Navajoweaver Nellie Dean of Cove, Arizona wove this replica of a FirstPhase Chief’s blanket, 72" x 62". Weft yarn is Churro Navajo sheep,single-ply, mill-spun wool. The indigostripes are outlined with cochinealred.The texture is more rug than blanket. These can be washed however, thereby imparting a true blanket suppleness and wearability. We can do that for these Churro rug replica Classic blanket designs, upon request and for a small fee.
Thewhiteis natural. Our company hand dyed 3 colors: both natural dye colors -the indigoblueand the cochinealred;and the aniline black. The edges are finished with 3x 2-ply indigo“weft selvage” cords. Both ends have 2x 3-plycochinealred“warp selvage” cords.
Thethree weftselvagestwisted along both edges totally cover the weft loops from exposureto damage. Some weft loops are exposed when the usual 2 cords arewoven along the edges. The warpselvagesare the end cords which are used to set up the loom and maintain thewarp loops in position and spatial relationship to each other. MostNavajo rugs are loomed with 2-ply warp selvage cords instead of3-ply. This extra ply adds ~50% more strength. Thewarp is strong, mill-spun, 2-ply, white wool. The woven density is 7warps/inch and 28 wefts/inch.
We show the Classic First Phase Chief's blanket discovered on the Antiques Road Show years ago, formerly owned by Capt. Kit Carson. It later sold for $1.2 million. The Antiques Road Show provided this photo to us at that time, while we discussed it with the program. Another photo shows Native American Brule Sioux wearing Navajo 1st Phase chief's blankets.
On our website, we show the full size Navajo mohair / wool 1st Phase Chief's Blanket that was loaned to the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA for their Grand Opening Exhibition. They displayed it for 3 years. It is shown with photographs near the bottom of the "SALES" page.
Note regarding Navajo Churro Sheep wool / yarn: We see sellers claiming that their rug for sale on is woven with Navajo Churro wool. No such claim is legitimate, unless the seller knows where the specificyarns orginate, meaning from which sheep. Churro yarn is not identifiable from touch or appearance. Knowlege of wool orgin is impossible with old rugs and blankets. We buy our Navajo Churro sheep yarn from the only legitimate Churro yarn vendor in America thatsellsChurro yarn in quantity. They are located in El Prado, NM (outside Taos). Genuine Churro yarn costs roughly 2X what all other trading post Navajo weaving yarn costs ($26 / lb. compared with routine trading post yarn ~$10 - $13 / lb.). The Churro yarn that we give to all of our weaver to weave rugs for us is also sold at higher retail cost at a weaving supply shop in Taos, NM (Weaving Southwest). We are happy to provide our Churro yarn source to anyone whois interested. This is not confidential information. We suggest you Google "Navajo Churro" sheep / yarn to better understand why this is such a highly touted, expensive weaving yarn.
Therug for sale here isone of our company's "Cortez Collection" of Navajo weavings. We will provide the buyer with a signed& dated detailed description, photos of the weaver, and a retail appraisal. Please contact us within 3 days of sale's close. Ex-USA buyers areencouraged toask for your shipping cost to foreign addresses. Pay w Paypal.We will ship USPS Priority Mail for $25 to the 48 states; or, upon request, we will ship viaUPS / Federal Express Ground Insured but we need your address to determine the cost. Foreign buyers must request shipping cost prior to payment. Full refund if returned for any reason within 3 days of your receipt (no foreign refunds). Please click on this ad's ME icon for more information about our company in Cortez, Colorado: Four Corners Navajo Country.
