Felt making in Pankisi

The next village down the road from Jokolo is called Duisi. Duisi is where the main mosques are and the pharmacy is, however the highlight for us was visiting the felt maker Zizi. Her house is at the centre of the village under three massive walnut trees. Felt making is exceptionally hard work and often made by women. The following images show what we saw on a brief unnannounced visit. Remember this is not for tourists but the real deal.

The sheep's wool is carded, boiled and then beaten. More than that I can't tell you.

This lady is making felt hats for grape pickers. A traditional cap which keeps the picker warm when picking grapes at dawn.

Without an interpreter at hand, we managed to communicate with sign language, and were able to purchase two lengths of Zizi's hand made black and white felt to take home with us. I've since made a lens case for my camera with the felt.