The Pueblo Grande Museum ~ Ancient Technology Day ~ Part V

I'm winding down my day at the Pueblo Grande Museum. Of all of the ancient technologies I experienced, there is one that is near and dear to my heart. The wonderful, essential art of spinning and weaving. I guess that's really two, but together they form fibers that have been used to make tools, hunt, gather, and to protect people from the elements.

The fiber arts were represented by the Telaraña Weavers and Spinners Guild who had a display of cotton and early spindles. Many people don't realize the range of natural colors that come from different varieties of cotton plants.

In addition to this display, they made box looms to teach how to warp and weave. When I first approached their exhibit, It was busy with excited kids. A young girl proudly held up her finished fabric. One of the guild members showed her how she could sew the sides to make it into a small purse. It was so fun to see all the kids, parents too, connecting to my favorite ancient technology.

Here's a picture of one of the box looms. This is a great way to make a simple loom. Any shoebox can become a creative activity.

I love that they've used lots of color and even added the textured fringe in the middle. That fringe is created by making rya knots. "A Rya is a traditional Scandinavian rug. The name originates from a village in southwest Sweden. The term rya may also refer to a breed of sheep
whose wool is used to make rya carpets."

(Wikipedia was used as a source for this article.)