Handmade Woollies from the Mountains :

As a kiddos, my Mum made sure we had a wardrobe overflowing with handmades. Right from slips to blazers were all sewn by her and my Grand mum added to our woollies collection annually. Till we were in Nairobi, hand knitted goodies came along from India through anyone visiting, but once we came to live with our grandparents, a month before the winter season began, Grandma, Aunts, neighbours all sat down with their colourful balls of yarn with endless cups of chai on cots in the front yard. All I heard were things like cables, needle sizes, buttons and pattern magazines. I remember Mum helping me knit my first muffler in grade six. Casting on the stitches and then ten rows of knit followed by ten rows of purl. Was such an achievement I wore proudly to school every winter thereafter :) Boarding school in the hills meant six sweaters, a blazer and an overcoat all in the same colour and once we shifted out to study and work in warmer places, no more woollies were needed. But Mum always made sure she picked up handmade knits from the annual Kumaoni Fair, where women from the hills set up a handmade market to sell their creations. 

I got these last winter from the fair. 

And this lovely cardigan the year before that. I added mismatched buttons for colour. Look how neatly finished those rows of twisted cables are!

This year, its wedding time in the family and I'm travelling to the wintery north of the country after over a decade. The thought of chilly winds and foggy days is really making me nervous. To add to my limited woollens collection I picked up a lovely hand knitted muffler and socks online from itokri. itokri is my trusted market store where I can pick up genuine handmade products and fabrics. Nitin Pamnani and his wife are doing such a wonderful job of bringing local handmade to people like us. 

Look at this gorgeous gorgeous hand knitted baby! Oh I cannot wait to wrap this around me. 

Its amazing how these socks fit me like a glove. And they're so soft and warm on the feet. 

The muffler even has the name of the lovely lady that knitted it. I can so picture Bimla Devi up in the mountains, sitting in the sun working away her needles. I love the idea of how handmade products have lived a life in the creator's home and then leave for a place far to start a new life :) If you'd like to get some of these woollies for yourself, go pay itokri a visit. These handmade products sell under the brandname of Kilmora. Get yourself some handknitted love this winter or stock up on your Christmas gifts and of course don't forget to tell me what you got eh :) Now I need to dive into packing my bags for the wedding or the poor Mister will have to deal with the cranky me ;-) See you soon. 

This post is solely based on my personal opinions about itokri and I have in no way been compensated monetarily or otherwise for my views. 

Thanks so much for reading!!

Luvs,

Runa