ets tell

hand-woven stories

Edith
Saatkamp

DESIGN OF THE TIMES

FLOOR COVERINGS come
in a variety of texture, color,
and materials. Stone and
marbie are hard and cool to
the touch. They are elegant
and easy to clean. Wood is
smooth and warm, and can
appear light and airy or intri-
. cate and traditional. Vinyl is
functional, and wail-to-wall
carpet can transform a house
into a home.

But no floor covering is as sensu-
ous and sumptuous as a hand-woven
rug. Cleopatra must have known this
when, wrapped in a Persian silk car-
pet, she presented herself to Julius
Caesar as a gift. Julius loved the gift;
it is unlikely that he discarded the
wrapping.

History and legend are woven

into Persian rues. Like silk and sat-
fron they ate the gift of kings and the
prize of conquering armies, Europe
became aware of their splendor
when medieval crusaders brought
them back from the Holy Land.

Marco Polo admired them on his
13th century voyage through Persia
to the Far East.

They appear in paintings of
Dutch masters, and they were made
by Persian weavers at the 17th-cen-
tury court of Henry I'V of France.

Handmade rugs may not outlast
marble, but the tradition of weaving
floor coverings is probably older
than that of carving marble. They
were used in ancient Egypt to cover
floors and walls of palaces and hum-
ble nomadic tents.

The oldest rug was found in the

. Siberian mountains. Preserved by

frost, it was in perfect condition after
2,400 years.
Ali Nobari’s Persian rug store on

Name:
Address:
City:

Pemberton Avenue in North
Vancouver does not reflect the illus-
trious history of Persian carpets, but
the design and quality of his rugs are
quite similar to those from earlier
centuries.

The symbols and motifs are the
same as those used hundreds of years
ago. To Nobari they indicate the ori-
gin of the mug, the name of the town
in which it was woven, or the name
of the tribe that made it.

{f you watch Nobari’s mother
demonstrate the art of rug weaving,
you will appreciate the craftsmanship
and artistry of the weaver. Choosing
from bundles of wool al the top of
the loom, she ties a thin strand to two
warp threads ‘with a crochet hook,
pulls it tight and cuts it.

Occasionally, she pushes the
knots down with a comb and cuts the

See Rug page 18

a AE Ges Ns 928 A a AG De Ce eM ees NOS A SO OD OY

Kids’ design contest

i]
Draw a picture of what you think the homes of the future will look §
like or what your own room would look like in the future. Try to imag- 1
ine what will change about the way people live during the next 50 or 1
100 years. Use your imagination to draw something creative. i
Drawings should be done in dark pencil or ink (no colored pencils), 4
and sent to the North Shore News along with form. Designs deter- §
mined to be the most innovative or imaginative may be published in !
the newspaper. Winners will receive passes to Science World. H
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Age:

_ Phone number:

Send your drawing to: Kids’ Design Contest. North Shore News,
$739 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 2H4.
The deadline for entries is Friday. Aug. 26.

from Spring to
Christmas ...

NEWS photo Miko Wokatietd

WHILE THERE are many varieties of floor coverings on the
market, few are as appealing as hand-woven Persian rugs like
the one shown here.

it's our year end and we must count our
inventory, but we'd rather sell it than count it.

We still have a large selection of annual
flowering bedding plants to choose from
4” io 6” pots from $4.49 - $2.49

FALL I$ THE TIME FOR PLANTING

Stock up now for best
selection of fall fiowers ...
Garden Mums (great selection)
’. $41.97 6”- $3.75

6” Dusty Miller - $2.49

6” Geraniums - 3/$5.99
WINTER PANSIES STILL TO COME

Everything you need is here...to get growing
and cultivate : a beautiful lawn and garden areal

all sizes on sale including
Sealy Posturepedic

FURRITURELAN

next to Beaver Lumber 915 W Ast. St. N. Van | .
411 E 3rd North vancouver 986-1367

985-5192