by Christina Parodi, Marketing & Communications Intern

An expert knitter in our Rumira cooperative, our woman crush this Wednesday is Ricardina Nina Nayhua, a dedicated artisan who always strives to better her products.

I ran into Ricardina this week at the office along with a couple of other women who were meeting with Martha about a new knitting technique. As they giggled around Martha eager to learn more, she furiously scribbled into her notebook trying to catch every word, making sure she missed nothing.

When any of the women were unclear about certain directions, she was there to further explain the process, a true team leader in the cooperative. She explained to me that one of her favorite parts about being in the cooperative is working with the other women to create beautiful things. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of certain techniques with the other women and listening to what they have to offer as well, in the end making way for high quality knitwear.

With a husband and two children at home, Ricardina explained how she is constantly busy cooking, cleaning or knitting. I really got an idea of how much she works as she began ticking off the different types of products she knits for Awamaki, from scarves to hats, gloves and so much more.

In the year that Ricardina has spent with Awamaki, she has already been able to improve the lives of her family through allowing more breathing room for her husband and his work schedule and having extra money to spend on her children’s education. Previously, she’s had to find work in Urubamba, a thirty minute commute from Rumira, where she was born and raised, but now she can work and raise her children in the place she grew up.

She hopes to continue her hard work with Awamaki and has big plans for what she will be able to accomplish in the future with the money she saves.