velvets and satins, cut
about 3-1/2 inches long and about one-half inch in width. Ends should
always be cut slanting or bias; never straight. All you will require
besides the silk scraps, will be a ball of common cord or twine, or
save all cord which comes tied around packages, as I do, and use that
and two ordinary steel knitting needles. When making her rug, Aunt
Cornelia knitted several strips a couple of inches in width and the
length she wished the finished rug to be. The strips when finished she
sewed together with strong linen thread on the wrong side of the rug.
She commenced the rug by knitting two rows of the twine or cord. (When
I was a girl we called this common knitting 'garter stitch.') Then,
when commencing to knit third row, slip off first stitch onto your
other needle; knit one stitch, then lay one of the tiny scraps of silk
across or between the two needles; knit one stitch with the cord. This
holds the silk in position. Then fold or turn one end of silk back on
the other piece of silk and knit one stitch of cord to hold them in
place, always keeping silk on one side, on the top of rug, as this rug
is not reversible. Continue in this manner until one row is finished.
Then knit once across plain with cord, and for next row lay silk
scraps in and knit as before. Always knit one row of the cord across
plain after knitting in scraps of silk, as doing this holds them
firmly in position. Of course, Mary, you will use judgment and taste
in combining light and dark, bright and dull colors. Also, do not use
several scraps of velvet together. Use velvet, silk and satin
alternately. Should any scraps of silk be longer than others after
knitting, trim off evenly so all will be of uniform size. When her rug
was finished, Aunt Cornelia spread it, wrong side uppermost, on an
unused table, covered it with a thick boiled paste, composed of flour
and water, allowed it to dry thoroughly, then lined the rug with a
heavy piece of denim. This was done to prevent the rug from curling up
at edges, and caused it to lie flat on floor; but I think I should
prefer just a firm lining or foundation of heavy burlap or denim."
"Thank you, Aunt Sarah, for your explicit directions. I cannot fail to
know just how to knit a silk rug, should I ever care to do so. I think
the work would be simply fascinating."