On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
arrieve
One of my favorite experiences on this trip was a visit to one of the weaving cooperatives in Chinchero, a small town in the mountains about an hour from Cusco.
Chinchero is famous for its textiles, and is a center for using and promoting traditional techniques. The cooperative we visited, Sara Textiles, was formed by a group of single mothers. Our visit began with meeting (and feeding) the alpacas and llamas who supply the wool, and ended in the adjoining shop, where scarves, coats, hats, and wall hangings in every color of the rainbow are for sale. (In addition to many gifts, I bought a short cape made from felted baby alpaca that is the softest fabric I have ever owned. I didn’t intend to buy it but once I took it off the hanger it was never going back. I can’t wait for fall so I can wear it.)
One of the alpacas. I like llamas, but I am in love with alpacas. They have the sweetest faces.
Everything is is done by hand. The wool is washed with a grated root they jokingly referred to as “Inca shampoo,” and they only use natural dyes, mostly from roots and herbs plus cochineal from insects. I was especially fascinated by the dyes, and how many colors it is possible to produce using plants. If I ever want to take up another craft, I would love to try playing with natural dyes.
On the other hand, I have actually tried spinning using a hand spindle like these and I never managed to produce anything resembling yarn. So although it was fun to see experts in action, that’s not something I’m likely to try again.
Another woman spinning. I love her hat.
Weaving using a backstrap loom. It takes more than 40 hours to finish a piece like this.
The weavers use a bone like this to lift the warp threads so the shuttle can pass beneath them. (She joked that it came from her ex-husband. It’s actually a llama bone.)
Someone was missing her mama, so the presentation was paused for a few minutes.
Baud
You take good photos. You have a good eye.
Manyakitty
Lovely. That alpaca could be a cover model 😍.
Also, same about natural dyes. Closest I’ve come so far is an indigo kit I found online after a knit designer I follow on Instagram posted a tie dye project with it.
Baud
@Manyakitty:
Alpaca Fancy.
Betty
I love the vibrant colors. Looks like a fun side trip.
Wag
The alpaca portrait is great. Thanks for sharing
CCL
Your eye for composition is fabulous. I love the play of light and shadow on the alpaca. Every photo here is a gem.
lee
Great pictures.
Waaaaay back in 2004 we were visiting New Mexico. We spent the day in Santa Fe and had a cold front blow in. There was a street vendor set up on a corner selling what was supposed to be clothing from Peru (alpaca and llama wool). The clothing we got for the girls was exactly as you described: The softest fabric I had ever handled. Here’s a pic of our purchases. We still have those stashed away somewhere.
Albatrossity
Nice series, and great colors and composition! Please send pictures of you and the hat sometime in the fall!
MelissaM
This is the kind of tourism I love! It’s hard to believe those colors are from natural dyes, they’re so vibrant! I also don’t understand the women wearing layers and layers and … bare feet in sandals. Then again, my kid runs around in bare feet in the winter and I scold that it’s making me cold, put on socks and slippers!
Lovely photos!
Madeleine
Joining the others in appreciation of your eye. I enjoy the composition and colors. Today, especially, all the vivid color! And the artist/artisan you center on.
Mike in Pasadena
Excellent photos.
columbusqueen
Wonderful photos! I love alpacas too; I got to pet one once & he was an absolute cuddlebug.
cckids
Beautiful, creative photos! I love all of them.
If anyone is interested in the history of the cochineal dye; an excellent book is A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire, by Amy Greenfield. I wasn’t sure about it, but it turned out to be fascinating.