Lari Craft Centre

The Craft Centre was set up in Lari Village just 8km south of Tabu in 1997, to give the local women an opportunity to weave and sell their unique style of shawl. The designs have been handed down from mother to daughter for many generations and The Spiti Projects is anxious to keep this tradition alive and to give the women a feeling of self-worth.

The local government offers a type of mortgage system for acquiring a loom. A loom costs 52,000 rupees (approx £350 sterling). Women make a small down payment and pay off the rest gradually. For those families who do not have sheep, the cost of the wool is subsidised by the Government. Most households have a loom in the kitchen where the mothers can weave shawls in between cooking the meals, feeding the baby and washing the clothes. During the summer the loom is dismantled and put away, as growing the crops in the short season available demands the full attention of all the family.

Spiti Projects have introduced spinning wheels to the valley. We hope in time to supply one to each village. They cost £200 each and so far we have managed to supply 9 villages. There are 18 villages in the valley. The women are delighted with this new technology because they can spin the amount of wool in half a day which would otherwise have taken them 3 days to do. The advantage of this method is a smoother wool thread and therefore a better standard of shawl.

The craft centre is situated in Lari, the first village of the valley from the south. It is cared for by Tenzin who lives next door and will open up anytime, and you will be greeted with a cup of tea. You can look at the loom and spinning wheel before entering our little shop.

The Shop

Knitting was introduced to the valley by the Monrovian missionaries in 19th century. Beautiful socks are made from the best quality wool in many different designs. These are made up from memory and change all the time. Sweaters too are going to be a Godsend if you are going to high altitude.

We sell T-shirts with our logo in the 5 Buddhist colours, White, Red, Yellow, Blue and Green.

There is also a large selection of postcards and notelets.

 

During our last visit to Spiti in September 2007, Janet McNeal, one of the group, brought hand-knitted children’s sweaters, which she designed, and which were extremely well received, especially for the 3 years upwards age group. Here is a picture of one of the little inhabitants wearing the sweater.

Click here to download the knitting pattern