Yarns

Tapetes de Lana is currently offering a unique line of yarns that have been spun in our spinning mill right here in Mora, New Mexico

Tapetes de Lana takes pride in our use of naturally dyed yarns. The natural shades of yarn come from local plants as well as imported natural dye sources.

We currenty are working to develop many yarns to meet the needs of all weavers using heritage breeds of sheep raised in the United States.

Natural Indigo has been used as a dye source for over 4000 years. It is used to create beautiful shades of blue and can also be used as an over dye to create greens and purples. It comes from a bush that is grown in semi-tropical climates and has played an important role in the economy over the centuries. At one time indigo was a cash crop in the Carolinas.

Cochineal is a small insect that feeds on the prickly pear cactus. Originating in the Oaxaca area it was a very important trade item when the Spanish arrived in Mexico. Because of the brilliant red that is produced by these insects, boatloads were shipped to Europe. In 1774 over 600 tons of dried cochineal was shipped to Spain. Cochineal from Oaxaca provided the red in Britain's famous "redcoats", Betsy Ross used it to color the first US Flag, the Vatican's Swiss Guards and a succession of Catholic Popes were also big cochineal consumers. Today textile, cosmetic and food companies throughout the world seek Cochineal. It is used for everything from Snapple's Mango Madness juice to Kikkoman's sweet and sour sauce and Estee Lauder eye shadow.

Madder Root has been grown in gardens for centuries and produces beautiful shades of rust and salmon. This dye plant was brought from Europe.

Brazilwood and Osage Orange are the wood from trees that give us shades of Yellow, Red and Orange.

When ordering natural dyed yarns we will send samples for approval when using our yarns and if using your yarns we ask you to realize that every dye pot can be different. We will always do our best to please you.

We can also purchase commercially dyed yarns for those who cannot afford the luxury of our naturally hand dyed yarns. Please contact us if you are interested in commercial colors. We have color cards from J & H Clasgens Company and the Brown Sheep Company; their samples can also be seen online. For those looking for alpaca yarns, we will be purchasing commercial colors from Peru.Click Here To Enter Your Content