Reservations 877·97·CRAFT  (877·972·7238)

16 ~ Panama Canal Knitting Cruise (Mar 2018)

Holland America Line


Start Date:

   

March 17, 2018

   

End Date:

   

April 2, 2018

Panama Canal Knitting Cruise (Mar 2018) ~ Knitting Cruises Description

16-Day Inca & Panama Canal Discovery Knitting Cruise w/ Sally Melville 2018


South America is the fiber-lover's dream destination where you'll find gorgeous fiber and color inspiration every step of the way. Traveling with like-minded people, pristine scenery, friendly locals and indulging in delicious food will make this epic cruise through the Panama Canal a trip of a lifetime. Come early and explore Peru and Chile before the cruise, then relax and be pampered on the 16-day cruise visiting the best of Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and the Caribbean.


A pre-cruise tour will be offered giving an in-depth overview of Peru's rich textile culture. In addition, for those with less time, private tours from the ship will be offered in both Lima and Trujillo helping visitors maximize their time and enjoyment of this fascinating country. For centuries, textiles have impacted all regions of Peru. These highly skilled textile traditions and techniques have been passed down since ancient times. The sights, sounds and smells of this fabulous destination will make this a place you'll want to return to again and again. No matter where you go in Peru you'll find interesting textiles everywhere, friendly locals and mind-blowing cuisine.


The on-board education program includes a range of classes taught by Sally Melville, known for her highly-wearable innovative garment designs. Sally Melville will be teaching such popular favorites as Essential Skills, Why We Do What We Do, Emergency Measures, Two Colors, Two Hands, First Choices Basic Shapes and a special cruise project class designed specially for this cruise. Whether you take classes or just come along for the fun, this cruise is going to be a trip to remember with incredible scenery, amazing people and experiences unique only to this region.


Pre-Cruise Peru Tour Highlights


  • Join other knitters for a Peru fiber adventure to learn more about the knitting and weaving cultures in this textile rich country. This optional tour includes the best of Lima, the Sacred Valley, Cuzco & Machu Picchu.

  • Meet highly-skilled Peruvian knitters and weavers while shopping for the highest quality yarn and textiles Peru has to offer.

  • Learn about dyeing alpaca yarn with natural colorants such as leaves, flowers and cochineal insects. See traditional cloth and textiles being made by highly skilled artisans from the Andean Highlands.

  • Visit the exceptional weaving and knitting museum of the Traditional Textile Center of Cuzco, organized by Nilda Callañaupa. Here you will learn about the remarkable work being done through Fair Trade to educate locals on how to sustain their families and communities by passing along the knowledge of traditional Andean textiles.

  • Visit Threads of Peru, a non-profit wholesale organization focused on empowering men and women in extremely remote villages to produce high-quality textiles and connecting the world to these handmade treasures through wholesale Fair Trade distribution.

  • Learn about Pichinku, naturally dyed Peruvian yarn, a fresh addition to the Peruvian artisanal movement. Pichinku's goal is to help small farmers and artisans in the most remote regions of the high Andes learn how to preserve and export their natural dyeing techniques using locally sourced exotic plant materials only known to these mountainous regions.

  • Take a magnificent train journey to the mystical site of Machu Picchu where you will learn about the Incas with an expert local guide.

  • Enjoy tasting more than 35 exotic fruits and learning how to cook a typical Peruvian meal.

  • Take a tour of the San Pedro Market in Cuzco with a knowledgeable guide who will point out native produce, tasty delicacies, colorful fabrics and fresh flowers.

2018 Inca & Panama Canal Discovery Knitting Cruise Highlights


  • Learn a wide range of knitting techniques with knitting expert Sally Melville

  • Make new friends while in class, enjoying shared dining experiences and evening social knitting gatherings

  • Shop for Quintessence Alpaca in Santiago at Tienda Isabel Margarita Pérez

  • Enjoy a tour of the famous Viña Casas del Bosque Winery including lunch in their award winning Restaurant Tanino

  • Sip Pisco sours, savor succulent seafood and shop for handicrafts such as pottery and alpaca products at the La Recova Market in La Serena, Chile

  • In Lima shop for the highest quality alpaca yarn while learning about the role Michell & Cia, the world leader in in the production of alpaca, plays in connecting the immense Peruvian alpaca industry to the world

  • Visit the Larco Herrera museum, housed in an 18th century colonial mansion, where you will see an immense collection of pre-Inca pottery and enjoy exquisite Peruvian cuisine in their award-winning courtyard restaurant surrounded by lovely flowers

  • Tour the Aliaga House, the oldest colonial mansion and longest inhabited family home in all the Americas

  • Visit archaeological sights such as Chan Chan near Trujillo and see spinning and weaving baskets and tools of the Chimú dating back several hundred years at the Museo de Sitio Chan Chan

  • Enjoy an unforgettable lunch at Restaurant Big Ben along the waterfront in Huanchaco while watching locals ride the waves on "Patachos" or giant reed horses

  • Shop for and learn about the history of the famous hand-woven Panama hats in Manta Ecuador

  • Take a dug-out canoe up the Changes river to an authentic Embera native village in the Panamanian jungle where you will be entertained and enriched by these fascinating people

  • Transit the Panama Canal while learning its history and importance to world trade

  • See monkeys, birds, flora and fauna indigenous to this tropical jungle region

  • Walk Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach or snorkel in one of the most pristine dive locations in the Caribbean

  • Swim with the dolphins or visit the Cayman Turtle Center at the Cayman Turtle Farm

  • Send a postcard to your friends from "Hell", an area of Grand Cayman known for its unusual rock formations and sample rum cake at the Rum-Cake Center along the way