Knitting IMHO is a form of weaving, so I fit right into Teotitlan del Valle where weaving is the culture. Fiber and textile artists tend to experiment with different forms of the art. But first, a bit about the wool. This is 100% super wash merino roving with a 23u top that I bought from DTK Knits in Apex, North Carolina. I love the variegation of color that they achieved and the softness of the wool.
They hand-painted it and put it out in the sun to dry. Sun-dried, solar dyed! The 4 ounces I bought cost $18.00 USD. I brought several of these types of skeins with me to use for felting projects over the next few months, although I will be dyeing wool roving here, too. As I showed Federico and Dolores my stash yesterday, they ahhed and oohed, and we talked about what it might be like to spin the roving. I could then knit a hat for Omar and then one for Eric.
First project underway.
Federico grabbed a bamboo bobbin and attached it to the spinning wheel. We then separated the roving into strands thin enough to spin, but thick enough so it wouldn’t fall apart. That took both of us. Then we were ready to go.
After the bobbin was full, I put it into a sealed plastic bag with one end open to pull the tail of the thread through. That way, the bobbin stays intact.
Next, I made a sample swatch to figure out the gauge or how many stitches to cast on to fit Omar’s head. Since he wasn’t there, I measured Federico. This wool knit up at about 3 stitches per inch and Federico’s head measures 23″ so I cast on 74 stitches using a #10-1/2 (or 6-1/2mm) needle.
I knit two inches of length and then decreased four stitches in order for the rim to turn up and show the purl side. Then, I will continue knitting until I have about 7″ of hat. Then, using double pointed needles, I’ll begin to decrease every two stitches until there are four stitches left. Take a crochet hook and pull the yarn through the four stitches and tie off. Bring the yarn through to the underside and weave it in.
Resources
I buy ecru merino roving to dye from Paradise Fibers. I order dyed roving online from various Etsy resources like Rachel Jones’ On the Round, who spins and dyes near Portland, Maine. I met Rachel last summer at a street fair and loved her wool.
And, here’s the start of the hat! Didn’t it knit up beautifully? And, P.S. We still have space in the Felted Fashion Workshop here that starts February 2. Ask me about coming to the one-day dye workshop component, too.
Cultural Dialogs: Dance of the Feather in Teotitlan del Valle
On Wednesday night this week, the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center hosted the first in a series of community dialogs about indigenous life in Oaxaca. The restored chapel was filled to standing room only with Teotitecos and friends who came to hear a panel discussion introducing the new book, La Danza de la Pluma en Teotitlån del Valle written by Jorge Hernandez-Diaz, a cultural anthropologist at the state Benito Juarez Autonomous University of Oaxaca.
In addition to Professor Hernandez-Diaz, panelists included Uriel Santiago, one of the 2007-2009 group of dancers who made a promise and commitment to God, their church, community and culture by learning and performing this ancient tradition for a period of three years. Uriel first welcomed guests in Zapotec then moved into Spanish. Years ago Uriel explained to me that the Dance of the Feather is not a folkloric event designed to entertain people. It is a serious expression of Zapotec identity and cultural continuity. We made a documentary film about his experience in 2008 which you can see on YouTube.
The book, published in Spanish by the Oaxaca Secretary of Culture and Arts, with support from the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation and the Office of the Governor of Oaxaca, offers three possible explanations about the origins of the dance, how it is interpreted in Teotitlan del Valle, other Oaxaca villages where the dance is an integral part of annual celebration, the rituals and traditions associated with the dance, and how the dance is organized and who can participate, plus lots more. The professor explains in his book that the dance is expressed with variations in many Mexican states, too.
Each year in Teotitlan del Valle beginning in early July and lasting for about a week, the Dance of the Feather is performed in the church courtyard. Every three years the group changes and is organized/trained by a different leader. The 2007-2009 maestro was Don Antonio Ruiz. The book recognizes all the members of this particular group by name and the role they danced–Moctezuma, the indigenous kings who succumbed to the conquest, and Malinche/Doña Marina.
Some of the group members are cousins. Since the time of the dance, many of them have married and had children. They have become doctors, educators and skilled weavers. They remain close, committed to each other and their community, treasuring the time they devoted to transmitting their cultural heritage and ensuring continuity.
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Posted in Books & Resources, Cultural Commentary, Teotitlan del Valle
Tagged books, Dance of the Feather, Mexico, Oaxaca