Knitting and Crochet Traditions and Cultures of Peru

I have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to tutor knit and crochet workshops for Arena Travel for more than a decade. Under the brand name of Stitchtopia, Arena Travel has now run hundreds of trips for knit, crochet and sewing enthusiasts and I have been able to visit some incredible places and meet many fabulous people as a result. The team at Stitchtopia are always looking for new places to visit, so back in 2018 I suggested that they look into a hosting a textiles trip to Peru, never really expecting that it might happen!

Big trips like one to South America take a lot of organising, and with Covid putting a spanner in the works in 2020 and 2021, followed by a political uprising in the country last summer, it has taken us nearly six years to finally make it to Peru, but boy was it worth the wait!

I designed two projects for my group to work on while we were away - one hand knitted and the other one crocheted. Both projects were made in strips so that they were easier to work on while travelling. I tried to echo aspects of Peruvian design whilst being conscious not to copy them. The soft alpaca yarn used for the projects was generously provided by Rowan Yarns and I hope to release the patterns for them later in the year. 

Our tour started in the capital of Peru, Lima, where we immediately found talented crocheters making lovely 'surprise' flower dolls and other yarny items like keyrings and bags.

After a city walking tour we visited the Amano Museum of Pre-Columbian Textiles where we saw the most incredible examples of woven and embroidered textiles. Due to the low lighting and glass display cases within the museum my images are not brilliant, so I suggest you take a look at the website for more info. In the afternoon we had our first hand knit and crochet workshop at the hotel.

After a comfy stay in Lima for two nights after our long journeys, we flew to Arequipa where we were treated to a walking tour of the city, which included a visit to the stunning, vibrantly painted Santa Catalina Monastery and one to the Andean Sanctuaries Museum where we saw incredible textiles and artefacts that were discovered alongside the Juanita 'Mummy' high in the Andes Mountains in 1995.

On the same day we had our first 'up close and personal' meeting with a group of gorgeous alpacas and llamas at the Mundo Alpaca Centre, where we also got to learn about their fleeces and traditional dying and weaving processes. And then there was beautiful yarn and knitted items to browse in the shop - this was possibly the first of our many shopping opportunities! 

On Day 4 we boarded the coach and headed towards Yanque. As the altitude became higher we stopped for a drink of 'Misti' coca leaf tea, which is said to help with the adjustment in oxygen levels. We spotted so many alpacas. llamas and incredible wild vicunas from the coach windows and made stops along the way to visit textile centres, and of course, there was more shopping.....

Our base for the next couple of days was a lovely hotel in the Colca Canyon from where we made trips out to see the Condors flying and saw children dancing in the streets to raise funds for their school trips. We also managed to squeeze in a couple of knit and crochet meet ups so that participants could get on with their projects and show off some of the goodies they had found in the shops and markets.

On day 6 we travelled to Puno after a visit to the local market to pick up a lunch of fresh fruit, bread and avocados. We also managed to catch a bit of time with two very talented market stall holders who specialised in machine embroidery techniques. 

Our next hotel was located on the shore of Lake Titicaca and we arrived just in time to see a spectacular sunset over it. The following day we visited the incredible floating islands, where we were shown how they are built and maintained and were also shown some fabulous traditional embroidery and weaving.

​At this part of our trip we were at our highest altitude, so when it came to walking we were told to take it slow. After a motor boat ride across the lake we visited Taquile Island where we saw traditional dances and were shown the most amazing knitted and woven textiles. 

The image below was taken by Orla and it shows a man dressed in gorgeous hand made items, including a woven belt made by his wife and a knitted hat which has been made in the round using the finest of needles. The knitted hats worn by the married men on the island are multicoloured throughout as in the image, while the single men wear hats that have a plain, light coloured top half.

On day 9, after our fabulous stay in Puno, we travelled to Cusco on the luxurious Lake Titicaca train, which took us slowly through some spectacular scenery, towns and villages along the way. This day long journey gave everyone the chance to catch up on some knitting and crochet, whilst enjoying the onboard entertainment which included Peruvian music and dancing.

We stayed in Cusco for two days from where we visited some Inca sites, including the Qorinkancha (Temple of the Sun) in the centre of the city and Sacsayhuaman in the hills. Seeing the ingenuity of the Inca architecture and the incredible scale of their structures was an amazing experience. Whilst in Cusco we also visited the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco where they ensure that there is a future for Cusquenan textiles. Here, we fed the animals and were treated to more spinning, dying and weaving demos too.

On Day 11 we travelled through the Sacred Valley to Pisac where we visited Inca period agricultural terraces and dropped into a silver jewellery studio, later wandering through the streets surrounded by shops full to bursting with the most incredible textiles and craft items.

​Whilst in the Sacred Valley we stayed at the Sonesta Posadas Hotel where we enjoyed an afternoon workshop in the stunning garden surroundings. Probably my most memorable location for a workshop ever! 

On our 12th Day we made a short trip through the snow capped peaks of the Andes to see the salt terraces at Moray and then travelled onwards to visit a co-operative of spinners, weavers and dyers where we were invited to wear woven shawls and traditional hats before a really interesting presentation about the natural dying process used for alpaca yarns.

In the afternoon we visited the Pumaq Wasin group who showed us their knitting and weaving traditions and provided us with a delicious home cooked lunch of quinoa soup and corn and pumpkin tortillas. Later they also talked us through their potato farming traditions. Another amazing day!

On day 13, as we headed towards the end of our trip, we travelled on the train to Aguas Calientas, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu from where we caught the bus for an afternoon visit to the incredible Inca site.

We were incredibly fortunate to have tickets to visit Machu Picchu twice, so a few of us got up really early on Day 14 to walk the Inca ruins once again. The weather wasn't quite so kind to us as it had been the previous day, but it was still an incredible experience climbing the hills in the early morning light, low clouds and drizzle!

On the afternoon of our final full day in Peru we managed to squeeze in another knit and crochet workshop and the group also got to do some more crafting on the train journey back to Cusco.

We flew back home on Day 16, but before we left Cusco we squeezed in a really fun chocolate making workshop and of course a spot more shopping! 

The images above show (most of) my haul of goodies I bought in Peru, which includes some of the most beautiful knitted and crocheted items ever, as well as plenty of yummy chocolate, coffee and a pretty high number of fridge magnets courtesy of Andy!

I still can't quite believe that I finally made it to Peru! It really is the most fabulous country - very calm and full of lovely friendly people. I have never been anywhere so in touch with their textile heritage and I am still in total awe of the incredible craftsmanship and pure skill we found there. It really was textile heaven, especially for knitters and crocheters, with yarns and handmade items at pretty much every turn.

​It is so hard to put into written words just how great this trip was and I really hope to make it back to Peru one day. Thanks so much to the team at Stitchtopia, especially Cheryl and Alison and to my incredible tour manager Teresa who was her usual amazing self. We were also incredibly lucky to have the company of our fantastic Peruvian Tour Guide, José who looked after us all so well. I also want to thank the fabulous knitters and crocheters who joined me on the tour. You were all amazing and I am so proud of you!