Malabrigo – What’s in a name?

Last week I mentioned a shawl I had just finished which I knitted in one of the Malabrigo yarns that I stock. I thought that this week I would just give you some information about Malabrigo itself, its yarns and its ethos.

I first came across Malabrigo in my first year of trading, when someone brought in some skeins and asked me to wind them into balls. I was amazed by the softness of the wool and the way in which it was dyed and looked a little more into the brand.

Malabrigo began in Uruguay in 2005, as so many independent dyers do, with two brothers dying yarn in their kitchen. Interestingly the name roughly translates as ‘bad shelter’ and was taken from a village in Uruguay called Mal Abrigo because it was extremely windy and was renowned for being a terrible place to stop for the night. The brothers, however, were also inspired by various novelists, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who set their novels in magical imaginary places. They say that to them, Malabrigo is an imaginary and chilly place where the weather drives everyone inside to knit, preferably by the fire, and where sweaters, scarves and hats are always useful. Not unlike Norfolk this June apparently.

The business started selling into the US, where it was very successful, and then expanded into selling in Europe as well. The rapid growth meant that the business was mostly relocated from Uruguay to Peru. The company mostly employs women of all ages, and it says that it tries to give job opportunities to those who are more disadvantaged. It has a good environmental ethos, using as few chemicals as possible in its dyeing processes, and minimising the amount of water use as well.

Most of the yarn Malabrigo produces is 100% Uruguayan Merino wool, which is extremely high quality. All the wool is from farms that allow their sheep to free-range through the hills and are herded in a traditional style. The practice of mulesing (you don’t want to know) does not exist in Uruguay and Malabrigo is careful to ensure that any Merino wool of a different origin that they use is also mulesing free.

The other fibres used by Malabrigo, either on their own or in blends, include silk, alpaca, mohair, cotton and cashmere. All of their yarn that I have seen is amazingly soft and luxurious and I only currently stock 5 of their 21 varieties. But what is most noticeable about it, to me, is the gorgeous colours that it comes in. I have only tapped a small percentage of the more than 400 colours that they offer – I would happily have all of them, but even this enormous space could not accommodate so much! So I focus on the ones I like best and hope that customers will ask me for their favourites if they are not included in our range.

Currently we stock Malabrigo Sock – 100% merino wool- which is a 4ply and brilliant for shawls or 4 ply garments, or for holding together with a fluff in a garment such as the Love Note. We also have their Rios – my absolute favourite – again 100% Merino, but this time worsted spun and worsted weight. The yarn has a lovely sheen and is super soft and warm. Lots of our customers have used if for jumpers, cardigans and hats. For those who love bulky, we have Rasta – a super chunky roving also 100% Merino. For those who like lace we have their Mohair – a blend of mohair and silk perfect for holding together with a 4 ply for one of the currently fashionable garments to be found on Ravelry, and Silkpaca – a blend of baby alpaca and silk which is mind blowingly soft and light. And last, but definitely not least, we have the Dos Tierras, from which I knitted the Friendship Shawl – a blend of Merino and alpaca which has an oddly cotton-like feel when you knit it, but which becomes very soft and drapey when you wash and block the fabric.

Are any of you Malabrigo fans? If so are there any other varieties of their yarn I should stock? I have my eye on the cotton, Verano, for example. And what about colours? Are there any which are your particular favourites? Let me know!