My best sellers on eBay: Mukluks!I live in these all Fall, Winter and Spring. Mukluks keep your feet warm, are comfortable and soft. Dancers love them, too!
Knit Mukluks from Pakistan and AfghanistanI get the mukluks, mittens and gloves from my former gallery partner, Abdul Wardak of Afghan Tribal Arts, who imports them directly from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hand-knit out of recycled sweaters, refugees from Afghanistan began making these for the Western market in the 1970's. Today, knitting remains a vital source of income for many low income families and women.
Mukluks are available with leather soles and without.I get two kinds of mukluks from Abdul, with and without leather. The leather soled ones will be selling on eBay for $18 and the ones without for $16. The photos here are pretty representative of the colors and quality of most of the mukluks. I haven't started photographing the new ones and am hoping that some of you out there will want to buy them sight unseen. This will save me a lot of time, effort and cost (eBay fees just keep going up!).
So, here is the deal:Order in quantities and get the following discounts:
- 1-5 pairs, 10% off
- 6-10 pairs, 15% off
- 11 pairs +, 20% off
Tell me what your color preferences are and I will get as close as possible. Most of the mukluks come in two colors, usually a light and a dark one. You can say blues, reds, pink, black, or be more general like pastels, earthy, bold or bright. I bought a shoe sizer, so this year I will have an easier time at that, too. 
Same thing goes for the mittens and gloves, which are $7.50 a pair. The mittens are traditional and run on the larger side, fitting most adults.
The gloves are fingerless with an attached cap. The photos below show an average pair:
Fingerless Knit gloves from Afghanistan and Pakistan
If interested, either leave a comment or use the contact me link at the top right hand corner of the blog. Purchases of these help support Abdul's business and all these wonderful knitters! Afghanistan's infrastructure is a mess, so any income the women can make through their handicrafts is definitely needed income! These make great Christmas gifts, too, so hopefully the discounts will encourage you to buy in quantity.
I'd love to have a pair of those fingerless gloves! How can I get them? Do they come in a variety of colors?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see what you have from Afghanistan. I lived there some years ago and have a number of hand-crafted items in our house including rugs and embroidered tablecloths. Some of my photography and video work can be seen at Kabul Media, http://www.kabulmedia.com.
ReplyDeleteBoth the mukluks and mittens look toasty warm!
ReplyDelete