WEAVING____CONVERSATION

Weaving Conversation is a socially engaged design, craft and research initiative exploring how artisanal textile traditions can foster connection, knowledge exchange and regenerative futures.

Through partnerships with artisan communities, educators and creative practitioners across Sri Lanka, Nepal, the UK and the United States, the initiative brings together design research, creative learning and storytelling to explore the relationship between craft, culture and sustainability.

By documenting material knowledge, collaborative practice and lived experiences, Weaving Conversation celebrates the people, skills and traditions that continue to shape more equitable and regenerative approaches to design.

Instagram @weavingconversation

A collection of handcrafted Beeralu lace samples from Galle, Sri Lanka 🤍 @kanthilacegalle

#beeralulace #bobbinlace #lace #textilecraft

At Sooriya plants and leaves become both colour and pattern. Botanical eco-printing captures the unique forms and textures of plants directly onto the fabric, while naturally dyed yarns are coloured using locally grown materials such as Jackfruit bar

A moment of appreciation for the beauty and value found in the process of making 🤍

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#tibetanweaving #handknottedrugs #slowcraft

Travel photo diary | Annapurna Circuit, Nepal (2018)

My first trek through the Himalayas and the beginning of many journeys exploring the region’s landscapes, craft traditions and communities. The breathtaking views and vast rugged landscapes

NATURAL FIBRES
 ~ Materials of the Himalayas ~
 Nettle (Allo) • Yak • Wool • Hemp • Jute • Banana •

Every woven object begins with a fibre. The choice of material shapes every aspect of the finished rug, from its textu

This is Neela, one of the artisans at @karnorr

Preparing the yarn is one part of the long journey behind every hand-knotted rug. Before weaving begins, each skein is carefully sorted, dyed and organised🧶

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Glenn Adamson’s Thinking Through

~ The Potala Palace Rug~

For centuries, Tibetan rug weaving has preserved stories through pattern. Motifs, symbols and geometric borders carry cultural memory, spiritual belief and a sense of place, passed from one generation of weavers to the next.

Behind every Potala rug are months of patient, collaborative making. Working side by side, the weavers gradually bring the design to life, hand-tying thousands of individual knots while following intricate colour guides.

At Karnor and Karuna, weavin

Pangdens on the streets of Kathmandu🇳🇵

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Photos @weavingconversation

#tibetantextiles #pangden #culturalheritage #kathmandu

The Pangden is a traditional striped apron worn by Tibetan women across the Himalayan region for centuries. Handwoven in narrow panels and stitched together, each Pangden is defined by a distinctive language of colour and stripe.

Historically, thes

MATERIAL ARCHIVE  
~ Future possibilities for surplus yarn ~

Designed with care, every rug at @karnorr and @karuna_facility balances traditional craftsmanship with an approach that values materials beyond their first purpose.

Inside the yarn archi

Craft is more than making.

It is more than the preservation of traditional techniques.

🌀 It is memory ~ held in the intuitive movements of skilled hands, shaped through lived experience rather than written instructions.

🤍 It is generational kno

A room full of stories, preserving Tibetan hand-knotted rug traditions 💙 @karnorr

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#tibetanrugs #handknottedrugs #weaving #nepal

~ COLOUR STUDY ~

⬜️ This multi colour check design is one of the first rugs woven by artisans training at Karuna Universal Weaving Centre. This rug was produced by artisans Fulmaya, Pabitra and Sandesh as part of their training, demonstrating how cr

~ THREADS OF COMPASSION ~

Karuna Universal Weaving Centre was established through a collaboration between @epsa_nepal_ and @karnorr to create meaningful livelihood opportunities for artisans with disabilities within Nepal’s hand-knotted rug in

The finishing touch ~

After months of weaving, each rug is carefully trimmed by hand to create an even pile, sharpen motifs, and reveal the clarity of the design.

Working with scissors, artisans sculpt the surface section by section, bringing defi

THREADS OF COMPASSION

Weaving Inclusivity into Nepal’s Hand-knotted Rug Craft at Karuna, Nepal.

Read the Substack article here

“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with; it matters what knots knot knots, what thoughts think thoughts, what descriptions describe descriptions, what ties tie ties. It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories…”

Donna Haraway (2016)

COMMUNITIES + CONNECTIONS

A growing collection of organisations, artisan communities and social enterprises that have informed Weaving Conversation through partnerships, research visits, workshops, documentation and shared learning.