Soft and warm alpaca wool connects us to the distant Andes Mountains. But do you know how the fluffy fleece taken from alpacas is transformed into yarn and then into various woven products? Two artisans from Japan will guide you through a soothing wool journey, using discarded alpaca fleece to practice hand-spinning and learn the art of making yarn. Come and take part in this healing experience with alpaca wool!

Date & Time: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Sousou Corner｜No. 4, Lane 16, Taishun Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Instructors: Ayako Yoshida, Founder of MAITE & REIKOMONO, Spinning Artist

In the highlands of Peru, we encountered hand-spinning in the most unexpected ways—suspended in mid-air, on the ground, or even while walking with a radio on one’s back. Sometimes, tools were made from potatoes! It was spontaneous, creative, and truly free-spirited.

But what is yarn, really? What is fabric? How do wool, cotton, or alpaca fibers turn into thread?

In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore these questions with Ayako Yoshida of Maite, who has worked with alpaca materials across Japan and Peru for over ten years, and spinning artist REIKOMONO, who has spun yarn alongside local communities in the Andes.

Together, we’ll learn the basic principles of spinning and experience the quiet joy of creating thread with our own hands—while imagining the rhythms of life in the remote mountains of Peru.

Our hands, often busy with screens and hard surfaces, will soften through gentle, unfamiliar movements. The skin—sometimes called our “second brain”—will awaken as we touch something soft and soothing.

Join us for a calming, tactile journey into the world of yarn, and discover a new way to connect—with materials, with distant cultures, and with yourself.

Spinning Alpaca Yarn – A Journey from the Andes to Your Hands

之前到秘魯出差時認識來自日本的Ayako，我們都對秘魯工藝深深著迷，各自在自己國家推廣秘魯的羊駝織品。難得這次跨國舉辦羊駝紡紗工作坊，也邀請到目前定居台南的日本紡紗藝術家Reikomo，帶大家動手體驗從零開始捻製毛線的過程。

邊走邊捻的安地斯生活日常

全球80%的羊駝毛料都來自秘魯，是世界最大、品質最好的羊駝毛生產國。安地斯山的牧羊駝人居住在海拔3000到4000公尺的高山，地處偏遠、氣候嚴峻，卻發展出專屬他們的生活方式。

兩位講師分享她們那時一起走入秘魯卡哈馬卡山區(Cajarmaca)拜訪羊駝和村民們，深入瞭解羊駝的生長環境和毛料生產方式，也進一步瞭解當地人怎麼用傳統方式撚線。大家看到講師分享當地的羊駝照片都驚呼好可愛，被療癒了！當地居民就地取材，拿手邊有的馬鈴薯、乾燥酪梨或橘子皮當紡錘，在遛羊駝途中（通常要走2到3個小時）一邊聽著揹在身上的廣播音樂，一邊捻線邊走路回家。

原汁原味的羊駝毛

這兩天工作坊，我們準備了兩種線材讓大家嘗試捻線，一種是機器梳理整齊的線，一種是來自關西六福莊羊駝家族5月剃下來的原毛，活動前南南團隊花了幾個禮拜時間清洗曬乾，再由老師們梳鬆，原汁原味的羊駝毛還帶著一些乾草，相當珍貴。

Reiko老師帶大家使用安地斯傳統方法，自製馬鈴薯紡錘捻線，雖然對大部分參與者來說是第一次嘗試，但每個人都做出擁有自己風格的毛線，有粗有細非常可愛。

Ayako也跟我們分享，觸覺很像是第二個大腦，透過觸摸蓬蓬的羊駝毛或手作撚線這樣需要專注的活動，可以讓人放鬆、刺激催產素，捻線時也進入類似冥想的狀態，是偶爾能放下手機，讓腦袋休息很好的活動，Maite也以顧問身分在日本推廣這樣的療癒課程，希望能推廣羊駝療癒促進身心健康的工作坊。

參加工作坊的南朋友也分享：「很少有機會參加捻線的課程，而且是用天然的羊駝毛和馬鈴薯，很原始的感覺，很像真的到了一趟秘魯安地斯山。」

「我才剛從秘魯旅行回來，但在旅行途中沒有機會深入村子參與手作課程，沒想到回台灣還有機會，繼續在秘魯的旅程，去過秘魯是80分，現在在這邊撚線變成100分！」

「一開始拿到一顆馬鈴薯以為是要吃的，但發現是紡錘，我覺得很有創意，沒有想到很少做手作的我也能一起紡紗，很好玩的一個下午，很棒的體驗！」

這次點心也搭配主題，準備秘魯經典的料理馬鈴薯雞肉沙拉，廚師特別自製秘魯料理精髓黃辣椒Ají ，和可愛的羊駝餅乾，配上秘魯國民飲料、加上檸檬肉桂的紫玉米汁，大受好評！

秘魯羊駝現仍和當地居民緊密連結，在安地斯山區人羊共同生活著，因為當地對動物的尊敬和對大地媽媽的愛護，至今得以保有傳統，以對土地友善的方式，延續獨特的工藝文化。

｜Date & Location
August 2 (Sat), 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Sousou Corner Flagship Store｜No. 4, Lane 16, Taishun Street, Da’an District, Taipei City

｜Workshop Highlights

Opening Introduction: An Overview of Peruvian Alpacas and Andean Culture

The Andean way of life
The role of spinning in daily life (with comparisons across different cultures)

Spinning Experience

Introduction to tools
Live demonstration
Hands-on spinning session

Tasting & Social Time

｜Workshop Fee
Regular price: NT$1600 per person
Early bird (before Friday, July 25): NT$1380 per person / NT$2600 for two
Limited to 20 participants

｜Special Treats

Chicha Morada – Purple Corn Drink
A traditional and healthy Peruvian beverage made by simmering purple corn with pineapple, cinnamon, and lemon. Refreshingly sweet and tangy, it's rich in anthocyanins.

Causa Rellena de Pollo – Potato and Chicken Salad
Potatoes, a staple of the Andes, are combined with chicken and vegetables to create this classic and flavorful local dish.

｜Sustainable Reuse of Alpaca Fleece

The alpaca fleece used in this workshop is kindly sponsored by Leofoo Village Safari Park in Hsinchu. Due to Taiwan’s hot summers, the park's caretakers shear the alpacas during the season to help them stay cool and prevent heatstroke. This time, the donated fleece allows us to explore the full process of wool washing and hand-spinning, while also reimagining the potential of repurposing discarded alpaca fiber.

During our visit to Leofoo Village, we were touched by the caretakers’ attentive care for the animals. The park is home to about ten alpacas, each with its own adorable name. The fleece we’re using comes from white and brown alpacas affectionately named “Single Eyelid,” “Double Eyelid,” “Center Part,” and “Bangs.” We warmly welcome everyone to visit Leofoo Village someday and meet these gentle, heartwarming alpacas in person!

｜Notes

This workshop will be led by Japanese instructors and conducted primarily in English, with supplementary explanations in Chinese.
Participants who are sensitive to wool are advised to bring their own masks.

Spinning Alpaca Yarn – A Journey from the Andes to Your Hands