The Decorative Motifs of the Hand-Woven Socks of the Allasht area of Mazandaran

The villages of Mazandaran are the heritance of domestic and local arts which are unfortunately on the merge of extinction. Village-made textual item are among the applied arts that are created as a compilation of local beliefs and the personal taste of the weaver. In order to preserve the beauty of this art and its domestic traits, research on the decorative motifs of this artwork seems necessary.
Currently, the old village of Alasht from the province of Savad Kooh is considered as an important center for local weavings especially sock-weaving. This research endeavors to introduce the decorative motifs applied on the hand-woven socks of the Alasht area. The initial data for this research was collected at the area; correspondingly written documents and library research were used in compiling the paper. The decorative motifs applied on the hand-woven socks reflect the beliefs and theories of the weaver in which complex patterns and designs are abridged into simple and humble designs that reflect the creative and intelligent mind of the weaver. Human motifs are rarely applied on the hand-woven socks; however, animal, bird, and herbal motifs are used abundantly. Accordingly, the hand-woven socks of the Allasht area are a simple but valuable piece of creation.