Have you heard of Manos del Uruguay? Fairmount Fibers is the company that exists solely to bring this fantastic yarn to the United States. The Manos del Uruguay cooperative was formed in 1968. Begun by five women whose goal was to develop economic opportunities for women in a country where there were, and are still, few opportunities for work, the cooperative began modestly by selling handcrafts at local shops and the annual agricultural show in Montevideo. Each skein of Manos del Uruguay yarn purchased helps a woman to support her family. Each skein is signed, so you will know who made your yarn, and from which village it came. We stock a wide variety of Manos yarns at fibre space, ranging from lace weight silk mohair to the chunky superwash Franca. Read on to get to know more about Fairmount Fibers and it’s owner, Lisa R. Myers.
Lisa, how did you get into the yarn/fibre industry?
Like so many people in the yarn industry, Lisa was a hobbyist who was presented with an opportunity she couldn’t turn down. Her local yarn store had a sign in the window for part time help, and when her schedule fit their needs – it was kismet. One thing lead to another, and while that first LYS job didn’t last – the perfect spot for a yarn shop became available. Lisa and her spouse switched from playing “fantasy yarn shop” (if you owned a yarn shop, what brushed mohair would you stock) to actually owning a shop. This Philadelphia store sold a lot of Manos del Uruguay, which lead to the previous US distributor to reach out to Lisa when she decided to retire.
What makes Fairmount a unique business? What made you decide to start it?
Lisa had no interest in working in the yarn wholesale industry – except as it pertained to Manos. For this special yarn, Lisa was willing to do almost anything. And Fairmount was brought into existence as a result, solely to be the US distributor or Manos yarns.
What makes Manos special and different (as compared to other Latin American/South American yarns)?
There’s so much about Manos that’s special and different – Lisa shared that all of their yarn is dyed in small batches, either in a kettle or each skein painted by hand. Each yarn produced by Manos have different and unique color ranges, and while there is some overlap Manos makes “literally hundreds of different colors” – both semi-solid and space-dyed. The colors range widely from subtle neutrals to wild brights. Most importantly, however, Manos is a not-for-profit organization with a social mission to provide economic opportunities for rural women in Uruguay. Each workshop in is owned cooperatively by the artisans who work there, empowering them to make their own decisions and run their own business. Manos is the only yarn company in South America to be certified Fair Trade by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).
What do you find most inspiring about your work?
Lisa is proud that Fairmount serves the Manos organization as it’s sole US distributor and she finds the people incredibly inspiring. She loves being able to serve as the link between the artisans in Uruguay and the knitters in the US. New product development is a close second – being able to test new yarns, brainstorming what new colors are needed, and designing new patterns to create with them keeps the work endlessly interesting.
What about working in the yarn industry has been most surprising?
“Online yarn sales!” Lisa has been in the business since before the dawn of e-commerce and she didn’t think it would ever catch on for yarn. Like many of us, Lisa thought the tactile nature of purchasing yarn – needing to feel the actual texture, and see accurate color – were essential factors in yarn purchasing. “Boy was I wrong!” While those things certainly are important, the internet continues to evolve how we think about and shop for our hobbies.
