About a year ago we left our jobs in Buenos Aires and strated an adventure with my partner… we decided to walk the path … Patagonia Argentina and Chile before emigrating to Europe. He carried his guitar and I carried my loom. My idea was to specialize myself and learn all the secrets of the Aborigin loom.
As we traveled along the coast, the loom refused to be at ease, I tried it hard, and something happend but not exactly the results I wanted …
We arrived at the Alerces National Park where we camped for a couple of days and I rearmed with traditional colors: black, white and red.
We hitchhiked to “El Bolson” for me the most beautiful and magic place in Patagonia, and for the first time in the trip (after one month and a half) we installed ourselves in a “cabana” near the mountain …
I don’t know why? But this time I began to weave and my hands where very fluent … I almost end the “faja” in three days of constant work and I could never repeat it again…
In addition,this place was full of bohemian artists and artisans, and also it was a cooperative of mapuche weavers … they are the indigenous inhabitants of the region, which is the technique that I was improving. Of course this week was a constant going to weave with these women. They spun their wool, and wove in large looms! menawhile we drank “mates”
This fajita travel throughout the rest of our trip, for which, Chile, London, Corsica, Barcelona, Granada, Paris … and now finally moved to Stockholm, Sweden. A man who has indigenous origins have bought it and when I found out I could not keep my tears from falling … now has a new owner and my lesson was to know that I never abandon that technique which has given so much satisfaction to me.
Great job. I really like your weaving. I’m also weaving traditional Macedonian motifs, but I’m interested in old Andean weaving techniques. I tried to experiment and learn somethings. But it’s difficult, specially the double weave technique, and the tubular ending. Do you have some instructions or materials to give me and help me learn this wonderful technique
Thanks for your comments! I work with a book but it’s in spanish, so, I could make a tutorial if you want…
It is complicated, that is a fact and it took me 1 year to weave like that, but I consider is not parfect yet 😉
I would like to see your works! do you have a flickr page or something like that?
What materials have you used to try? I think for Pampa and Laboreo Andino is better a thin cotton as perlé for example, but is true that you have to get a lot of concentration to weave with them…. lots of people in Argentina start with wool (it’s an special one for weaving) and then they try with cotton, I didn’t but now I’m not afraid to weave with thiner materials…
Let me know a bit more about your work!
I will be very thankful if you make some tutorials for me. It would help me a lot. I am specially interested in that how to change the color, and how to make scheme and weave the pattern. You can see more about my work on
http://www.myspace.com/goranswork
http://www.goranswork.blog.com.mk
http://www.facebook.com searc for goranscraft@hotmail.com
In my experiments i was using synthetic wool I could make some pictures of those examples so you could see how have I learned.
I almos forget.. http://www.flickr.com my profile is goran_6
wow! I’m impressed! your work is excellent and you are an expert! I would love to have a loom like yours…
I’m going to try and make a translation from a great book I have (Telar Mapuche de Enrique Taranto) very recommendable for learning, but it is written just in Spanish.If you can buy it it is ideal for the schemes.
I’ve been working with traditional ones (from the book) and another I have improvised but I almost love the most the traditional ones
I have to say sinthetic material is not good for this kind of works… I’m going to make the tutorials, I promise, I don’t know when but be in contact because is going to be here… it is a challenge for me do it in english.. great to know people like you!
🙂
I am glad you liked my work.I put a photo of my loom on fabebook. Its homemade. I made it by my self whit help of my brother and father.
About the south American weaving..
I can weave this technique I have weaved one little belt it’s similar to belt on this photos
I understand that technique and I can work it.I think is called pick up technique.
But I can’t understand completely the technique in which is made the belt on your last photo, or the belt on this photo
I think this is so called pebble weave and that is my problem:)))
Well this is not the same technique, and I never worked with it, but it seems more from Alto Peru region (Bolivia, Peru, North Argentina). The one in the belt is Pampa (I don’t know how is it called in english) but is from the center-south Argentina. Anyway I’m going to make the tutorial for you to know. Even if is not the one you are looking for is very interesting to learn.
If I found something like that in my book I’ll let you know
So the belt in your last photo on this post is made in Pampa. I like that technique too,and I would be very happy to learn and weave it.I am anxiously waiting for your tutorials 😀
I would like to give you this link , its for translating sentences or parts of some text , from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish . I hope it will help you in preparing the tutorials
http://www.spanishdict.com/translation
I use it a few times.. i think is useful