Naari dye story: Dyeing wool naturally in the Himalayas
Himalaya Naari is starting an exciting new venture. No longer satisfied with just creating beautiful knit goods, the women of Naari are starting to sell naturally dyed yarns, all colored with local organic material, for use by other knitters.
Naari is increasingly moving towards using organic materials whenever possible in its products, so it makes sense that it would promote using naturally dyed yarn for other knitters. For thousands of years, the colors in yarn and fabric were obtained from natural materials like leaves, flowers, and bark. Those techniques started dying out in the 20th century as synthetic dyes came into vogue, and chemicals are now the dominant method of coloring yarn. However, increasing awareness of the environmental contamination caused by synthetic dyes has caused renewed demand for natural dyes, Naari is well-positioned to take advantage of this demand. “There is a huge deficit of naturally dyed yarn in the United States,” says Kathy Bollerud of the Himalayan Education Foundation. “There is a big market for organic yarn, and we can meet some of that need and make a profit for Naari.”
To learn the ancient techniques, the women of Naari needed a teacher; however, the master dyers of India are a dying breed. They tracked one down, and for two weeks last fall he trained them in the dyeing process. With Vinita Upita managing the new venture, Naari built an addition to its Women's Center to house the operation. They hired four new employees, who have started dyeing samples and ensuring consistent quality. Naari has also installed a water tank to guarantee a steady water supply for the dye vats.
The yarn is soaked in the large vats for 24 hours. The brilliant colors are created from a variety of natural materials, including marigolds, turmeric, onion skins, pine needles, and bark. The yarn is wound into skeins on a special wooden loom and then packed into bundles for shipping.
Naari started marketing the yarn in the U.S. in July, 2024. They are participating in the Yarn Crawl Chicago at Dye Hard Yarns in Oakpark, Illinois this month.
