In 1968, five women founded Manos del Uruguay to help women living in rural Uruguay turn their handmade goods into a living. Artisans working in 12 cooperatives make a variety of goods by hand, which Manos helps them bring to market as a fair-trade-certified enterprise.
The cooperatives make a variety of crafts, but for knitters, Manos del Uruguay is synonymous with handcrafted yarn. In addition to the original handspun, the company now offers more than a dozen hand-dyed yarns.
Two of the women responsible for bringing the yarn to American knitting baskets joined us on YouTube and Facebook live to talk about the cooperatives and their products.