Glossary


A

Alma

Alma – Soul - both the beginning and end point of craftsmanship, is a defining principle. Where the hand leads the way, thought and meaning become tangible and come to life.

It lies deep within the know-how, within the old virtues of patience and dedication to thinking, reflecting, imagining.

More than attention to detail, it is the curious exploration of unprecedented paths of using time-honored techniques in ever new ways. It can only be appreciated slowly, certainly quietly. But when use becomes your worshipped ritual, your indulgence, and your piece lives and ages with you, this is alma.

Alpaca

Part of the South American camelid family, alpacas are one of the oldest domesticated species in the world. Raised on ample grasslands in the Peruvian highlands, mainly by small family-owned ranches, alpacas are gentle creatures that have adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of their habitat. This explains the exceptional qualities of their fine wool.

Sheared only once a year, the fibers are hand-sorted and categorized by fineness and color. To date, this is done manually, by experienced eyes and hands.

B

Baby Alpaca

Baby Alpaca is the expertly hand-sorted selection of the prime downy-soft Alpaca hairs – so only the finest and most feathery of underhairs. It generally comes from the first shear of a young alpaca.

Baby Alpaca is cherished for its incredible softness and fine feel, thermal qualities and long-lasting appearance retention.

Beauty

True beauty does not vanish with the passing of time.

Bemberg

Our coats are fully lined with Bemberg. Bemberg is a high-quality natural fabric, and the trade name for a kind of rayon fabric, which is made from cotton. It is highly prized for its exceptional thermal properties, breathability and silklike appearance. As it is natural, it is biodegradable and renewable, making it not only beautiful but also good for the environment.

C

Cashmere

Cashmere comes from the softest inner coat of the Cashmere goat. The finest fiber generally comes from the neck area or underbelly. Cashmere has its name from its origin in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

In spring, when the goats are molting, is the best time to collect the fiber. This is done with a special comb. Cashmere is renowned for its heavenly soft touch.

Craftsmanship

Our pieces are created according to the time-honored Peruvian art of knitting. They are the result of a lengthy and laborious process, in which we work closely with the most talented artisans.

In craftsmanship, each detail is crucial to the end result. Every detail is a honed skill, ancient and evolving.

Passed on from generation to generation, these noble lessons teach us, above all, sensibility, respect, and taking the time to do things right.

Excellence knows no short cuts. It is the only way our work can be done.

D

Distilled Emotions

We distill tastes, textures and colors to give you a sense of a place, a memory, or feeling.

Hand-knitting is an inherently emotional art. The hand is sensible to our every mood, our personality and heartbeat, and will always leave a lasting imprint on each piece.

Durana (Peruvian knitting needle)

Before we knit each of our pieces we always have to do some tests first with the yarn and the pattern, which we have decided to knit. It’s a necessary step always.

In our case, this turns into one of the most crucial and delicate moments in which it is important to be patient and to take time.
Getting involved and observe closely. And, it is then when we must determine the right tension needed for knitting each piece, in other words, the ‘durana’. For us, this is not simply a number, but more importantly, a name: Sabina, Lorgia, Alejandrina, Nélida,...

Each knitter has her own pulse, her own heartbeat – unique, not precise – that varies with her emotions and thoughts and which, in the end, will decipher the end result.

Throughout the years and our close collaboration, admiration and getting to know one another, we are almost certain about which number of durana is ‘the one’ but above all, we love when the time comes to guess the name: ‘Tension Feliciana’ 18/04/18. We smile.

F

For you

Your knitbrary piece is a part of a limited edition and was made specially for you. We like to make you feel part of it.

Created to live and age with you, it will become your loyal companion on your journeys, insulating and comforting you.

G

Genuineness

The hand creates excellence not in terms of perfection, but genuineness.

H

Hands

knitbary pieces are made according to ancient tradition and time-honored skills by hands.

The hand excels by precision and emotion and lends a kind of sensibility that cannot be achieved otherwise.

Inheriting the beauty

From the knitters’ noble hands, we inherit the beauty.

I

Imperfection

Small variations in color or texture naturally occur in artisanal processes. Each of our pieces develops its own uniqueness & identity in the creation in which time is a necessary ingredient. There is no way of speeding what we do up. Sublime imperfection will always take time.

J

Journey

Ours has been a truly exciting journey since the beginning.

K

Knit Couture

knitbrary is nostalgic knit couture, the return to the knit as a unique piece.

L

Linen

Made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linen was one of the first fibers used to weave fabric, and has been one the most prized textiles in history. Extremely durable and strong, linen is absorbent, exceptionally cool and gentle to your skin. As the plant requires very little water to cultivate, it is also good for the planet.

Limited edition

Our pieces are the result of a lengthy and laborious artisanal process. Hand in hand with expert artisans, we work on a strictly small scale.

Each piece is a part of a limited edition, and some are even unique.

M

Merino wool

Merino wool is one of the softest animal fibers in the world and renowned for its manifold exceptional properties. It is natural, renewable and extremely soft. The structure of the fiber makes it insulating in cold weather, yet breathable enough to be worn next to the skin, even in warmer temperatures.

N

Natural yarns

All our yarns are 100% natural and renewable.

Masterfully blending rare ancient hand craftsmanship skills with design, we are dedicated to distilling the yarns' superb softness, longevity and lustrous quality.

O

Ode to Identity

Uniqueness can be found in the contradictory and imperfect, in that which makes us feel something and affects us.

P

Pima cotton

Originally cultivated in Peru, Pima is one of the world’s finest cottons, prized and coveted as a luxury fiber for its superb characteristics.

It has remarkably long smooth filaments, which explains its softness, durability and resistance to pilling. Pima cotton is furthermore absorbent and hypoallergenic.

The superlative growing conditions in the northern coastal valleys of Peru as well as careful hand harvesting helps preserve the natural color and protect the fibers, which are often torn and stained in industrial harvesting processes.

Poetry

“Always be a poet, even in prose.”

Charles Baudelaire

Q

Quiet

True luxury is silent and cannot always be appreciated at first sight.

Behind what is visible to the eye there is time, dedicaction, emotion and so much more.

R

Royal Alpaca

Only about 1% of the total Alpaca wool makes up Royal Alpaca. It is the most rigorous and demanding selection of only the longest and finest alpaca hairs of both Huacaya and Suri (including Baby Alpaca).
The process is done by expert artisans who handpick these fibers according to secret ancient hand craftsmanship skills.

S

Silk

One of the oldest and most coveted fibers used in textiles, Silk is prized for its fluidity, delicate feel and incomparable luster. This is due to the fiber’s triangular prism-like structure, which refracts incoming light. Silk is hypoallergenic, breathable and has great tensile strength.

Suri Alpaca

There are two breeds of alpaca: Huacaya & Suri. Huacayas far exceed the Suri population, the latter being estimated at less than 15% worldwide.

The rare Suri is distinguished by its long twisted locks that beautifully drape from its body. Its fiber is longer and smoother than Huacaya, making it silkier and more lustrous.

Suri is considered the closest animal fiber to silk, and has exceptional thermal qualities.

Soft

Soothing, supple, pleasant to the hand. A sense of insulation. The color natural. Touch is the first sense we develop. Maybe of all, soft we know most intimately. Like a close affinity, a natural bond. The hand craves to touch, and touch reciprocates, caresses, says: indulge.

T

Time

It is the essence of all we do and how we work.

Each element in our process is crucial to the end result. Every detail is a honed skill, a dedicated effort, and a patient eye.

Envisioning a very specific outcome, time is indispensable.

U

Unique piece

As distinctive as its knitter’s hands, some KNITBRARY pieces are unique in the world.

V

Vicuña

Once reserved for Incan Royalty, the delicate Vicuña continues to be the finest and most emblematic of all precious yarns in the world. Renowned for its unparalleled softness and thermal properties, it is extremely rare and precious.

Vicuñas are sheared only once every two years, at the end of summer, following an ancient tradition called Chaccu. In this ritual, the shy animals are gathered from the wild and sheared gently, without harm, then released into the wild.

Per shear, only about 250 grams of fleece are obtained. In accordance with the Peruvian law each Vicuña piece is officially certified.

W

Workshop

KNITBRARY was founded in A Coruña, Spain, in 2011.

Since the beginning we have created all our pieces in Arequipa, Peru, our second home. In 2017 we opened our own workshop where we work alongside the most talented dyers, knitters and weavers.

Read more about our process in Beauty Creators.

Words

Find more words, news and stories in our journal.