spinknit scribd file

8/8/2019 SpinKnit Scribd File

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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.

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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.


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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


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