Baby Alpaca Scarf

History:
Casmira has been weaving these scarves for the last 20 years. In addition to scarves he also makes traditional and modern ponchos. He adopted the trade from his parents. As a child he lived in a small village called Camacho. When he was 10 yers old, him and his family moved to El Alto where they continued the tradition. The tradition dates back to 2 generations.

Being the only job he has, Casmira depends on the craft to provide for his very large family. Making scarves is not a very lucrative business since the costs to make such items are very expenive and local dealers undervalue the work. They normally dont make much more money than what is needed for basic survival.

Process:
To make a scarf, Casmira first must travel 1.5 days to his childhood village of Camacho, where he obtains the natural alpaca wool. After making a long and diffficult trip to obtain the alpaca wool, Casmira brings the wool home where the family spins the wool repeatedly. The wool is spun over and over again into a very finethread. After the wool is spun, it is placed onto a handmade loom that Casmira designed and built himself. After the scarf has been woven, the product is washed over and over again. It is washed by hand atleast 5 times. Washing the scarves is a difficult process for the family since the very cold temperature freezes the water. After they wash the alpaca wool, the scarf is then brushed in the sun. Brushing is done in the sun for sacred purposes.

Message:
"Thank you for appreciating our work. Today people prefer industrial made things and I am afraid our work wont be appreciated. It is very hard work and requires a lot of sacrifices."