“With my craft I help my family. So that my children can get an education and overcome poverty.”
– Carmen
For the production of our 100% handmade baby alpaca sweaters we work together with two families in Cusco. Carmen’s family is one of them.
Carmen is our expert for the so-called intarsia knitting technique. Together with her family she is responsible for knitting our sweaters with the puma symbolism (Puma pacha & Puma pampa).
This traditional handicraft enables Carmen to create symbols, patterns and pictures with several colours in one knitting row. There are only a few knitters left in Cusco, who are mastering this traditional craft. Fortunately, Carmen and her family are in a support program of the Peruvian government to preserve and pass on the art of knitting to future generations.
We are proud to make our small contribution to this course – and you can be part of it.
According to Carmen, the intarsia technique is like painting for her – you knit each shape exactly as you would draw it. The most important thing is concentration. Because as soon as a thread is pulled wrongly, you have to start all over again.
Carmen learned this love and fascination from her parents and now passes the tradition on to her children. Carmen has two sisters who have five and seven children. Most of them work together with Carmen and her two daughters in their workshop.
“It is difficult to find work in Cusco, especially for the young people. It makes me proud to give my family a job and teach them my parents’ craft.”
– Carmen
