Five Facts About Fair Trade
The Manos Cooperatives are a not-for-profit organization dedicated to upholding the standards of Fair Trade. Every time you buy a skein of Manos yarn, you help a woman in Uruguay support her family. Here are 5 facts to know about Fair Trade.
We focus on the yarn here but know the artisans of Manos create clothing, home accessories, leather goods, bags, and much more. You can shop the catalog by clicking here.
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.
At the Fraile Muerte Cooperative, in fair weather, chickens wander around the yard beneath the drying yarn. In the winter, production schedules have to allow for increased drying time, because there are no indoor drying facilities; all the yarns are still line-dried out-of-doors.
The local sheep graze on the native grasslands, not in a feed lot. Sheep that are treated well produce high-quality wool. Manos yarn is made in small dye lots in pots heated by wood fire or gas. The space-dyed colors are dyed up to six times per skein resulting in a piece of art! Every skein is unique. No two skeins are exactly the same!
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! The Fairmount Fibers team (the U.S. distributors of Manos yarns) has organized a trip to Uruguay this month. The visitors will travel to the Dragón Cooperative and participate in a dye workshop with the artisans. We look forward to sharing photos of their adventure here in a future blog post.
Fair Trade is more than just coffee and chocolate!
We focus on the yarn here but know the artisans of Manos create clothing, home accessories, leather goods, bags, and much more. You can shop the catalog by clicking here.
Fair Trade means the value is placed on the lives of the workers.
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.
Fair Trade uses environmentally sustainable methods.
At the Fraile Muerte Cooperative, in fair weather, chickens wander around the yard beneath the drying yarn. In the winter, production schedules have to allow for increased drying time, because there are no indoor drying facilities; all the yarns are still line-dried out-of-doors.
Fair Trade means quality goods.
The local sheep graze on the native grasslands, not in a feed lot. Sheep that are treated well produce high-quality wool. Manos yarn is made in small dye lots in pots heated by wood fire or gas. The space-dyed colors are dyed up to six times per skein resulting in a piece of art! Every skein is unique. No two skeins are exactly the same!
Fair Trade products aim to connect the global community!
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! The Fairmount Fibers team (the U.S. distributors of Manos yarns) has organized a trip to Uruguay this month. The visitors will travel to the Dragón Cooperative and participate in a dye workshop with the artisans. We look forward to sharing photos of their adventure here in a future blog post.
