Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands

Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez provides an inspirational new view into the world of Andean textiles. 'A beautifully informative new book with only one flaw: its title is much too modest! It not only offers, in patient words and detailed pictures, a primer on ancient inca spinning and textile-making, it also spins a tale of ancient heritage and living craft. The book's generous sharing of textile knowledge deeply enriches your own textile practice on many levels.' Anne Pollard Rowe, Research Associate of Indigenous American Textiles at The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C. Ten years after the publication of her seminal book Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands, Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez has gathered artisans of all ages to share their knowledge, lore, and deep skills, highlighting many of the techniques used by spinners, weavers, and knitters of the Andes. Concise step-by-step instructions and rich photography give readers the how-to of several textile secrets of the Peruvian highlands. Poignant and detailed descriptions of Andean cultural traditions frame each section, providing context and rare insight into what textile work means as a living heritage of the Quechua people. Callañaupa Alvarez pays special recognition to the Young Weavers Groups who are proudly carrying forward the textile traditions of their ancestors with ingenuity and innovation.