The loom
Sarah Hinshelwood/Old Gold & Black

Some of the cloth being woven
Sarah Hinshelwood/Old Gold & Black

Masaya, Nicaragua is known throughout the country for its arts and crafts, including pottery, leather goods, cloth, and hammock-making. This past week I took some time to check out a hammock workshop in Nindirí, small town on the outskirts of the city. Josh, one of the Casa Nica program directors, told me about it, where you could go and either pick out a hammock or pick your colors for one. So I decided to go and order one for myself.

When there, I got to meet the owner, Roly, who showed us around. He showed us the different steps in the process and the machines that helped wit it. All the machines and weaving looms were made by him 12 years ago. It was super interesting to learn about. When they start weaving the hammock cloth on the loom, it only takes about 45 minutes to do the whole thing. He also showed us how they tie an old roll of thread to a new one to restart the weaving. He said for a skilled worker it can take about two to three hours to tie all the strings one by one and a new worker , it can take all day!

The threads that have to be individually tied to continue the weaving process for a new bolt of cloth
Sarah Hinshelwood/Old Gold & Black

I ended up getting a hammock to bring back to the states. Each hammock only costs 200 cordobas, which is only $8, which seems so inexpensive compared to the process of making it. Before leaving, I also got to try out the loom myself! It was really hard, almost like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. One hand does a side to side motion while the other moves frontwards and backwards. Then the feet peddle back and forth. That all has to be done in rhythm in order to weave tightly and consistently. It was tough! It was a fun visit though and super interesting! I can’t wait to try out my hammock on the quad at some point.