I don’t use any chemicals because I want to contribute to the preservation of the environment and our planet. I make the colors from natural elements such as leaves, seeds and flowers.
After shearing the sheep we clean and wash the wool so we can card it with large wire combs so it’s soft and then we can spin it on a wood spinning wheel. We wash it again with a plant called amole which grows here in the mountain and makes a lot of foam. That way the wool doesn’t lose its purity. If we were to wash it with a commercial soap, the wool loses its luster and makes it almost impossible for the natural dyes to take.
We then let the wool dry prior to dying with such organic pigments as cochineal, pomegranate peelings, oak bark, peelings off the huacal tree, and walnut shell. We take the lichen off the rocks, and we also use flowers. We let the dye stand for about a month and, when it’s ready, we bring it to a boil, then we let the hanks of wool soak for about half an hour. Then we let them dry and breathe. We wash them again to stop the discoloring.
We wrap the wool on reed bobbins so we can use it in the loom. When we start weaving, a small rug can take us up to three days, whereas a large one can take up to a month and a half.
I hope you like my rugs because I weave them with natural wool. I don’t use any chemicals because I want to contribute to the preservation of the environment and our planet. I make the colors from natural elements such as leaves, seeds and flowers.
