Feel Good Yarns from Manos del Uruguay

The Manos del Uruguay cooperatives shared new images with us to kick off the new year. These values which create the foundation of Manos mean that the yarn you’ve selected for your next project is packed with goodness!

Manos del Uruguay is a non-profit organization dedicated to upholding the standards of Fair Trade. The Manos Cooperatives provide health insurance, retirement pensions, paid vacations and paid maternity leave for their members. Every time you buy a skein of Manos yarn, you help a woman in Uruguay support her family!

The cooperatives are small, and there is no child or forced labor. The yarn is made in the cooperatives of Fraile Muerto, Rio Branco, and Dragón. The artisans do not have to travel to Montevideo, rather they can stay closer to their families in the Uruguayan countryside. 

There are no indoor drying facilities at the cooperatives. All the yarn is line-dried outside! The local sheep graze on the native grasslands, not in a feedlot. Eucalyptus is grown in Uruguay for fuel to heat the dye pots and for wood pulp; no forests are harmed in the making of Manos yarns!

A reminder to take a look at the tag on your skein of Manos del Uruguay yarn. Every tag is signed by the artisan. It is a way in which you, the knitter or crocheter, are connected to the artisan. We appreciate your continued support of Manos del Uruguay yarns and choosing hand-crafted over mass-produced!