Christmas Knitting

Dear Nora and Fin-ster,

I want to tell you a little story about the Christmas hats I made for you. I wrote the pattern for this chullo in Spring of 2017 when your PopPop, Papa & Aunt Zan were in the Andes Mountains of Peru, walking the Camino Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I started when PopPop left, knitted a pile of them, wrote and submitted the pattern, and by the time he got back home a week later, I had finished everything! I named the design Camino Inca Chullo and there are many ways you can make them, but I knitted the improvisational variations for yours, making it up as I knitted along, from bits of yarn I had in a drawer, some that I overdyed with colors I thought you’d like. Nora, your Papa thought I ought to put kitty ears on yours, so I did, and positioned the ears where they worked best, as the top of the hat tends to slouch back. A soft slouchy chullo with cat ears sounds like a great hat I think , but the ears can be easily taken off if they’re not behaving. Fin-ster, I just want you to know that in the traditional dress of the Peruvians who live in the Andes Mountains, especially near Machu Picchu, only the men and boys wear these style hats, and usually have many very big fluffy tassels and pompoms, yours only has one rather small one by comparison, so wear it with pride Little Man! PopPop wanted me to make them for you, so I did, they are made of superwash wool, so they won’t shrink if you throw ’em in the washing machine, and also, the wool was grown from sheep in the Peruvian Mountains!  I better get them in the mail now, I hope you like them, and Happy Christmas! Love, Nanna.

All posts Camino Inca.

Un Chullo

jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 1

Another birthday chullo for my brother.  He just loves them so much, he wears them like hair.  For this birthday I chose to make an anniversary of last April’s Camino Inca Chullo pattern release, knitting from the pattern. This one samples the Incan wave motif, and I knit it up in some lovely soft Juniper Moon “Herriot” yarn, which is 100% undyed baby alpaca, and this baby is soft!    My brother likes the folk look of the ‘gnome’ crown, so I worked the option for slower decrease and it is just a bit gnome like…
jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 2

Its the tassels that my brother really loves, and with a brow/mustache comb that has needle-sharp brass teeth, I am able to comb through the pompom fringe and fluff up the fine hairs to a really fine furry puff …

jenjoycedesign© eyebrow comb

Voila!  I even tied on an extra bit of yarn to comb into a tassle at the tip of the earflap.

jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 3

This being the last of the deadline knitting, I am now able to spend some time experimenting with the traditional “mens”  chullo ~~ the varied regional methods of picot edges, and knit with needles traditionally made from  bicycle wheel spokes!     When time, opportunity & energy come together in the near future,  I will continue where I left off, and embark on a new chullo knitting adventure !    But for now I will leave you with an artful & inspiring short travel ad film  which gives glimpses of the wild landscape and colorful textiles of Peruvian Highlands that I have been so very drawn to …

 

Camino Inca Live!

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First day of summer vacation for my nieces & a photo shoot of the most recent  “Camino Inca” designs at the castle, and here they are, Miss Seventeen & Miss Fourteen….

Shown here is the small-size Ponchito, which is more of a large cowl draping around collar area &  sits on top of shoulders for a kiss of warmth.

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And the largest size,  A-line silhouette with three tiers of colorful shaped sections with bobbled bands edging each section.

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It envelopes shoulders & neck for a sensual & cuddly bliss!

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I love the way the Camino Inca Ponchito sits snug across & over shoulders while loose and draping around the neck.

 

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The ponchito is not unlike Peruvians’ traditional wool shoulder wraps pinned at the neck, and I think the Incans would approve, as it is a practical neck & shoulder garment that both women and men would look & feel brilliant wearing.

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It really pulls together an outfit!

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Oh, and almost forgot… in addition to three sizes of ponchito, there is the straight cowl option that comes with the pattern too…

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Camino Inca Chullo is a classic Peruvian style hat (these with very modest pompoms) and is just fun & full of whimsy !

For any age, male or female, this hat can be made simplified, or exotic & costume-like, with motif charts & embellishment suggestions galore.

 

You can see all posts relating to Camino Inca design and the inspiration behind it, (including this one) HERE.

Details for Camino Inca Ponchito on Ravelry HERE,

and Camino Inca Chullo HERE.

Colors of Cusco

jenjoycedesign© woven cloth.JPG

These handwovens are among some of the beautiful things brought back from Jeff’s trip to Machu Picchu, cloth woven at the Center For Traditional Textiles of Cusco (click and read more about the mission of the Center!)

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I find it intriguing and so endearing that these woven items have tags which include pictures, names & birth dates of the weavers!

jenjoycedesign© weaver Gregoria

jenjoycedesign© weaver Luciana

But I find it even more intriguing that these two weavers share the same birth year, and that this year is the very same as my own, and believe me, I seem to be the only one who finds this to be an uncommon coincidence. Oh, but just look at the weave, detail….

003 By the way, Jeff has come back fit as a fiddle,  and the three of them had a wonderful time.  I can’t believe it is now already two weeks since he was in the middle of the epic trek along the Camino Inca, and I was in a frenzy knitting, pattern writing, and submitting the designs ~~ so perfectly timed was the Camino Inca Chullo submitted when he arrived in Cusco, and the Camino Inca Ponchito when he was actually at Machu Picchu~~ like the ancient Incas, maybe, and the suns rays, I put so much significance in these events to be coinciding simultaneously.

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Camino Inca Ponchito & Cowl.JPG

I have a photo shoot on the calendar for beginning of June with my nieces, where these latest Camino Inca ponchitos  will be modeled and I can’t wait to come back and show them off!

Camino Inca & Pattern #2

624x468Read about how the  textiles tradition is still alive & kicking in Peru.

Jeff boarded the plane in Cusco to Lima this morning and right about now is leaving Lima on his way back home.  He has had an amazing time walking the Camino Inca to Machu Picchu  and was with a great group of trekkers.  He texted me, and sent me this photo from his phone before having to leave. It is at a weavers shop, where they are making traditional Peruvian cloths…

Jeff's textile photo.jpg

See the women in the lower right of the photo? I can see the simple way the pieces of cloth are sewn together to make a poncho sort of thing, worn as an outer garment.11167787204_112e122c85

Curious about the names of the Peruvian Dress, I found a great & interesting source which gives names to all the pieces of traditional clothing.  As an alternate, or in addition to the “Lliclla” , I do think my new design would look terrific with the Peruvian ensemble….

jenjoycedesign© Camino Inca Ponchito 2.JPG

Introducing Camino Inca Ponchito & Cowl!

(photo shoot of all Camino Inca ~ modeled HERE)

This design collection begins in previous post with Camino Inca Chullo and now this is the second in the collection.  One can make a simple straight cowl, or go for the more shapely ponchito….

jenjoycedesign© Camino Inca Ponchito flat.JPG

What is a “ponchito” you may be asking ? I like to think of it as a “little poncho” , just big enough to fit over shoulders, draping in warm folds to cuddle up to neck, but maybe one should think of it technically as a hybrid between a shawlette and cowl, all depending on which size is made. Here it is shown in smallest size;  35″ circumference at bottom, and 22″ circumference at top, and 11″ in length from bottom to top.  In my own colorwork with lovely bobbled bands it is rather sizzling I think…

jenjoycedesign© Ponchito detail

Edit In: The straight cowl for this design, is as basic as can be, with garter stitch edging… and here with colorway and no stripes between makes a clean playful edition!

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The design collection is still underway, with a photo shoot sceduled for kick off for my nieces’ summer vacation, when  I will be hopefully be finished with the whole Camino Inca collection.

Please come see the pattern HERE,

And please join in my promotional pattern release give-away ~~ in the spirit of Autumn in the Andes,  heading toward winter! Details on my Ravelry group HERE.

All posts related to ” Camino Inca ” designs HERE

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