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Elsa Rodriguez

Elsa Rodríguez arrived into the world on May 15, 1947, in Lima. Her grandmother hailed from Arequipa, a city known for its beautiful textiles arts. "My grandmother taught me all kinds of things, like how to spin wool to form a cone, so it can be knitted or woven," Rodríguez recalls. "It was my grandmother who inspired my love for textiles.

"I really enjoy knitting, and creating new designs. I've taken classes to learn new techniques, but the designs themselves come from my own fantasies. For example, baby alpaca wool comes from the very first shearing of a young alpaca. While knitting, I’ll think about a sweet little alpaca living in the Peruvian sierra, and from that thought my imagination takes hold and motivates the sentiment of my work. I work in cotton, as well, to create crocheted bedspreads, tablecloths, and so forth.

"With this art, I wish to help preserve the legacy of the hand-knit textiles that I love so much. I enjoy showing my new creations to friends and family, and to anyone who appreciates such things.

"I'm also active in social work, including crafting bedspreads to send to economically challenged communities in Peru, and I volunteer during natural catastrophes.

"I think you will find that my designs have their own personality. They are unique, and lovingly handcrafted with soft natural fibers. Each type of yarn permits me to develop new stitches, textures, and styles to offer."