Knit or Crochet through India’s Golden Triangle

With our join direct package, you will make your own way to our hotel in Delhi. India’s largest city, Delhi, has been one of the country’s commercial and economic hubs for centuries and, as a result, is incredibly rich in culture and history. Made up of the ancient walled city of Old Delhi and the more modern sector, New Delhi, the city encompasses a staggering array of beautiful architecture and notable monuments.

This evening, we will visit Dilli Haat and Qutub Minar, which are illuminated at night.

Qutub Minar is a minaret, built between 1199 and 1220, and one of the most visited tourist spots in the city. The minaret forms part of the Qutub Complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dilli Haat is a permanent open-air food plaza and craft bazaar, designed to encourage rural India to showcase its talent, products and culture. There are many products on offer, including rosewood and sandalwood carvings, camel-hide footwear, fabric and drapery, gems, beads, brassware and more.

Symfonie Yarns is a premium hand-dyed yarn brand and a division of KnitPro International. Born from KnitPro’s own community of passionate knitters and crocheters, Symfonie was created to develop beautiful, high-quality yarns that combine exceptional fibres and inspiring colour.

Symfonie’s yarns are hand-dyed in India by skilled artisans, with colour inspiration drawn from the country’s landscapes, architecture, textiles, festivals and vibrant everyday life. Fibres, including extra-fine merino wool, silk, alpaca and polyamide, are carefully selected to develop blends that balance softness, durability, drape and stitch definition. This morning we’ll visit Symfonie Yarns’ dyeing studio, where you’ll dye your own custom skein.

This afternoon we return to the hotel for our first workshop with Jane. Refreshments will be provided.

We’ll spend a full day in Delhi today, starting with a sightseeing rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. You’ll be transported back 400 years in history through the narrow streets and lanes of Chandni Chowk. You’ll hear interesting stories that bring history back to life and experience local culture, colourful bazaars, street food and more.

We’ll visit Jama Masjid, Old Delhi’s principal place of worship and the largest and most renowned mosque in India. Built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, it’s an elaborate structure with a massive courtyard that can hold up to 25,000 people.

Our tour continues to Khan Market, a hub of culture, cuisine and commerce. Many different types of shops can be found here, including ANOKHI and FabIndia.

Founded by John and Faith Singh in 1970, ANOKHI began when Jaipur’s block-printing industry was at a very low ebb. Modern manufacturing processes had already marginalised handmade practices and customers were steadily diminishing.

To help revitalise these age-old skills, ANOKHI started working with craftspeople in and around Jaipur: block carvers and printers, dyers, embroiderers and bead workers. In the studio, designers developed small but striking clothing ranges, infusing pieces with a contemporary twist for the modern-day user. Decorative soft-furnishing collections followed.

In 2005, ANOKHI went on to found the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, which we’ll visit during our time in Jaipur.

FabIndia is a chain store selling clothing, home decor, furnishings and fabrics handmade by rural craftspeople across India.

We’ll end the day with a visit to the National Crafts Museum. The museum is run by the Ministry of Textiles and holds over 35,000 rare and distinctive pieces, reflecting the traditions of Indian craftsmen through painting, embroidery, textiles, clay, stone and wood.

After an early breakfast, we’ll transfer to Nizamuddin railway station to board the Gatiman Express to Agra.

On arrival, we’ll visit Agra Fort. This walled imperial city was founded in 1565 by Emperor Akbar and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its palaces, grand mosques and elaborate public hall are crafted from pink-red sandstone and are a testament to an era when Indo-Muslim art was at its height. We’ll then continue to our hotel.

At sunset, we’ll go to Mehtab Bagh Garden, an ideal location to view the Taj Mahal across the River Yamuna.

The Taj Mahal, meaning ‘crown of the palaces’, is a mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife. The Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being ‘the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage’.

It’s an early start this morning as we view the Taj Mahal at sunrise – a truly unforgettable memory! This time of day is the least crowded and affords a very peaceful and tranquil experience of one of the world’s most romantic sites.

After returning to our hotel for breakfast, we’ll follow Agra’s Artisan Trail to visit artists engaged in keeping local crafts alive, including marble latticework, zardozi embroidery, stone inlay work and Persian carpet weaving.

We’ll end the day back at our hotel for our second workshop with Jane. Refreshments will be provided.

Today we’ll depart Agra and travel to Jaipur. En route, we’ll take a guided tour of the town of Fatehpur Sikri, founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571.

Fringed by the rugged Aravalli Hills, Jaipur is the capital and largest city in India’s northern state of Rajasthan. The city is famed for being India’s first planned city, featuring a multitude of pink terracotta buildings within its walled historic centre, earning it the nickname ‘The Pink City’.

This evening we’ll visit the home of an Indian family to learn some traditional Indian and Rajasthani recipes. After the class, we’ll enjoy dinner with the family.

Today is a full day of sightseeing in Jaipur, starting with Amber Fort, a classic Rajasthani fort palace. The rugged, time-savaged walls of the fort may not look beautiful from the outside, but the interior is a virtual paradise. Miniature paintings on the walls depict hunting and war scenes, with precious stones and mirrors embedded into the plaster.

Inside the fort, we’ll visit Jag Mandir, or the Hall of Victory, and the famed Sheesh Mahal – a room with all four walls and the ceiling completely embedded with glittering mirror pieces.

The Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing is in a magnificently restored haveli, or townhouse. The museum displays a varied selection of block-printed textiles alongside images, tools and related objects – all chosen to provide an in-depth look into the complexity of this ancient tradition.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) is one of Jaipur’s most recognised buildings, known for its iconic facade. Small windows, decorated with intricate latticework, create a honeycomb-like appearance.

The original intention of the lattice was to allow the royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen. The cooling effect, provided by the breeze passing through the small windows, gave the palace its name.

Jaipur City Palace, a former royal residence, was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign.

Built in the style of a fortified campus, the palace covers almost one-seventh of the area of the city. A small portion of it is still used by the royal family of Jaipur and part of it has been converted into a museum, where we will visit the textile section, which displays costume and embroidery.

Our final visit of the day will be to Aari Tari Embroidery. Gota Patti, or Gota work, is a type of Indian embroidery that originated in Rajasthan. Gota embroidery uses the appliqué technique, where small pieces of zari ribbon are applied onto the fabric with the edges sewn down to create elaborate patterns.

Bagru is a traditional craft village renowned for its distinctive hand-block printing. Here the Chhipa community has preserved the art of textile printing for generations, using carved wooden blocks and natural vegetable dyes to create the characteristic patterns and earthy colour of Bagru textiles.

We’ll enjoy an introduction to the craft before taking part in a printing workshop. Under the guidance of a local craftsman, you’ll learn the basic techniques and create your own printed scarf to take home as a unique memento of your time in Rajasthan.

In Sanganer, we’ll visit a handmade paper factory and discover how discarded fabric scraps are transformed into paper. We’ll watch the artisans at work and see how the paper is decorated with delicate petals and leaves.

Founded in 1988, KnitPro is a globally recognised brand specialising in high-quality knitting, crochet and needlecraft tools and accessories. The company is proud of its commitment to creating employment opportunities for women from surrounding villages, providing them with training and employment so they can contribute to the family income.

We’ll visit the KnitPro factory this morning, where we’ll see the production process for ourselves, from manufacturing through to packaging.

This afternoon we return to our hotel for our final workshop with Jane. Refreshments will be provided.