Textiles of Peru

In the western world it is mainly women that knit and as a hobby. Of course we have Tom Daley who rose to knitting fame with his chequered patchwork cardigan and there are probably many other men knitting in their spare time.

There is an island off Peru mainland called Taquile whose tradition it was for men to knit and the women to go about the daily work farming. Today men in Taquile continue to knit the traditional Chullo and another type of hat called the Montera, a Quechua word for a hat that varies by region and is decorated to signify a woman's origin. The men today will now work the farm and the women have taken over the knitting where they form cooperatives where supply of their skills far outweighs demand.

Knitting in the round with 5 needles was introduced to Peru by the Spanish around the 15th century using fine yarn enabling the men to knit detailed motifs of nature, animals, flowers and other representational symbols. The traditions are passed from father to son and the men will on marriage knit a Churro in red which will attract the woman he loves.

Faustino Quipe Cruz (right) and his son Marc Antony knit together in the family compound on Taquile Island, Peru. 2010. Photo by Joe Coca.

In Piecework magazine May 20, 2020

Wool that was used in Peru for creating their amazing textiles is called Vicuna which is found in the remote Puno province in Peru's southern Andes. Vicunas are wild, long-necked cousins of llamas, alpacas and guanacos. The wool is referred to as Andean Gold. Unfortunately the wool hasn't been used for textiles in decades due to the Vicunas disappearing because of hunting, how sad.

Today the women of Peru in their cooperatives use and dye their natural alpaca wool by placing it into metal vats with, for example, hot black dye made from a fungus. The fungus is found deep in the jungle.

There is a really nice document on the National Geographic about Vicuna Wool if you would like to read more about the Andean Gold

Vicuna found in Peruvian Andes