Like most blog writers, I’m eager to know when others link to my site. Recently I found a link coming from a foreign language site. I peered closer at the link. It was Turkish, and, and, AND…I could read it!

Tulips, Arabesques, and Turbans

How does a gal from Texas decide to study Turkish? And what in the world does this have to do with Crochet Bouquet?

Well, I’ll tell you.

We must go back twenty five years or so, to the Austin Public Library, where I found this book: Tulips, Arabesques, and Turbans: Decorative Arts from the Ottoman Empire (by various authors, Abbeville Press, New York, 1982). This book introduced me to the wonderful ceramics, metal work, textiles, and calligraphy of Turkey.

A motif you’ll see frequently in Turkish tiles and textiles is chintamani, or the three dots. They’re often used together with wavy lines. The three dots probably represented three legendary pearls floating on the waves of the sea. The pearls symbolized good luck and power.

crocheted Pearl Trillium

The three dots motif was the inspiration for the Pearl Trillium, on pages 87-88 of Crochet Bouquet. The sea waves became the wavy leaves behind the flower. You probably noticed that the colors I chose for the flower are from the cover of the book.

As I pored over the gorgeous images in Tulips, Arabesques, and Turbans, I vowed I would go to Turkey someday and see those wonders for myself. That’s why I’m learning Turkish.

Many thanks to farfin for linking to Curious and Crafty Readers.* To return the favor, here’s her site, 10marifet.org, which has lots of cute craft ideas and great examples of needlework. You don’t have to read Turkish to enjoy. Çok güzel! Teşekkür ederım, farfın!

* Curious and Crafty Readers was originally meant for blogging about my books, but now all those posts have been folded into textilefusion.com/blog.