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Details
Peruvian artisan Liliana Vargas manages a women's knitting workshop that produce these adorable llama ornaments, the symbolic animal of Peru. Each llama ornament is crocheted by hand with ivory wool yarns, and embellished with a multicolored striped woven blanket and jaunty tassels. The set of three ornaments arrives with crocheted crimson cords for hanging.
Made in Peru
Wool, polyester fill, acrylic accents
Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
“I love what I do because it teaches me every day to develop the patience that helps us to find answers."
“My name is Liliana Vargas. I was born in 1967 in Tarma Junin, a beautiful city in the Andean mountains in the center of... Peru. I consider myself to be a hardworking, creative, responsible, and sincere woman in all aspects of my life.
“One of the most difficult moments that I lived through was being far away from my mother. She lived in Tarma Junin and I was working in the Ayacucho province when she became gravely ill with cancer. I could not be with her, and I practically died of sadness to lose my mother. I found myself far away from her, and it was very profoundly painful not being able to be with her when the moment arrived. It affected me very much emotionally to the point of suffering from depression, not to mention the fact that I had also just become a mother. Without a doubt, I thought that I would not be able to get ahead. Then, partway through the same year that my mom passed, tragedy struck my family again. Some criminals entered my brother-in-law’s workshop to rob him and he was later found dead.
“It was a very difficult and dramatic year. I began to think that I would not be able to climb out of that hole, due to the profound sadness that I felt for the loss of my loved ones. I feared greatly for my children. I did not want anything to happen to them, but they encouraged me. They gave me the energy to do more things to get ahead. They told me, ‘Mom, you can do it. You are very strong. We will get ahead together.’ With this motivation, I had the strength to discover my talents and everything that I was capable of achieving. I was not going to give up for my children, for my family, and for myself.
“All of the difficult moments that I lived through made me a strong and tough woman. Because of this, I thought about crocheting, a hobby that I learned at a young age from my mother. I crocheted rugs from the age of five, but I stopped when I began to focus on my studies. I finished secondary school and I took up crocheting again when I had my children in the year 2012.
“When my children were little, I would crochet their clothing. The people who saw my children asked me where I bought their clothing. I responded that I made it myself, and they were surprised. They told me that I had to make more, noting that I had mastered the art.
“I began to go to fairs, and I was discovering that I could teach what I knew about crochet. I noticed the interest of youths and adults. I greatly enjoyed sharing my knowledge and practice. Sometimes I would be approached by people that only used their left hand, but this did not deter me; on the contrary, it challenged me. I promised these people that I would teach them to make crocheted pieces. In order to fulfill my promise, I spent nights practicing crochet in order to create the blueprints for the figures with my left hand. In this way, I was able to teach them. I am always committed, because I love creating pieces that have a significance for each person, and I have a passion for teaching.
“One time, my daughter gave a little crocheted angel to the grandmother of her boyfriend. She passed away from cancer, and the day that my daughter was to say goodbye to her at the funeral, she noticed they had put this little decorative doll in the casket. It turned out that the grandmother loved it a lot and wanted to go with her favorite doll. This gesture makes me very happy. It fills my soul with happiness and love, inspiring me to continue my art.
“My children always ask me about my dreams and I tell them that I dream of forming a great group of people that also fight for their dreams. I work with women who, much like me, have experienced difficult moments and have felt lonely, thinking that they would never be able to do anything. To them, I say that it is always possible to do things, developing and bringing our abilities to new levels. I love connecting with people that have experienced difficult times and feel alone. I believe that there is always a way to get out of any type of situation that you come across, and that is the message that I want to transmit, not only through my art but also in my daily life. I would really like to continue supporting those that are depressed, contributing what they can with what I can transmit to them.
“I love what I do because it teaches me every day to develop the patience that helps us to find answers. Each decorative doll that I create is a true challenge and each one is unique. For me, every textile says something and has a soul. If it evokes an emotion, then that is what I want to transmit.
“What brought me to master this art was a lot of practice and learning the Japanese technique called amigurumi. When I began, I was very interested in learning a lot, investigating more in order to perfect myself every day. What I consider to be the most challenging about my art is personalizing and characterizing each figure. Giving it expression is very difficult, but I really love to be able to do it.
“My inspiration comes from all places, such as what my children share and say to me, as well as what people say. They always challenge me to make things that are completely new to me, crocheting unimaginable figures. They inspire me to seek, investigate, and create new things.
“Working for myself seemed to be the best decision for me. It is very fun being the boss of my time and being able to embark on new projects, always inspiring more women, men, and children to get ahead.
“From the bottom of my heart, I believe that it is possible to rise above life’s dark times and shine with your own light, sharing and helping. Thanks to NOVICA for giving me this great opportunity to share my history and my art alongside these powerful women. I work with them as a team.”
Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.
We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.
This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 4 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
BUST
35 - 36
37 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
WAIST
27 - 28
29 - 30
31 - 33
34 - 36
38 - 40
HIPS
37 - 38
39 - 40
42 - 43
45 - 46
49 - 50
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
CHEST
36 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
50 - 52
WAIST
30 - 32
32 - 34
35 - 37
38 - 41
43 - 45
NECK
14 - 14.5
15 - 15.5
16 - 16.5
17 - 17.5
18 - 18.5
SLEEVE
32.5
33.5
34.5
35.5
36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE
Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.
BUST / CHEST
Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.
WAIST
Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.
LOW WAIST
Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.
HIPS
Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.
NECK
Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.
SLEEVE
Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.
INSEAM
Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.
Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.
For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.
For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.
See buckle/tie belt size standards below.
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
inches
26 - 30
28 - 32
31 - 35
34 - 38
38 - 42
cm
76 - 86
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
inches
30 - 34
32 - 36
35 - 39
39 - 43
43 - 47
cm
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
109 - 119
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
Sash tie length
Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.
Belt with buckle
Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.
Belt without buckle
Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.
Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!
We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
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WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. UNICEF USA partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from UNICEF Market to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from UNICEF Market will benefit UNICEF's programs that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about UNICEF's work, on About UNICEF.
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UNICEF Market artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. UNICEF Market offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
