The new issue of Better Homes and Garden’s Knit It! (basically a 112-page ad for Lion Brand yarns) does have a couple of pieces that aren’t about Lion. One that caught my eye is an article about a breed of sheep native to the American Southwest–the Navajo-Churro. “Once on the brink of extinction,” according to the article by Susan M. Strawn, a professor of Textiles at Dominican University in Illinois, the sheep and their wool are having a revival. The wool has always been prized for its deep natural range of colors and was used in the making of traditional navajo rugs.
So, how do you add this new-old yarn to your stash? Well, unfortunately many of the links listed in the article were broken. But after some sleuthing, I found a couple of relavent sites:
Try stopping first at The Navajo-Churro Sheep Association page. They’ve got history, and charming sheep pictures. One of their Members, Cerro Mojino Woolworks does have a page where you can call and order yarn and color cards.
Some of the breeders apparently have received organic certification. One company, Tierra Wools sells organic churro in dyed colors in various weights and also blends it with other wools. Tierra has other organic wools as well.
I’d love to hear if any readers have used the Churro yarn and what they think of it. I’ll try and get my hands on some so I can write a comprehensive review.
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