Manos del Uruguay Yarn

Manos del Urugay is a non-profit organisation that supports local women to make a living while remaining in their local village and raising their families. They are renowned for their fantastic colours, which have become their trademark and have been producing beautiful, natural fibre, hand-dyed yarns since 1968. Their unique, luxurious yarns have been achieved through research and experimenting with traditional techniques over the past 50 years.

Manos' artisans are organised in cooperatives located in small towns in Uruguay's countryside.  They spin and dye the yarns in 
co-ops located in Fraile Muerto, Rio Branco and Dragón. These talented artisans create the most beautifully dyed yarns, with great dedication, skill and care. Their jobs at Manos del Uruguay, enable them to provide for their families and raise their children without having to emigrate to Montevideo's poorer areas.

 Every day while they work they can talk about their families, concerns and joys, while creating beautiful yarns for the world to enjoy. Each Manos skein comes with a tag with the name of the skilled artisan who made it and the co-op's location. These finishing touches create a beautiful connection between the crafter using the yarn and the woman who created it.

Manos is still committed to the same objective and was made a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation in 2009.