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In Chucuito, a tiny village near Lake Titicaca, on the frigid Andean mountain plateau 12,500
feet above sea level, everyone is a master knitter. This Aymara community has a long history
of fine textile making and their ancestors have been doing it for thousands of years. Boys and
girls learn how to knit while young, and even men traditionally knit their finest festive attire.
So it is no surprise that for these Peruvian women artists, knitting finger puppets
is a natural way of life. Working from home allows them to keep an eye on their children while providing up to
half the income for their families. Their work brings them a sense of independence and empowerment,
and their enjoyment shines through in the quality, detail and creativity of each
finger puppet.
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In this agricultural community, life revolves around nature, so the artists are not able to knit as much during
planting and harvesting seasons. Women are traditionally responsible for caring for their llamas, alpacas and
farm animals, and helping as needed with crops of potatoes and barley. October is also a special time; as the
entire community dedicates themselves to the "Virgin of the Rosary" with month long dancing and celebrations.
During the rest of the year, they get together to chitchat and share family stories while they knit.
Artist Tomasa, leader and designer for the group, remembers that her mom used to spin her own alpaca or
sheep wool to knit warm clothing for her and her sisters. On occasion her mom would create whimsical animal toys
for playing. Similar knit works can be found in some archaeology museums as fringes decorating ancient Peruvian
textiles. Over time, toy knitting developed into today's finger puppets, a creative
adaptation of a highly developed knitting tradition for the enjoyment of all young at heart!
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