Last week we were graced with the arrival of an entire family of dolls from the country of Kyrgyzstan, all wearing their traditional garb. (We can now cross "use the word 'garb' in a published format" off our bucket list.)They are cute; no, they are charming; no, they are beyond words. You have to come in and see them to experience how exquisite these little people are.
This tall lady in the top photo is wearing elechek, the traditional headdress for married women, and the smaller girl below her has on the cone-shaped hat worn by brides.
The detail on all the work is painstaking and fascinating. When we pick them up to take a closer look, we just have to smile in wonder.
The bottom grouping is a roly-poly family of mother, father, and daughter, who are all looking for a permanent home here in the states.
And if only we could get iphoto to cooperate, we could show you the cat slippers -- the colors and the embroidery are amazing. When you put them on your feet, you'll just want to hug them, which starts to look a lot like yoga but might feel better.
A co-op of women in Kyrgyzstan makes all of the items by hand. Each member has her own specialty -- one woman creates the dolls, another makes the slippers, another works her felt into bags, etc. Each one of them is a master of what can be done with wool and hard work. What makes all of this even more mind-boggling is that the wool is felted in a very low-tech way by rolling and beating it in their driveways! And it comes out in rich, bright colors, often subtly shaded or shot through with contrasting streaks. Wow!
We've got to stop now before we start using regrettable words like fabulicious and cutesy-wootsey, but when you stop by to look at them, feel free to use any adjectives you like.
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