A Classic Third Phase Woman's Blanket, Woman’s Style, Navajo, circa 1860.

The third phase measures 37 inches long by 56 inches wide, as woven.

Classic, pre-1865 Navajo chief’s blankets woven in the woman’s style—with thin, alternating horizontal stripes above and below their central panels—are almost impossible to find, but their rarity is misunderstood. There are less than ten classic woman’s style first phases in museum and private collections. There are less than ten classic woman’s style second phases in museum and private collections. There is one classic woman’s style third phase in a museum collection. There are three in private collections. This classic third phase, woman’s style, is the least decorative and most understated of the four known classic woman’s third phases in museum and private collections.

After 1865, the third phase became the most popular style of Navajo chief’s blanket, both in the man’s and woman’s styles. At least two hundred woman’s style third phases have survived from the Late Classic, Germantown, and Transitional periods. The availability of women’s style third phases woven after 1865 explains why classic, pre-1865woman’s third phases go unrecognized as Navajo blankets of extreme rarity.  A related factor is that very few collectors or dealers have ever seen a classic third phase, woman’s style, but most collectors and dealers have seen dozens of women’s style third phases woven after 1865, so they assume that woman’s style third phases are common.

The same dynamic applies to man’s style third phases. Third phases are perceived as being the most common style of Navajo chief’s blanket, but classic, pre-1865 third phases are at least ten times as rare as classic first phases or classic second phases.

All of the red yarns are raveled bayeta piece-dyed with cochineal. All of the red yarns were raveled from the same bolt of bayeta fabric.

The dark and medium blue yarns are handspun Churro fleece dyed in the yarn with indigo. The medium blue yarns also appear in the third phase’s left and right selvage cords.

The dark and medium green yarns are handspun Churro fleece dyed in the yarn with indigo.

The grey yarns are un-dyed white Churro fleece and un-dyed brown Churro fleece carded and spun together to create a variegated, pale grey handspun yarn.

The brown yarns are un-dyed handspun Churro fleece.