Doña Maxima is keeping the Club de Artesanas (CdA) activities going twice a week and is opening the PAZA workshop on Sundays to meet with the Huancarani weavers. PAZA activities will kick into high gear when Dorinda returns to Independencia next week laden with activity supplies.

The Club members will discover the world of micro-organisms using the new PAZA microscope. Have you ever checked out the difference between llama, alpaca, and sheep fiber at a microscopic level? New books and puzzles will enchant the kids who will attend the CdA with their moms now that summer vacation has begun. The teens will be excited about the new jewelry making supplies. Although piñatas are not a Bolivian tradition, the CdA members will be making piñatas to take home for family fun along with the cookies they bake for holiday cheer. A batch of basic soap is waiting to be milled into fragrant fine soap.

Hallelujah! Doña Máxima reported that the rains have arrived! The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, declared a State of Emergency late last month due to the continued drought and water shortage caused by disappearing glaciers and 2 years of low precipitation. Water is life. It can also be full of life. What will be observed in water samples taken from the Palca River above and below where laundry and vehicles are washed and from the water sources folks use for drinking water? The microscope may provide that missing piece that will make the PAZA basic sanitation classes more effective.

Doña Máxima and Doña Justina have scheduled the annual Centro de Artesanía, Huancarani (CAH) meeting for December 22^nd. The topics to be discussed are Spinzilla, weaving pricing for 2017, and the upcoming Tinkuy International Weaving Conference. The weavers will enjoy the annual feast and Spinzilla Award´s Ceremony after the meeting. Many thanks to Constance Hall, Spinzilla Team Captain Coordinator, for her help in drawing attention to the support needs of the Cloth Roads Warmis Phuskadoras team and for providing each spinner with a Certificate of Participation.

Thanks to Karen Sprenger, a backstrap loom weaver living in Kansas, the time Dorinda will be spending in Kansas will be a boon for PAZA. In 2013, Karen met Doña Máxima and Dorinda at the 2^nd Tinkuy International Weaving Conference in Cusco. Last July, she and Dorinda crossed paths at the annual WARP Conference. She asked what she could do to help, and what fun wonderful help she´s providing!

In November, she made arrangements for Dorinda to talk about PAZA at the KC Fiber Guild meeting. Karen had brought 3 Independencia weavings that she had received at the weaving workshops she´s taken from Laverne Waddington. What a wonderful surprise to see the weavings again and to note how Laverne uses them in her workshops. The visual impact of the more recent weavings was striking due to how the weavers have evolved in their use of color. Karen is making arrangements for a joint presentation with Dorinda in April 2017 and participation in a 1 day craft fair.

A few sales were made at the KC Guild meeting and then Karen took the remaining PAZA weavings to sell alongside her work at the Craft Fair in Burlington, Kansas. This is exactly the help the weavers desperately need. Thanks to Laverne Waddington 2016 has been the year of highest sales.

There is quite a bit of weaving inventory in the U.S., so if you are looking for a handcrafted gift for the holidays or anytime please send inquiries via an e-mail to dkdutcher@hotmail.com. The 2 sizes of yoga mat straps fit a ¼” thick exercise mat ($22) or a 1/8” thick sticky mat ($21). Other items include wallets ($15), zippered pouches ($16), and there are 2 chuspitas ($25) woven by Doña Maxima. Also available are the pillow covers ($27), belts ($16), and guitar straps ($20).

Thanks and a holiday hug go out to PAZA´s longtime supporters Lyn Lucas, Dorothy Thursby, and Nancy Meffe. Thank you Krieger Family and Shannon Dutcher for your support. Joyce Dutcher, PAZA´s earliest and strongest supporter, has again donated to the Dutcher Family Fund which is the revolving fund allowing immediate payment to the weavers for their work. Thanks mom!

¡Wishing all of you a Merry Holiday Season and all the Best in 2017! Dorinda Dutcher, December 7, 2016