FREEFORUM

Turn it over. A real shyrdak: the two colours fit together like a puzzle, every stitch by hand, a little uneven. A machine one: perfect, and glued. If the stall man is shy about the back, he is not...

The Herald came to the Kara-Suu workshops. "Felt across the line". Klara Zhumabek kyzy said a carpet sold in Talas buys flour, school shoes and diesel for the winter. True. She also said the woman...

Winter is felt season. Our stove broke for a week and we rolled wool with cold hands. Cold hands make bad felt. A man from the workshop in the next valley came over the snow with a stove pipe tied ...

Lena, you do arithmetic like our founder. She made us write the Talas price and the abroad price on the same blackboard, side by side. Now some rugs go straight to the fair-trade buyers, and the bl...

Uncle Temir, yes. Our workshop is part of the Ak Kiyiz cooperative. Goods go down across the line with traders to Talas, and from Talas to the post. A shyrdak 2 by 1.5 metres, two colours, ram's h...

My niece set this up for me. I make felt in a workshop in the Talas Alatau. Eleven women, one stove. We sell shyrdaks in Talas. I will read slowly and write slowly.