My interest in knitting has been kept alive over the years by the almost infinite variety of color, pattern, and texture that is found in collections of knitters and museums around the world. Although I love the smooth, quiet repetition of knitting a rectangular scarf in garter stitch using a luxurious yarn, it is the endless diversity of technique and style that keeps me interested in knitting as more than a way to keep my hands busy while watching TV.

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
--from The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Although language is one key to human thought and creativity, the visual focus of our senses is certainly another central part of being human. Most people would consider going blind to be one of the worst things that could possibly happen. We surround ourselves with colors that please us. Colors, as much as aromas and flavors, make our food appetizing. We paint our nails, dye our hair, powder our eyelids, and gloss our lips with color. As we flip through the pages of a knitting book, it is the colors of the garments that leap out and grab our attention.

It is not only color that intrigues us, it is also the shapes and patterns depicted in the colors that intrigue, entrance, and inspire us. A red star means something different than a red octagon. A green leaf carries a different message than a dollar bill. A yellow butterfly attracts me; a yellow bee scares me. A purple flower is beautiful; a purple bruise is ugly. Color, shape, and texture combine to speak to us through our eyes.

For as long as humans have been human, we have been drawing and painting pictures. From 5,000 year old cave paintings in France to 1970s subway graffiti in New York City, we always seem to find a way to express ourselves visually. In the mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador, the Incas and their descendants have used brightly colored yarns to weave colors, shapes, and patterns into their clothing and accessories. When Spanish and Portuguese explorers, conquerors, and missionaries brought knitting to the Andes, the people of South America embraced it. Using llama and alpaca fiber, the Inca people began knitting intricate and colorful hats and bags to accompany their woven garments.

Women knit purses in many different sizes and shapes. Most are small, compared to North American pocketbooks, and they contain many tiny pockets to store change, small personal items, and amulets. The purses are knitted in the round, with stitches for the pocket openings knitted in scrap yarn that is later removed so stitches can be picked up to add the small pockets. Simple purses may be rectangular or oblong, with only one or two small pockets. Complex purses may be in the shapes of animals or people or in diamond shapes, and they often have many pockets. They may be decorated with tassels and coins for good luck.

In the Andes, men and boys also knit. Men wear tight-fitted caps with ear flaps, known as chullos, that they knit for themselves. Boys learn to knit at a young age, and except for the first chullo each infant wears as a baby, a boy makes all of his caps himself. Using bicycle spokes or fine wires for knitting needles, they knit at a very fine gauge - sometimes as much as 20 stitches per inch (79 stitches/10 cm) - with multiple colors. The resulting caps are windproof. The chullos are knitted in the round except for the ear flaps, which are added after the main portion of the cap has been completed. Today, younger men and boys wear baseball caps over their chullos.

Pictures in Andean Knitting
The colorwork patterns used on Andean caps, bags, and accessories cover a wide range of complexity. There are simple stripes and checkers, complicated geometric designs (such as zigzags and Inca crosses), and iconic representations of people and animals. Many of the symbols carry sacred meanings and have been in use for centuries in the mountains and plains of the Andes.

Geometric Shapes: Zigzags may symbolize rivers or roads, which provide transportation through the mountainous terrain. They may also represent serpents, who bring wisdom and knowledge of the ancient past to the wearer, or earthworms, who bring fertility to the fields. Cross motifs are used to remember a recently deceased friend or loved one, as well as to provide protection over the fields during the growing season. The 8-pointed star motif was introduced by Europeans, while a squared-off star motif was used traditionally in pre-Columbian times.

Flora: The coca leaf has been integral to Andean culture for millennia. Today, workers chew the leaves of the coca plant for stamina during a long day’s work. It is said that the leaves also provide relief for high-altitude sickness. Many other flowers are depicted in weaving and knitting motifs as well.

Fauna: Animal motifs are popular on Andean knitting. Guard dogs are used as protective amulets; birds bring good news; and livestock animals are reminders of the still-rural lifestyle in the region. The oldest motifs feature local animals such as llamas, alpacas, and condors. More recent designs also feature animals introduced to the region by Europeans such as cattle, horses, and sheep.

Colors: For centuries, the Inca people used natural dyes. More recently, women have been using synthetic dyes to create brighter colors than are possible to achieve with natural dyes. Natural-colored yarns, made from the many shades of Alpaca and Llama wool, are also popular. Colorwork patterns are very popular in the Andes, but lace knitting is not unknown and some of the pictorial motifs have been converted into lace patterns by Andean knitters as well as by North American designers.

Further Reading:
Andean Folk Knitting: Traditions and Techniques from Peru and Bolivia by Cynthia Gravelle Lecount (Fiber Arts Publications, 1990)

Andean Folk Knits: Great Designs from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador & Bolivia by Marcia Lewandowski (Lark Books, 2006)

Traditional Textiles of the Andes: Life and Cloth in the Highlands by Lynn A. Meisch, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and M. H. De Young Memorial Museum (Thames & Hudson, 1997)

Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands by Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez (Interweave Press, 2007)

Charts
The charts for this pattern are very large and fit on a letter-sized page.