Authentic handicrafts
Traceability/provenance: a responsible approach
The world of wool is not all smooth sailing. We have to constantly seek a balance between respect for the animal, the planet and the men and women who raise it. The majority of our wools are organic, ethical or untreated. We also work directly with Quechua Alpaca, a Fairtrade-certified cooperative in Peru. Our other wools come from European spinning mills.
Artisane d'Art, handmade tradition and transmission
Hand-dyeing means constantly learning, discovering and observing. It means accepting to give time to time... To be part of a long chain of women and men who have learned so much before us and, in our turn, to pass on to those who follow... For Stéphanie, Artisane d'Art is also a duty to pass on...
Pigments: we have chosen ecological and eco-responsible pigments. We use, among others, several Ecocert-labeled colors that we fix with citric acid or vinegar (gentler on wool) and heat.
The great family of umàlf yarns
RANGES
INTEMPORELLES
Welcome to our Intemporelles collection!
Reproducible colors that can be re-dyed to order in the quantities you require. Choose your base, place your order and we'll dye your skeins especially for you!
Hand-dyed in our micro-dyehouse, these “Timeless” reproducible colors will inevitably differ from one bath to the next. But if you run out of wool on a project, they'll be just what you need.
ONE SHOT
The choice to work
with limited quantities.
In my workshop, each bath contains between 5 and 9 skeins, depending on the base. What's more, opting for natural dyes means obtaining colors that can never be exactly reproduced. It's a long job, with many stages in the process of making the colors and coloring the wools, and that's exactly what makes it exciting!
Fibers
Alpaca wool comes from the alpaca, an animal that resembles the llama, only softer, gentler and smaller... Alpacas are native to the Andes Cordillera, and Peru is the world's leading historical producer of this wool. It's an exceptional wool, infinitely soft and much sought-after. Our alpaca wools come mainly from our partner cooperative Quechua Alpaca, which is certified organic, fair trade and has good animal welfare practices. We also use alpaca in some of our bases. This alpaca comes from animal-friendly farms in Peru. It is spun by our English partner.
Also known as BFL or English merino... This sheepskin has the same virtues as its merino cousin (fineness of fiber): BFL can be found between 22 and 24 microns, but it doesn't have the same elasticity. The fall of BFL is different, and we'll choose one or the other fiber depending on the desired end result. Our BFL comes from English spinning mills.
Cashmere wool comes from the cashmere goat. It is one of the softest and most exclusive wools in the world. Cashmere goats are bred mainly in northern India and other Himalayan countries. Our cashmere is bred without museling. Much sought-after for its infinite softness and thermal qualities, cashmere is a wool equivalent to alpaca wool. Two exceptional wools for top-quality products!
When we say “wool”, we mean a blend of different sheep. Our wools are available in 100% wool (chunky origine France - for example) or with 25% nylon (Carikai).
Why nylon, you may ask, when we prefer natural fibers? Quite simply because sustainability sometimes means “adapting” to physical... and cultural realities! We campaign for authentic wools, but we no longer know how to darn our socks! A 100% pure wool sock will wear out extremely quickly, and will have holes in it as soon as you start hiking! A wool and nylon sock, on the other hand, will last much longer... So yes, the choice is clear: wool with nylon socks! And yes, another obvious choice: wool socks are also SW (SuperWash) to allow machine washing of our socks...
Merino is a sheep whose wool is particularly soft (around 22 microns on average), and somewhat elastic. Sourced from animal-friendly farms, Merino wool is particularly well-suited to products for the most sensitive skins.
Our Merino wools come from farms in Latin America. We sometimes use French merino... To be continued!
Mohair comes from a pretty little goat, also in the camelid family, hence the possibility of having a classification of the animal's hair. We have therefore selected baby quality for our mohair wools. Quite simply because this quality is much finer and of higher quality. There are many mohair goat farms in France. Fortunately, the industry is doing well and sales are brisk. Our mohair comes from South Africa and is spun in England. It is untreated.
Silk comes from Italian silk farms. Derived from the cocoon of the silkworm, it is a thread that is both strong and fragile.
Strong because it is extremely resistant and its fall is absolutely incomparable.
Fragile, because it cannot be worked with snagging needles or damaged hands. It would immediately fluff up! Yet it's an exceptional material that's immediately addictive.
To work with silk is to enter a universe of softness, strength and light... Be careful, though: this thread slips, and you'll need to wash your sample before measuring it for your calculations! It's also a difficult yarn to dye, requiring several days' work. But the result is always exceptional, and it restores light like no other yarn.
Vegetable fibers are all derived from plants, trees or algae. They are less elastic than wool and, above all, much cooler. They are ideal for spring and summer projects.
Dyeing techniques for these fibers are also very different from those used for animal fibers. Salt or sodium carbonate, mainly, is used to fix the colors on this type of yarn.
At umàlf, you'll find organic linen from Belgian plantations, organic cotton from Peru, bamboo and Tencel (from eucalyptus or bamboo) from plantations in Asia.
Organic alpaca from Peru
A heartfelt partnership with Quechua Alpaca
Stéphanie has a special relationship with Peru. Since childhood, the country has been part of her life, part of her family. She travels there regularly, and it's only natural that this collaboration should come about. A family affair!
This animal, a member of the camelid family, produces some of the finest wool in the world. Raised in semi-freedom on the high plateaus of the Andes, the alpaca is the sole source of wealth for many Quechua communities in Peru. Long exploited and robbed of their wool production, the Quechuas are increasingly beginning to organize and defend their work. With Quechua Alpaca, a Peruvian cooperative certified organic and fair trade, all players in the chain (from shepherd to spinner) are respected. Following his travels in Peru, we at umàlf are already working to develop this partnership, and new wools will be arriving in the boutique very soon…
