NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. Deftly knitting virgin wool, Elsa Rodriguez creates a handsome handbag. She selects yarn in a deep chocolate brown, adding a chain of carefully crafted bull horn links. A leather lining helps keep its shape. Artisan Info: Elsa Rodriguez was born May 15, 1947 in Lima. Her grandmother came from Arequipa, a city where textiles are produced. "My grandmother taught me all kinds of things, like how to spin the wool to form a cone so it could be knitted or woven," Rodriguez recalls. "That's where my love for textiles began. "I really enjoy knitting and creating new designs. I've taken a number of classes to learn new stitches, and the designs themselves come from my own fantasy. For example, baby alpaca wool is a natural fiber [so-called because it comes from the first shearing]. I thought about a sweet little alpaca living in the Peruvian sierra, and from there, my imagination took hold until I had created the final product. I work in cotton, too, to create crocheted bedspreads, mats tablecloths and other pieces. "With my art, I want to preserve the legacy of hand-knitted textiles I love so much. I show my new creations to friends and family, and I now have people who help me. I show them my work, and then they begin to help. "I'm also active in social work, and craft bedspreads
