100% Qiviuk

50% Qiviuk ,50% Silk

45 Qiviuk, 45 Merino, 10% Silk

80% Merino 15 Qiviuk 5 % Silk

100% Suri Alpaca

and fibre from

Qiviuk, Vicuna, and Alpaca

for spinning

from Be Sweet yarns,

Looking very much like yarn sushi,

or Scottish rock candy,

these rolls (named Bambino Taffy)

will each make a baby hat.

The pattern is given on the label.

100% Mohair Boucle. 

Perfect for wooly and funky hats, 

the boucle spirals give these yarns 

an extra-special character.  

A collection of wild silk yarns.  

The prefered plants of the

tussah moth are what gives

a creamy colour to the 

silk they produce.

A new shipment from Eco Butterfly:

a collection of ethically-traded,

organically-grown, naturally-coloured 

cottons in green, mauve, cream, 

beige and brown. These fibres 

are not dyed -  this is the 

natural colour of the

plant.

Available in

lace weight, worsted weight, 

chunky hand-spun. Also available as

sliver for spinning and in scarf kits.

Yarns dyed by Maiwa in our

own studio with natural dyes.

A satisfying range of rich colours for your

next project.

The much anticipated revised and expanded 

second edition of Wild Color by Jenny Dean and 

the winter edition of Wild Fibers.

Now in the store.

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The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes
What they are and how to use them




Weight of Fibre.
This straightforward concept is important enough to deserve its own post.

All measures in dyeing are based on the dry weight of material to be dyed. This is known as the Weight Of Fibre (WOF). WOF gives a convenient way to state how much dyestuff is needed for a given shade, regardless of whether the dyer wants to colour a few yarns or several metres of fabric. The weight of dyestuff is expressed as a percentage of WOF.

For example, to dye a medium-red with madder, we would use 50% WOF.
Hence, if we had a pound of cotton (450 g) we would need a half-pound (225 g) of madder.

Weight of Fibre x % = Weight of Dyestuff

(imperial) 1lb x .5 = .5lb (8 oz)
(metric) 450g x .5 = 225 g

Alternatively, cochineal only requires 6% WOF for a medium shade.
Hence, to dye the same amount of fibre we would need:

Weight of Fibre x % = Weight of Dyestuff
(imperial) 1lb x .06 = .06lb (1 oz)
(metric) 450g x .06 = 27 g

Yarns, fibres, and fabrics are always weighed dry before washing. But everything is wetted before being placed in the dyepot.

Keeping notes of the weight of fibre and how much dyestuff was used will help plan future projects - clipping a sample of dyed yarn beside the notes makes for a wonderful record. This is one portion of dyeing that we love. Making books with notes, samples, and recipes is a creative act in itself. Of course, if someone discovers your books one hundred years from now, thats also very exciting.

We've just put our latest podcast up.

Part 3
In this presentation the panel consider the unique identity of stitches and weaves and their greatest travel disasters.

Join Bappaditya Biswas (weaver and entrepreneur), Stephen Huyler (anthropologist, photographer, and writer), Linda Cortright, (journalist and magazine publisher), Charllotte Kwon (owner of Maiwa and documentary filmmaker), and Sheila Paine (explorer and author) as they present a variety of approaches to travel, exploration, culture and craft.


Recorded at the 2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium on October 21, 2009
Posted November 2010

Subscribe in iTunes

On November 8th we gave our second workshop. Nilda had requested that we present our experiences working with craftspeople in India. We expanded that mandate a bit to include other work with groups in Turkey, Morocco, and Ethiopia. At the Chinchero Centre we showed images of workshops, dyepots, dyes, yarns, and artisans to a group of 20 weavers from 9 communities.

Presenting images of an Ethiopian market.

The audience were most interested to learn that all artisans face similar challenges. We took a series of enthusiastic questions from the group as the talk progressed. They were most interested in costing, quality control, and what was happening in other craft markets. One particularly shocking fact that they realized could happen in their own market, was the copying of their traditional items from outside (overseas) factories.

They also wanted to know if the artisans we worked with wore traditional dress. Over the past 12 years the Peruvian artisans found that with the increase in their reputation from exquisite weavings, they had a renewed sense of pride in traditional dress. They wanted to be known, not only as artisans, but as THE artisans from their community. Did others feel the same? It has been our experience that this is true. The work brings a welcome respect.

Our talk was translated into Quechua by Jennifer  Callañaupa.

The Peruvian group expressed their concern for the emigration of young people out of the villages and into the urban centres. With this group went the hope for the future and the continuity of traditions. What had other artisans done about this? In Chinchero creative solutions had be found through weaving competitions, the construction of a weaving centre where groups could work together and through the many events and activities that give a community a strong sense of self.

As with any presentation we give to a rural group, they were very curious about the animals found in other parts of the world. They were impressed with wild silk moths, but equally curious about the large herds of camels (which they recognize as relatives of llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos).

A participant reviews Maiwa postcards - one of our promotional tools for marketing craft.

The group left the presentation with a good feeling of being well connected to other artisans. Each group that forms through a revival is motivated by visionary individuals who understand that a return to tradition is a powerful vehicle to carry their cultural integrity. Without it, they will merge with the modern world and their patterns, stitches, colours, and expressions will be held in museums - if they are held at all.

The opening panel of Tinkuy 2010

After our indigo workshop we headed to the sacred valley for the Tinkuy event. Tinkuy was two days of presentations in a large hall and another five days of workshops conducted at the CTTC in Chincero. We were most impressed by the strong presence of indigenous craftspeople. We found the presentations expressed first-hand a perspective that we rarely have access to. Their experience of seeing their own crafts vanishing and the hard work that they needed to perform if they wished to save them. For many of the indigenous speakers this was their first time in front of a microphone. They got very quickly to the heart of textiles and why they matter to their communities.

Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez opens Tinkuy 2010

Carolina Concha from Chinchero gives a presentation and awaits questions from the audience.

Presenters arrived from Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatamala, Argentina, Peru, USA and Canada. There were 24 speakers each day and twelve demonstrations of weaving and spinning technique. In the evenings there were fiestas with traditional costumes, yarn spinning competitions, music and dancing.

The youngest winner of the finest spinning award.  She used a drop spindle to spin wool yarns.

At Tinkuy prizes were awarded for a series of weaving competitions. These are a key element to encourage high-level weaving skills.

The Tinkuy concluded with a ceremony where the elders from the various communities handed their weaving sticks and tools to a young artisan with these words.

"We hand our tools to you so that you can continue what we have revived."

Elders wait on stage to hand their weaving tools to the next generation.

Indigo yarns freshly pulled from the dyebath.

In 2009 Maiwa connected with the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cuzco (CTTC) when we presented a lecture, event and workshop by Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez and her sister Antonia. The meeting led to an invitation to teach two workshops and to participate in Tinkuy: A Gathering of Weavers held in November 2010. The lectures and workshops that made up Tinkuy were organized by CTTC with Nilda overseeing all the details.

Workshop participants were given a set of  printed notes which they added to as the workshop progressed.

Nilda approached Maiwa to teach a vat that would replace the indigo vat that they use. You will understand why - they use a urine vat. The women need to collect huge quantities of human urine. It takes six weeks working with the vats daily to dye the yarns. The dyers don't like the smell of the vats, working with the vats or the smell of the dyed yarns.

Students take notes during the workshop.

We thought an ideal replacement vat would be Michel Garcia's fruit vat. We approached him and he was happy to share this information. In fact he spent additional days with us in Vancouver testing and modifying the vat for the fruits and conditions of the Peruvian dyers.

We arrived in Chinchero three days early to do some prep. First test the waters. Second, set up five test vats to determine the sweetness of the local fruits. This vat requires over-ripe fruit, so we needed to find kinds that were appropriate, in season, and cheap. We did this prep with our translator Carolina Concha Huarhua (a weaver and member of CTTC) so that she would have a good understanding of the process.

Charllotte Kwon working with weavers and the translator in the days before the workshop.

Our workshop opened with 27 weavers who wanted to dye 15 kilos of yarn. Based on our tests we made five production-sized vats: peach, mango, bananna, pear, and ferrous (iron).

Many hands crush ripe fruit.

Skeins of wool are placed on the ground for drying and to oxidize.

When the workshop was complete we got some feedback. These vats gave stronger colours, clearer colours with more control over the depth of shade. What took six weeks with the urine vat could be completed in a single day with the fruit vats. Most importantly, the vats had a delicious smell as they were prepared and worked. The yarns smelled of a combination of indigo and cooked fruit.

Finished yarns showing a variety of shades from the different vats.