View
221
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File
1/5
8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File
2/5
Head north and west from Cusco, Peru, and youll see stunning landscapes
of rolling fields, snow-capped mountains, small farmsteads, and women in
traditional dress herding flocks of sheep. As you drive down the narrow cobbled
streets of the town of Chinchero, youll note the remnants of Inca stonework and
waterways, the bustling market, the 17thcentury church. Then you come to the
Weaving Center.
Behind the heavy wooden
doors of this spacious walled
compound, you will meet several
dozen Quechua women who have
committed themselves to fostering
a high standard of traditional
excellence. They come together
to spin, weave, knit, and share
their challenges and dreams.
Children chase each other or a
stray lamb, or practice beginning
spinning and weaving skills at their
mothers side. Pairs of women
work together to prepare a warp
for a backstrap loom, tossing
balls of bright natural-dyed yarnback and forth. Women hitch
their looms to a central post,
spreading out spoke-like as they
make slow but steady progress on
their intricate pick-up patterns.
Women pull out their knitting and
work intricate, traditional color-
rich patterns. This is no living
history museum; it is a vibrant,forward-thinking community of
women devoted to preserving and
extending a rich textile heritage and
providing income for the health and
education of their families.
The driving force behind the
Centro de Tejedores Away Riqcharichq
de Chincherois Nilda Callaaupa
Alvarez, a native of Chinchero
who has become known in her
own country and throughout the
world as a champion of traditional
Andean textiles. The Center in
A Trip toChinchero
Tending flocks
is an all-day,
everydayresponsibility
for older
women and
children of
Peruvian high-
land villages.
V
8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File
3/5
Chinchero is one of nine that
she has established throughout
the region, each having its own
characteristic weaving and knitting
styles and techniques that can date
back hundreds of years.
Spinning in ChincheroCenturies after the invention
of the spindle wheel or the flyer
wheel, all handspinning in the
Peruvian highlands continues to
be done with simple wooden dropspindles. Theres a reason for this:
spinning is womens work, and
its only a small part of a womans
work. Depending on her age and
life situation, she might spend
hours every day tending flocks in
the fields. She might spend several
hours walking to and from a nearby
market. She certainly will spend
time watching after children and
preparing food.
With a drop spindle, her
spinning is always at hand, always
easy to pick up and carry along.
(Of course, theres the issue ofeconomy, as well. You can find
drop spindles in the markets for
Above: The first
step in plying is to
wind two strands
of yarn into a
ball or skein.Left: Natural
dyes are the rule
in Chinchero.
Common dye
stuffs are
cochineal, indigo
and a wide variety
of local plants,lichens, and
minerals.
Left: Holding her circular knitting so the
right side is away from her, a Chinchero
knitter maintains tension by passing the
working yarns around her neck.
8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File
4/5
EnergizedYarns I
magine yourself as a bug
on the surface of one
of Kathryn Alexanders
knitted fabrics. Youd be
in a psychedelic badlands
of heaving, pulsating
furrows and hillocks. You
would weep bug tears of
ecstasy and dismay.
But wake up! Youre a
spinner, not a bug. You
can spin these yarns and
create these landscapes
yourself. Read along
and just imagine the
possibilites.
Yarn with a Mind of Its Own
Video: Kathryn Alexander on
how it all got started
Slide show: Highly energetic
knitting
Working with Energized Yarn
Video: Kathryn describes the
qualities of energized yarns
Video: Kathryn talks about
the shape-shifting nature of
energized yarns
Dyeing Energized Yarn
Peaks and Swirls Socks
Sock pattern to download
Kathyrn Talks About Her Yarn
8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File
5/5
Recommended