Porcelain Cardigan for Frisenvang Yarns

Oct 11

Written By Alina

I first told you about the Frisenvang yarns a couple of years ago in the Wind of Changes post where I shared the mission of the company and the impact it aspires to have on the local communities of crafters in Peru. Today I am happy to be a small part of Marianne’s project as an invited designer to highlight the beauty of their handspun baby alpaca yarn. The timing could not be better, as the crafters’ community needs the support as never before due to the pandemic and the restrictions it caused.

This is what Marianne shared with me about the current situation in the country:

Covid-19 is still very hard on the Peruvians. The country is closed down and plans for the opening starts January 2021. The Covid-19 long term impact on the Peruvians will be immense, this is a country with a large population living below the extreme poverty line so the sales of Frisenvang yarn is more important than ever.

It is astounding how wide Covid-19 spread its wings over the world, creating the ripples that will stay with us for many years to come. The demand for the luxury fibers has decreased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing the income of the alpaca breeders down to the minimum. Frisenvang yarns, as a non-commercial project, is doing its best to raise the awareness about the situation and create the job places for people in the affected communities:

My humble dream is to sell so much yarn that more women can start working at the small workshop. Presently app 15 families are positively impacted by the production, 28 children go to school every day, 2 teenage girls study a the university in Cusco and no children of those families are malnutritioned anymore.

Each thread in Frisenvang skein is a story to be told and I am honored to be a small part of Marianne’s project.

The yarn was calling for a simple design - simple shapes and stitches, something that will showcase the uniqueness of this thread. I was lately very inspired by the 90s fashion and its laidback, relaxed, unpretentious pieces.