NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, searches the world to work directly with the finest artisan designers. Deep wine combines with the natural tones of virgin wool. Alberto Ruiz García weaves a beautiful shoulder bag. Known in Mexico as a morral, such bags are useful totes for men and women. Because each bag is individually woven, measurements could vary + - 5 cm. Artisan Info: "Hola! My name is Alberto Ruiz García and I'm from a town in Oaxaca dedicated to weaving. I am the fourth generation of my family to practice this craft. I remember as a child I watched my father working on the loom while my mother and grandmother carded and dyed the wool so that the men could weave it. "First the sheep are sheared, and this is done twice a year. We pick out any twigs and burrs and wash the fleece. Then we card it with two large wire brushes so that it is soft and can be worked on a wooden spinning wheel. We wash it with amole, a plant that grows in the sierra. It releases a lot of foam, and in this way the wool doesn't lose its purity. If we washed it with commercial soaps, the wool would lose its shine and wouldn't absorb the natural dyes as well. This removes the impurities and natural grease. We then spin it and dye it with tints from the cochineal insect, pomegranate peel, bark from the huajal tree that thrives here, as well as oak and pecan bark. Stones, dried flowers, almost all the rocks and flowers here yield natural colors. "To achieve the dyes, we soak the materials
