For Thread Caravan partner, Icelandic knitwear designer Helga Thoroddsen, knitting is a practice that feels deeply rooted within her, something that has always been present. Thanks to her mother, a keen knitter and seamstress, knitting and textile crafts were embedded within the day-to-day life of her home whilst growing up. “I can’t even remember learning how to knit,” says Thoroddsen. “Like making my mother’s food, I picked up knitting without consciously knowing it.”

We set down with Angtak and Catherine, founders of KAL and our partners in Ladakh, India, to learn more about their how they infuse the slow nature of textile practices into their rural life in the Himalayas. | Photos by Nabina Nazar.

An exploration of henna pigment extraction during a natural dyes workshop with Ahmed in southern Morocco. Written by Maria Jose Gomez and photographed by Andrea Tamayo for Thread Caravan.

Photographer Nabina Nazar recently spent time in Ladakh, India to document the region’s textile processes with our partners KAL. Nabina was gracious enough to share some of her photos with us. These images tell a visual story of the rich history of the region, at the base of the Himalayan mountains, where life is connected to the seasons and textiles are still created by hand.

If you find these photos inspiring, you can join us for a textile tour in Ladakh this year.

We were privileged to host artist and storyteller Maya Poon and photographer Kate Berry in the beautiful Atlas Mountains foothills earlier this year, on our Morocco Wool Weaving Workshop. Here, Maya shares about the experience, accompanied by Kate’s beautiful photos.