Learning through objects from the Islington Education Library Service’s handling collection
Organic Dyed Knitted Hat, Peru
This style of knitted hat has been made for centuries in villages in the Andes in Peru. As
it can be very cold in villages 4000 feet above sea level, warm clothes
are essential. The hat has bands of geometrical floral designs and
contrasting colours in subtle shades of ochre, olive yellows and pinks
that are derived from natural dyes. The process of making these hats is
both lengthy and highly skilled. Sheep’s’ wool is dyed
using plant, lichen and insect dyes. Once dyed, the wool is spun
by hand with a small wooden spindle. Then the hat is knitted on four needles using traditional designs.
About the dyes
Yellow dye comes from a variety of orange buddleia which was widely planted by the Incas. Blue comes from indigo, a tropical plant that doesn’t grow in the mountainous Andes but is produced in warmer areas of Peru. Brown comes from crushed walnut husks, and pale grey/blue comes from eucalyptus leaves. Grey and orange dyes come from some of the many varieties of lichen which grow on the rocks high in the Andes. Red is an insect dye from the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus) that feeds on sap from the prickly pear cactus. Cochineal was used by the Aztecs and Mayans in ancient Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s, they were amazed by the brilliant red-dyed clothing they saw, as Europe’s red dyes could not compare with the bright cloth. Cochineal was widely imported into Europe as the main source of red dye until the mid 19th Century when it was replaced by artificial dyes.
Yellow dye comes from a variety of orange buddleia which was widely planted by the Incas. Blue comes from indigo, a tropical plant that doesn’t grow in the mountainous Andes but is produced in warmer areas of Peru. Brown comes from crushed walnut husks, and pale grey/blue comes from eucalyptus leaves. Grey and orange dyes come from some of the many varieties of lichen which grow on the rocks high in the Andes. Red is an insect dye from the cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus) that feeds on sap from the prickly pear cactus. Cochineal was used by the Aztecs and Mayans in ancient Mexico. When the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s, they were amazed by the brilliant red-dyed clothing they saw, as Europe’s red dyes could not compare with the bright cloth. Cochineal was widely imported into Europe as the main source of red dye until the mid 19th Century when it was replaced by artificial dyes.
About the people
Although
highly skilled at raising sheep, dyeing wool, spinning and knitting,
the people receive next to nothing if they only sell locally, and they
are often very poor. This hat has been bought from a fairtrade
organisation, Mamacha, which works closely with local craftswomen and
helps them to sell their hats at a better price, earning money to gain a
higher standard of living, ensuring that children can go to school, and
that they can afford medical costs.
This style of knitted hat has been made for centuries in villages in the Andes in Peru. As
it can be very cold in villages 4000 feet above sea level, warm clothes
are essential. The hat has bands of geometrical floral designs and
contrasting colours in subtle shades of ochre, olive yellows and pinks
that are derived from natural dyes. The process of making these hats is
both lengthy and highly skilled. Sheep’s’ wool is dyed
using plant, lichen and insect dyes. Once dyed, the wool is spun
by hand with a small wooden spindle. Then the hat is knitted on four needles using traditional designs.
- Term:
- Description:
- Lichen
- A fungus that grows together with algae. It can be found on rocks or tree trunks.
- Spindle
- Used in making textiles, this is a device to spin fibres into thread.
