Artesanía Mapuche; Hand Made Yarn
September 21, 2009
Textiles at the Chol Chol Foundation
The weaving from the 38 Mapuche communities we work with is beautiful, with earthy tones and graphic symbolic patterns representing different visual elements of Mapuche spirituality. All wool is carded from sheep in the Aracaunía region, and shipped locally.
raw wool drying before being spun
The women spin the wool by hand into variety of different textures of yarn: thin, thick, smooth, textured, with single or double fibers twisted.
Mapuche mother spinning wool in her kitchen
The yarn is then dyed naturally with plant or mud brews from materials harvested sustainably in their communities. Colors of the wool change from season to season based on the acidity of the ground or the types of vegetables or flowers in bloom. Chile, garlic, herbs, mud and the like make common ingredients.
chile, herbs, corn, and garlic being dried for dyes
mother and daughter dying yarn
boiling plants, dying yarn
boiling plants, dying yarn
freshly died yarn, drying in back yard
bundled up
Incredible photos of the process and final result! Really beautiful.