Category: Reflections

  • Discover the Art of Armenian Craft

    Hayk Oltaci blends tradition with modern creativity. From restoring antique rugs to creating new designs, his work celebrates Armenian heritage in every thread. Watch the story unfold below.

    “The universe flows like a river; surrender to its stream. Resisting the current brings struggle, but flowing with it leads to harmony.”
    — A Woolway Proverb

  • This year marks the 5th anniversary of Woolway Studios — five years of dedication to craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and community building.

    Founded in August 2020 in Armenia, Woolway Studios began as a small natural dyeing and textile initiative. Over the years, it has grown into a living art center and creative guesthouse, where traditional weaving, rug restoration, and natural fiber arts continue as meaningful, hands-on practices.

    Over the past five years, Woolway Studios has:

    • Preserved and shared traditional Armenian textile knowledge
    • Hosted workshops, residencies, and cultural exchanges
    • Welcomed artisans, travelers, and researchers from around the world
    • Created a space where craft, hospitality, and heritage come together

    Every rug, thread, and workshop tells a story — shaped by hands, time, and shared experience.

    Watch our 5th Anniversary video:

    We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported, collaborated, visited, learned, and believed in this journey. This milestone belongs to our entire community.

    Here’s to many more years of weaving tradition into the future — one thread at a time.

    With gratitude,
    Woolway Studios
    Argavand, Armenia

    Directions

    “The universe flows like a river; surrender to its stream. Resisting the current brings struggle, but flowing with it leads to harmony.”
    — A Woolway Proverb

  • Tags: rug restoration, artisan memory, Ladik carpet, weaving journey, textile heritage

    When I was sixteen, my great-grandfather gave me something that looked, at first, like a problem: an old, damaged Ladik rug. The edges were worn. The colors had faded. There were holes, stains, and time written all over it.

    But I didn’t see a rug. I saw a story.

    That moment became the turning point in my life. I didn’t know it then, but it set me on a path I’ve followed ever since — restoring not just objects, but memory.

    I took the rug to a local master restorer. I watched. I listened. I asked questions. And little by little, something inside me shifted. The careful handwork, the subtle beauty of the original dyes, the mystery of each motif — it opened a door that I’ve never wanted to close.

    That Ladik rug didn’t just teach me how to restore. It taught me how to respect time.

    Since then, I’ve worked with thousands of carpets — each with its own history, each with a soul. But I always think back to that first piece. It was more than a gift. It was an initiation.

    And it still lives with me — not just as a memory, but as a beginning I continue to honor, thread by thread.

    “The universe flows like a river; surrender to its stream. Resisting the current brings struggle, but flowing with it leads to harmony.”
    — A Woolway Proverb

  • by Hayk Oltaci

    Welcome to my personal website — a space dedicated to the art of rug restoration, natural dyeing, and cultural storytelling.

    From Istanbul to New York and now Armenia, this journey has been guided by heritage and craft. Here, I’ll share my ongoing work through Woolway Studios, insights into traditional techniques, and stories behind the threads that connect us.

    Thank you for being part of this path.

    “I no longer work to prove. I create to preserve.”

    “The universe flows like a river; surrender to its stream. Resisting the current brings struggle, but flowing with it leads to harmony.”
    — A Woolway Proverb