Thursday, January 28, 2010

In the blood

Thursday...
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I met a woman today who explained to me that knitting was passed down from generation to generation so seamlessly that she didn't even remember formally being taught...it was just always there for her. When she was 6 she began to cut the hair off her family's alpaca and weave it into yarn. Resourcefully, she cut the needles off a cactus and began to knit small sweaters for her dolls. She believes the knowledge was already inside her before she ever knit her first garment...it was in her blood.
The tool you see here is the needle used for a very old hand-loom technique. The woman with knitting in her blood is learning how to use it. I have a scarf/shawl now, woven on said loom, and it turns my eyes very very green. It was a good day.
Buenas noches

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handloom-1

1 comment:

  1. Hi! I just discovered your blog and wanted to thank you for sharing your wonderful trip.
    Your photos are amazing, I love the light!

    ReplyDelete