The Chamber of Regional Weavers Craft in Janow
Janow is small town of 900 population in Podlasie. It is situated in a picturesque area on the edge of the Puszcza Knyszynska by the Kumialka River 50 km from Bialystok. Janow and its neighboring villages are famous for the decorative and unique double warp textiles and the workshops where they are reated. Both, workshops and their products are the main tourist attraction of this region. A good place to begin visiting is the Chamber of Regional Weavers Craft in Janow where tapestries, textiles and carpets are exhibited.
The double warp weavers craft is one of the most interesting phenomenons of the present day folk art in Poland. Until recently popular in the north eastern region of Poland it survived to present time only in the Janow region. Those decorative woolen textiles, often called "Janow Carpets", combine the traditional pattern design and present day art. They are rare and interesting thanks to their beauty and unique weaving techniques and popular as well in Poland as abroad.
Woolen, decorative carpets are weaved on manual horizontal looms in villages' living quarters.Before warp threads get to loom, weavers weaves threads of sheep fleece on spinning-wheel, they plait and dye them. These textiles are made from natural dyed woolen yarn with the use of double weft and double warp. That technique gives the textiles a specific structure. A double warp textile consists of two plies in inverse colors with both plies of the textile being connected with each other on the edges and place of the pattern. This pattern is picked with a wooden shuttle. Using this tool the weaver lifts the warp threads of the bottom ply and at the same time brings down the warp threads of the upper ply. At the same pattern is creating on both plies, only the color is different. This color variation is based on negative-positive principle. One more difference is that on the right side pattern is more clear whereas on the left is blurred.
The double warp weavers craft is one of the most interesting phenomenons of the present day folk art in Poland. Until recently popular in the north eastern region of Poland it survived to present time only in the Janow region. Those decorative woolen textiles, often called "Janow Carpets", combine the traditional pattern design and present day art. They are rare and interesting thanks to their beauty and unique weaving techniques and popular as well in Poland as abroad.
Woolen, decorative carpets are weaved on manual horizontal looms in villages' living quarters.Before warp threads get to loom, weavers weaves threads of sheep fleece on spinning-wheel, they plait and dye them. These textiles are made from natural dyed woolen yarn with the use of double weft and double warp. That technique gives the textiles a specific structure. A double warp textile consists of two plies in inverse colors with both plies of the textile being connected with each other on the edges and place of the pattern. This pattern is picked with a wooden shuttle. Using this tool the weaver lifts the warp threads of the bottom ply and at the same time brings down the warp threads of the upper ply. At the same pattern is creating on both plies, only the color is different. This color variation is based on negative-positive principle. One more difference is that on the right side pattern is more clear whereas on the left is blurred.
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