13-Day ~ South American Knitting Adventure (Nov 2012)

Latin America is a blend of mysteries resulting from decades of cultural influences from the the indigenous people of Latin America as well as from Europeans, Africans and Asians. Visiting such culturally rich places with a leading Peruvian textile and knitting expert will increase your enjoyment through Cynthia LeCount Samake's intimate knowledge of Latin American knitting, festive costumes and carnival traditions.

Join Cynthia LeCount Samake and Mary Jane Mucklestone on a South American adventure next November. This trip is broken down into two components. Cruise only and Cruise with pre-cruise extension to Machu Picchu and the Andean knitting villages. Cynthia will lead a very intimate group of twelve knitters on a exploration of Peru.

Pre-Cruise Peru Extension with Cynthia LeCount Samake

The Incas regard Machu Picchu as a place of peace and power. Cynthia will guide you on an adventure of discovery that will include not only pre-Columbian textiles but also visits to local villages where you will meet local knitters and artisans where you will see how the techniques of their ancestors are still being used today.

Start in the heart of historic Lima where you'll enjoy the museums, incredibly fresh seafood and seaside vistas. Peru is charming and has some of the friendliest people and most definitely some of the best food in the world. After exploring the seaside capital of Lima you will fly to Cuzco where you'll visit highland textile villages with Peruvian Master Weaver Nilda Callanaupa. Meet the knitters and weavers and watch them work. Learn about the processes used for hundreds of years for dyeing alpaca yarns with natural colorants.

This is a spectacular once in a lifetime journey for a very small group of knitters. This is a magical beginning to a wonderful cruise vacation. With only twelve spots on this small and intimate private tour make sure you sign up today!

South America Knitting Cruise

Whether you are doing the Peru extension or not you will fly into Santiago Chile where you adventure begins! Arrive early to shop for souvenir yarn such as local favorite, Araucania Yarns, known for using traditional methods for dyeing or fly right in and head straight to the ship leaving all of your yarn adventures for the cruise. After visiting some of the most remote and scenically beautiful places on earth and an enriching onboard class program you'll enjoy fun fiber activities in Santiago, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

South America is the fiber lovers dream destination! Here you'll find not only luxury fiber and color inspiration but you will find sizzling steaks, fine wine, Argentinian cowboys and some of the most sensual dancing in the world. South America is home to some gorgeous yarn companies including Araucania, Abuelita, Manos, Malabrigo and Aslan Trends.

Some of the fiber activities being planned include shopping for such popular Uruguayan yarn brands as Manos of Uruguauy at their lovely store in Montevideo, learning why Abuelita Yarns are so soft and all about the hand-dyeing process used to create their fine Uruguayan luxury yarns and if time permits a visit to the store carrying the largest selection of Malabrigo Yarn in Montevideo.

Shop for yarn in Buenos Aires famous yarn district. There are tons of yarn shops with very inexpensive prices. Here you will find block after block of nothing but yarn, notions and fun eateries. With about fifteen shops within just a few blocks this will be a new experience for most since yarn is sold differently here. Being with two knitting experts, one fluent in Spanish will most definitely lend itself well in a place where few balls come with labels.

Cynthia LeCount Samake & Mary Jane Mucklestone

Both Cynthia and Mary Jane are passionate about knitting and Latin America. Your event managers are also your tour guides and personal knitting experts throughout the duration of this knitting adventure.

Cynthia LeCount Samake is a specialist in festival costumes, traditional clothing and handmade textiles of Bolivia and Peru. Cynthia operates her own adventure travel company specializing in "Arts and Festival Tours" for small groups to South America. Cynthia LeCount Samake loves sharing her expertise with all who are interested. She is an amazing person who is passionate about the traditional textiles of exotic cultures in far away destinations.

Mary Jane Mucklestone's twin passions--textiles and travel--developed early; by the age of 13, she had visited 26 countries! Her souvenir of choice was always a hand-made hat. Mary Jane has an extensive background in art and textiles, giving her a perspective that is unique in the knitting world. She earned a BFA from Pratt Institute, studied fashion at Parson's School of Design, and Textiles at the University of Washington.