The yarn in some of the cheaper qualities now made
is often coarse and loosely spun, and the warp, or chain, which has much to
do with the life of a blanket, may be improperly spun and of uneven
strength. A blanket of a given size may be made in two weeks, or in four,
or in two months, according to the quality of the work and the skill of the
weaver. Next in importance to the fineness of the weave is the proper
blending of colors. Though a woman may have the highest skill in her
primitive art, she must take time to study out the color scheme for her
blanket. These are the principal factors, but there are others which enter
into the making of a blanket, and the finer the product of the loom the
more difficult the work becomes.
There are still a limited number of very fine blankets made. The number is
governed largely by the demand.
In the original or natural colors there are white, brown, gray and black;
the latter rather a grayish black, or better salt, as Mathews describes it,
"rusty." Many of the best blankets now produced are of these natural
colors, with sometimes a touch of red.
There are certain Navaho blankets much sought after by the collector,
especially those rare old specimens made of purely native dye, the colors
of which have softened into harmonious tones.
