As of 14 April 2018 we have been stocking malabrigo yarn and books. Our yarn selection can change and if you are put malabrigo in our search field you will find yarn and pattern books that we have.
Malabrigo is a family owned yarn company located in Uruguay who have developed a line of hand-dyed yarns of incredible softness and wonderful colour variations. malabrigo products are made out of the softest fibres available and inspired by nature, as well as landscapes, places, art and day-to-day life. This is what they try to represent when naming their 18 yarn varieties and the range of over 300 colours they come in.
malabrigo produce yarn because they are passionate about it. They believe in the pleasure of knitting with good-quality, carefully designed, subtly dyed yarns and in the joy of wearing whatever is made out of them.
They wish to continue developing yarns and colors to inspire people all over the world, and in return be inspired by them.
They focus and strive for sustainability and quality in all aspects of their business.
HISTORY
malabrigo started small, when two brothers-in-law started dyeing wool in a kitchen pot back in 2005. After achieving good results, they started selling a few skeins to the US and before they knew they had quickly grown to other countries in Europe and the rest of the world. To keep up with this growth, they needed to relocate to larger facilities and hire more employees.
This resulted in malabrigo’s mill which is located at Parque Tecnológico Industrial del Cerro, a Technology and Industry Park in Montevideo, Uruguay, where yarns are dyed and packed in large rooms with lots of natural light.
In 2010 the factory added a flat-plate thermal heating system to decrease the environmental footprint. Using the power of the sun, the water tanks are heated for the various processes to make your favourite yarns. The company employs environmentally safe practices using as little water and as few chemicals as possible.
More recently the company added a new mill in Perú.
malabrigo employs mostly women of all ages, and always tries to give job opportunities to people that have fewer opportunities than the average.
Most of malabrigo yarns are made with 100% Uruguayan Merino wool. They select fless from Uruguayan farms that free-range the sheep through the hills and are herded by actual old-style shepherds. The controversial practice of mulesing does not exist in Uruguay. Malabrigo always ensure that their materials come from the best suppliers available here in Uruguay and around the world.
malabrigo flock
malabrigo is the proud owner of a flock of Merino and Corriedale sheep, who live on a ranch near their headquarters in Montevideo. malabrigo strive for sustainability and quality in all aspects of their business, and are now able to have a direct hand in wool production from the very first step, ensuring the humane, high-quality care of their happy little sheep. This flock isn't enough to produce all of the yarn for malabrigo- but they're awfully cute. Should you happen to be in the Montevideo area, malabrigo invite you to visit the little sheepfold and say hello to the flock!
malabrigo strive to use sustainable and humane farming practices with their ranch and flock – a happy sheep makes the best wool!
The entire Uruguayan wool industry has committed itself to achieving the highest standards of sheep husbandry. In Uruguay the sheep graze mainly on native grasslands and lamb in the spring when conditions are best for success. All of the wool produced in Uruguay is mulesing-free and shearing occurs pre-lambing. To learn more about malabrigo's commitment to sustainable, humane sheep welfare visit the Wools of Uruguay website and read the Guidelines for Ethical Sheep Production in Uruguay.
Malabrigo's Commitment to Sustainability
As part of malabrigo's ongoing effort to build a greener business, their Superwash manufacturing process now meets Oeko-Tex standards. This means their yarn is free from a range of harmful substances often found in manufacturing (such as formaldehyde, pesticides, heavy metals, and a variety of other toxins and carcinogens.) Their superwash process uses a very thin, very diluted coating of resin (which covers only .00002mm around the wool fibers.) This resin is the same material used in the manufacture of facial tissues and kitchen paper.
In 2010 the factory added a flat-plate thermal heating system to decrease the environmental footprint. Using the power of the sun, the water tanks are heated for the various processes to make malabrigo yarns. The company employs environmentally safe practices using as little water and as few chemicals as possible. All of their colorants meet Oeko-Tex and 1907/2006 CE standards, which means they use no prohibited chemicals.