Sort (ACN).- The Xisqueta Caravan began its route through the municipalities of the Aigüestortes National Park on April 16th with the aim of promoting Xisqueta sheep wool, the shepherd's trade and artisan work. During this time, it has visited 16 towns in the Alta Ribagorça (6), Pallars Jussà (6) and Pallars Sobirà (4). 250 people have participated in the workshops offered free of charge by the Caravan. To promote wool, workshops on felting, leather, weaving or spinning are held. The Caravan will still visit a total of 19 towns until July 1st (12 in Sobirà and 7 in the Vall d'Aran). The last workshop was held this Monday in Altron (Sort) and fifteen children participated.
The workshop that was held in Altron was a felt workshop. About fifteen children learned how to comb wool and once it was ready they made colored balls. With these balls they made a toy.
Lina, the craftswoman who taught the workshop, explained that the aim of the course is to make Xisqueta sheep wool known among the local population and discover its many uses.
The workshops are small in size, due to the size of the caravan, and last approximately two hours. The activities have been very well received by the population and each town that is filled with children for the Caravana xisqueta to attend the workshops and learn a little more about wool, sheep and shepherds.
The target audience is mainly the elderly and children. The first, the older ones, because they are the permanent inhabitants of these villages, and the children, who once the school day is over return home with their parents or grandparents.
They introduce the initial techniques linked to wool work, focusing on playful pedagogy and learning through experimentation with the material. In the last of the workshops, there is also a work, which is considered awareness-raising, and which is a strategic aspect of the project: the knowledge of a trade, a breed and the territory.
At Altron they have held a felt workshop, but workshops on wool processes, weaving techniques, leather, mattresses and felt alternate.
As for the craftsmen who teach the courses, they are craftsmen linked to Obrador xisqueta who, after 4 years of work, have achieved a good technique, each in their own discipline. They already have experience, as they have been teaching courses for a few years to professionals, schools and people interested in learning about the uses of wool throughout the Catalan territory.
Source: La Vanguardia
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