Designing with the Wool is Noël Bennett's advanced companion to her foundational weaving guides, written for the serious and adventurous Navajo-rug weaver. Where her introductory work teaches the loom, this volume opens the design vocabulary, with step-by-step instructions and graphed patterns for regional and historic styles, among them Crystal, Two Grey Hills, Storm, and Chief designs, along with diamond twill, two-faced, pictorial, and tufted techniques. It also guides the reader in building large upright looms to broaden the scale of the work.
Bennett taught Navajo weaving at the University of New Mexico and directed Shared Horizons, a nonprofit devoted to perpetuating Navajo and Southwest textile traditions, and that grounding shows on every page. The handsome cover reproduces a rug woven by Sarah Begay, photographed by Jerry Jacka. Issued by Flagstaff's Northland Publishing, this copy is labeled a first edition but is the third printing of 1990. As a respected bridge between craft instruction and cultural respect, it earns its place on the shelf.
Labeled 'First Edition' — but the third printing (1990)
The copyright page reads 'First Edition' and 'Third Printing, 1990.' The words say first; the printing line says third. This is a Northland Publishing book; see how Northland Publishing states its first printings.
| Author | Noël Bennett |
| Publisher | Northland Publishing |
| Year | 1979 |
| ISBN | 0-87358-171-7 |
| Edition | Labeled 'First Edition' — but the third printing (1990) |
| Condition | Softcover, light wear. |
| Topic | Navajo weaving |
Photographs © New Mexico Literacy Project, licensed CC BY 4.0 — reuse with attribution. This is an identification and provenance record of a real donation; no appraisal or valuation is offered.
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