Finding Inspiration at the Market

Take a weaver to the market, Pike Place Market in Seattle in this case, and what does she see? Well, in my case, wonderful color combinations and stripes and blocks where you might least expect them.

When we were having breakfast upstairs in a small cafe, I looked down at the stand below us and happened to spy a beautiful combination of fruit colors arrayed in rows. I was so excited to go snap a picture that I could hardly finish my eggs. I saw warp stripes of the colors of apples and oranges for a set of towels.

Apples and oranges and some bright red tomatoes created a stripe pattern I’d love to try.

And then while my husband was still paying the bill, I decided to take a quick pass through the flower section. It was a foggy morning, and the market wasn’t fully open, so everything seemed to have a sprinkling of dew. Some of the tulips weren’t completely open either, making many of the bouquets feel as if they were holding potential. I couldn’t help but see potential color mixtures for a colorful shawl in pinks and reds, with green highlights!

The buckets of tulips were compelling. Later I saw so many people with huge bouquets in their arms.

Across the street at another fruit and vegetable stand, another stripe combination—this time of peppers, eggplants, beans, and artichokes—attracted my eye. I don’t believe it’s likely that the seller is also a weaver, but the way they arranged the fruits and vegetables looked a bit like doubleweave blocks waiting to be designed and woven.

Do you see the possibility of doubleweave blocks here? I do!

We finished up at the market and then took in the Seattle Art Museum’s IKAT exhibit, which was inspirational in a completely different way. I sort of get ikat, but if I think about it too much, I can’t figure it out at all. I’ve decided it’s a skill I’m happy to appreciate but one that I will probably never learn.

Pardah hanging, late 19th century, Silk Road (Uzbekistan), silk, warp ikat, cotton weft, 90 x 65 in., Collection of David and Marita Paly. I love ikat; I just don’t really know how someone could figure it out!

One of the descriptions in the Uzbekistan section said that Uzbekistan kings in the distant past would wear several layers of ikat coats to show their prestige and power. One king was rumored to have worn ten coats at one time. My carry-on suitcase was already stuffed, so I picked that as a possible strategy for the plane ride home, although fortunately I didn’t have to try it.

Weave well and carry a cell phone with you,

Susan