All about Manos Wool Clasica

Wool Clàsica is one of our most popular yarns, and with good reason. It's soft, durable and versatile, with generous yardage and a wide array of gorgeous colors. Not only does its handcrafted appearance and variable texture make for beautiful fabrics that inspire the knitter like a blank canvas or raw clay, but it also felts beautifully. On the surface, you know that this yarn yields 4 sts per 1" and 138 yds per 100g. Below are some facts about the background of this yarn that might not be as widely known, hidden as they are beneath the colorful surface! Wool Clàsica is handmade. This rustic yarn is handspun and hand-dyed. The resulting product is a little rough: it retains a handmade, artisanal look. This means that your knitting project will be resolutely one-of-a-kind, and it also does the knitter a kindness by obscuring any unevenness in the knitting itself! We know you love the single-ply, slightly thick-and-thin texture of Wool Clàsica, but we get excited about the dye process and the colors, too... all 106 of them! The space-dyed colors go through up to 6 different dye baths to get just the right shade and a wealth of depth and complexity. The resulting shades are versatile enough for any home decor project, and compliment a wide array of skin tones. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="125 Potpourri"][/caption] Even the undyed (natural) colors, numbers 701-703, will amaze you with their beauty and complexity. These come from sheep that grow their fleece naturally in various shade of gray and brown. These are then combined in different proportions, roughly carded together, and spun thusly. The result is a variegated yarn with completely natural and random shifts in tone. These undyed yarns are even softer than the rest of the Wool Clàsica line, because of the minimal processing. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="703 (natural)"][/caption] Wool Clàsica is responsible. One of the best parts about enjoying the beauty and versatility of Wool Clàsica, is knowing that this yarn also fully upholds the socially conscious mission of Manos del Uruguay yarns. Since the hand-spinning and -dyeing is very labor intensive, the yarn's production creates a wealth of jobs that are safe, fair and steady. The continuing popularity of Wool Clàsica ensures that these jobs remain a stable and lasting asset to the communities that produce the fiber and the finished yarn. The natural colorways from brown and gray sheep ensure responsible environmental stewardship as well. Worldwide, the wool market overwhelmingly demands white fleece, so sheep are bred for that. Sustaining a market for naturally colored sheep helps maintain biodiversity, and allows for lower-impact and cost-effective shepherding of healthier, more stable sheep populations. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="701 (natural)"][/caption]