Knit Again: The renowned and award-winning artisans share their knowledge and various knitting techniques

With knitting needles, loom, or crochet hooks, three ancestral techniques are being revived by three great masters, extraordinary women filled with knowledge who have dedicated their lives to preserving Chilean cultural heritage. They are TránsitaNeculfilo, Laura Ramos, and Albina Choque, recognized and award-winning artisans who take center stage in the campaign "Knitting Again," organized annually by Tiendas Paris, Indap, and Fundación Ona.

From their minds emerge designs that shape scarves, fingerless mittens, hats, and countless forms of natural clothing and warmth. In its seventh edition, "Knitting Again" highlights the enduring legacy of these three great masters, who, through tutorials and yarn packs available in Paris stores and Paris.cl, will motivate and teach the entire process behind creating these garments.

Ricardo Bennett, General Manager of Department Stores at Paris, emphasizes that they are:

"great women artisans" who seek to keep our country's cultural heritage alive. "With this campaign, we will return to our roots, once again valuing this great craft," he comments.

The campaign is named "Great Masters" as a tribute to the weavers and spinners of the country, represented by these three artists who have been recognized with the Seal of Excellence for National Crafts, Indigenous Crafts, and UNESCO.

"They have dedicated their lives to this craft as a way to empower themselves and keep our cultural heritage alive," Bennett reiterates.

For the first time, "Knitting Again" will include tutorials recorded by recognized master artisans of textile craftsmanship, showcasing three different techniques: Mapuche Loom Weaving, Two Needles, and Four Crochet Hooks. These tutorials will be available on Paris.cl.

Starting today, Tiendas Paris and Paris.cl will make a thousand packs of spun yarn available for these tutorials, consisting of three skeins of 100% natural wool from the central and southern zones, spun on a spindle or spinning wheel, with a thin twisted thread title, packaged in 100-gram skeins.

Master Weavers

The techniques from northern Chile are represented by Albina Choque Challapa, one of the masters featured in this edition. She is Aymara and comes from Central Zitane, a town near Colchane and Isluga in the highlands of the Tarapacá region. She learned to prepare and spin wool at the young age of five. In her household, they made all types of clothing for both everyday wear and bedding, so she became well-versed in the different textile techniques of her culture. Currently, she specializes in creating various textile pieces primarily on four and two-pedal looms, and she received the Seal of Excellence for Crafts in 2014.

Laura Ramos Leiva is a textile artisan from Río Claro, a rural area in the commune of Molina, in the Maule region. She showcases the expression of the central zone through a line of textile toys inspired by country life. Dolls, animals from the endemic fauna, as well as garments such as ponchos, socks, and vests, are part of her creations. Ramos studied design at the Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, where she conducted research on textile craftsmanship, specifically rural weaving, which influenced the creative path of her professional development. Laura received the Seal of Excellence for Crafts in 2011 and the UNESCO Recognition of Excellence for Crafts in 2012.

Lastly, Tránsita Neculfilo Huisca, a young Mapuche woman who lives and works in the Milleuco area, located in the commune of Panguipulli, in the Los Ríos region, will showcase the weaving and spinning techniques.