Blog
Nov 20
Handknitting Peruvian Hats in the Highlands
It’s like reading braille except it’s knitted versus punched. Called grutas meaning lumps, this distinctive handknitting technique produces a textural stitch like none other. The hats, designed and knit by the women and men of the Accha Alta community in the Peruvian Highlands high above the Sacred Valley, are a→ Read more
Nov 15
Visiting the Shibori Town of Arimatsu
For the past two weeks, I’ve been on the cloth road with friends in Japan. My long-awaited visit to the shibori town of Arimatsu, a former post town on the feudal Tokaido Road, had finally arrived. Since the early Edo Period (1600s), this has been a center for shibori. With→ Read more
Nov 06
Shibori: A Shaped Resist Cloth
Shibori is a Japanese word referring to the various types of embellishing cloth by shaping it and binding it before dyeing. In my last writing on this subject, I explained the various types of bound and sewn resists. Let’s look at specific examples of Japanese shibori techniques:→ Read more
Oct 30
Woven Dreams of T’nalak Ikat
Strip, split, knot, design, tie, dye, weave, pound, iron. Each of these steps goes into the weaving of the exquisitely complex T’nalak, a resist-dyed (ikat) abaca fiber, which is backstrap woven by T’boli women in the southern Philippines.→ Read more
Oct 23
Bolivian Handspinners Shine in Spinzilla Competition
The results are in! Spinzilla, the international handspinning competition, announced final numbers on Monday. Collectively and worldwide, Spinzilla spinners spun 3,983,286.18 yards of yarn in one week! Really they did. And while the Bolivian team, Warmis Phuskadoras, supported by ClothRoads/Thrums didn’t make the top ten (they came in #19 of→ Read more
Oct 16
Indigo: The Color Which Will Change Your World
Is there another dye that holds such deep, almost magical, powers as indigo? One that is called by so many names, such as ai (Japan), landian (China), chàm (Laos and Vietnam), nila ( India), gara (Africa), or añil (Central America)? One that beckons the spirits or causes mutinies?→ Read more
Oct 09
Go Beyond Textile Armchair Travel
It’s my annual fall ritual–I buy next year’s calendar and stare at all those blank days, days of potential for travel, ClothRoads trunk shows, conferences, exhibits, and the challenge to fit it in with work and volunteer time. It’s the time of year that countries, rich in textile-making traditions, beckon→ Read more
Sep 23
A Traditional Rattan Basket Carries a Load
Only skillful artisans can weave baskets made of rattan strips, designed with bold motifs, and continue to sustain their forests and traditions. The artisans of the Dayak Benuaq, a subtribe of Dayak who live in West Kutai, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, are that skilled. Currently, about 75 artisans from the Eheng→ Read more
Sep 12
A Natural Fiber Forms a Bond among Ayoreo Women
Strong. Resilient. Tenacious. That’s my description of the naturally-dyed fiber bags, designed and created by the Cheque Oitedie Cooperative from the Ayoreo community of Bolivia. But it’s also describes the character of the women who are its makers.→ Read more
Sep 04
Spinzilla: Bolivian Team Competes in Hand Spinning
Have you heard about Spinzilla and the Warmis Phuskadoras? The what? Let me tell you–this October, ClothRoads is sponsoring a group of twenty-five Bolivian hand spinners, named the Warmis Phuskadoras, in an international hand spinning competition, Spinzilla. (Warmis is Quechua for women, Phuska is Quechua for drop spindle, and the→ Read more
Top Rated Products
-
Rainbow Table Runner Mahuaypampa $185.00 -
Alpaca Wool Peruvian Runner $275.00 -
Khamak Shawl with Mirrors $108.00 -
Handstitched Kantha Scarf $48.00 -
Blue Nirvana Shibori Silk Scarf $98.00
