Hi Guys,
Just because it floated to the top of what passes for my mind: does
anybody out there know how to make (or know in what book it is
explained) how to make that flat herringbone looking wire braid that
you see in a lot of Turkish work? Looks like a flat strap of flexible
metal. You can’t really see the wires from beyond 5 feet.
I do actually have a sample of a cut end of a piece of it. I picked
it up with the idea in mind to reverse engineer it, but haven’t had
the time. At this point, asking is probably the more sensible thing.
It can’t be too hard, because apparently a lot of the real stuff
comes from village women working out in the boonies, with not much in
the way of fancy tools. (Not ANY in the way of fancy tools, most
probably.)
Lest someone think I’m disparaging the village women, I’m most
emphatically not. At one point in my travels, I ended up in a
rug-making school in Cappadocia. There was a woman there sitting on
the floor knotting one of the silk '900 knots-per-square-inch’prayer
rugs. Dear god. I had to go hunt down someone to translate for me
just to make sure she understood just exactly how impressed I was
with the detail and patience she was putting into it. (She, much like
the jeweller in the Grand Bazar who sold me the scrap end of the
braid, probably thought I was nuts, but at least she knew I was
impressed in my lunacy.) I’d never pay $5K for a small rug, but now
I understand why some do. (and I’d never, never, put it on the floor
if I did.) Having seen real Turkish rugs, made properly, I
understand. Still can’t afford them, but I do understand why they
cost as much as they do. It’s entirely earned. (And if you ever get
to Istanbul, you’ve got to do the whole ‘buy a rug’ song and dance at
least once. It’s almost a ritual floorshow. And a great source of
tea. Just watch out for the Rakka.)
Regards,
Brian
