Spinning & knitting
Here are a few of the many steps involved in creating knitted garments.
Most of the artisans we work with are alpaca breeders and carry out all the stages of production, from raising the animals to the finished product.
Note that these traditional methods are 100% manual. No machines are used!
Fiber sorting and cleaning
The fleeces are thoroughly shaken to remove as much dirt as possible, but it is essential to finish the work by hand. This can take several hours!
Next, the fibers are sorted according to their quality. Coarser hairs (for example, from the legs) are removed, and the finer fiber is set aside. The artisans separate the baby-grade fiber, which will be used for scarves, from the intermediate-quality fiber (fleece), which will be used for mittens. Colors are also categorized, as a single animal can have fibers in different shades.
Alpaca shearing
Shearing is done once a year, between October and December. In the spring, the breeders sharpen their scissors in preparation for shearing their alpacas. Electric clippers are not very common there. Often, the areas where shearing takes place lack electricity, or the tool is simply too expensive. But rest assured—the alpaca breeders handle their scissors with great skill! The shearing is carried out efficiently and smoothly.
Spinning
Alpaca fiber is hand-spun using a spindle, the ancestor of the spinning wheel. It is a tool perfectly suited to the lifestyle of artisans in Peru.
Peruvian alpaca breeders move with their animals, just as shepherds did long ago. Each day, they walk several kilometers to reach water sources and grazing areas. In these Andean highlands, the pastures are vast, and the vast majority are unfenced. The breeders therefore accompany their animals throughout the day.
Twisting
At this stage, a single strand of yarn must be twisted together with another to create a two-ply yarn.
In Peru, it is very common to see men working with alpaca fiber, especially spinning it and plying it.
Knitting
Watch Rosa in action! She is knitting socks.
In the Andes, artisans often work outdoors between agricultural tasks. This video was filmed during a collective potato harvest, at over 3,800 meters above sea level on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Like most of her fellow knitters, Rosa has been spinning and knitting since a young age. You can see it in the speed and precision of her work! Whenever she has a free moment, she pulls out her knitting. You can hear her conversing with her companions in Spanish, but also in Aymara, their mother tongue.
Quality control and training
Since 2004, we have been working to improve the quality of knitted products with the artisans of Association Arte-Aymara.
Since the beginning, the knitters have made tremendous progress and have reached very high standards of quality. Certainly, our ongoing training has contributed, but much of the credit goes to the artisans themselves, who share their knowledge and help each other improve.
Each product goes through 2 to 3 rounds of quality control carried out by experienced artisans. Measurements, knitting quality, finishing, softness, and other aspects are carefully inspected and corrected as needed.
Proud of the finished product!
For the artisans in Peru, knowing that their knitted products are worn as far away as Canada is a tremendous source of pride. Thank you!
