Destination no 1: Taquile Island

When I first started this blog it was because I wanted to focus on craft and making things. I have a lot of trouble with procrastination and time and I have to admit that so far it's been rather successful. I've managed to maintain regular posts and almost every single one has been about something I've made or are making. It's keeping me in driving mode and I'm pretty pleased with it all so far.

So now I've reached 100 posts (this being number 101) and I thought that this is as good a time as any to branch out every so slightly and post about something a little different. Well actually it's not going to be that different. It is going to be about craft, just not about my craft. I've decided that when I get the time I am going to post about places in the world I want to visit on my dream craft holiday. Actually it's not a dream craft holiday. Scratch that. This is the start of the planning phase of my craft tour because I am going to take this tour one day, I promise!

photo courtesy of wikipedia

A few months ago a colleague of mine sent me a wikipedia link about a small island in a lake in Peru called Taquile. He has been to Taquile Island and thought I'd be interested in reading about it because the Taquilenos are known for their handwoven textiles, clothing and knitting and he knows I have a strong interested in all of the above. But what makes Taquile so interesting is that the knitting on the island is primarily done by the men.

In Taquile the men knit themselves woolen hats in different colours and combinations. Each colour combination indicates to their village what someone's marital status is or their authority. Even the way a pom pom sits on a hat can indicate a different meaning. (see here)

But what is also so interesting about the Taquile men is that if their knitting skill is poor then they are more likely to have trouble finding a wife as they will not be considered good earners. Knitting is a major source of income in Taquile and a good knitter is highly prized. When my colleague was there he said the men would knit constantly and vigorously in public in the town square in hope of wooing the right woman. He even approached some of the knitters in hope of buying what he described as the 'wooing' knitting but said the men were horrified and wouldn't sell him anything. (He's a bit of a goose! He obviously didn't put much thought into what he was doing at the time!)

Anyway I just thought I'd share an interesting tid-bit of info with you all. It's always amazing experiencing different cultures, learning about their traditions and how vastly different they are to our own. I always find it so fascinating and can't get enough of it!

I did have a fair bit of trouble finding good information on Taquile island, (it must be a rarely visited place?), but here is a couple of links if you're interested in finding out a bit more.

Wikipedia

Travelblog

Gorgeous flickr photo

Hope you are all having a good weekend so far. I'm heading to the Northside Makers Crochet arvo tomorrow and are really looking forward to it. It's at one of my favourite cafes too. How perfect!