In Case You Missed It

Nikki and Jay of Fallbrook, CA, founded Laneras in 2018. It grew from the passion of two fiber lovers – Nikki a knitter and Jay an artist. Jay, a native of Uruguay, cultivated the links to responsibly sourced yarn from his home country. Uruguay produces some of the finest yarns in the world.

What makes yarn from Uruguay unique?

Uruguay is the only country to date where the government educates farmers on sustainable sheep raising and wool production through an organization called SUL. Thanks to this support, many farms use renewal energy (wind turbines), which not only makes wool production carbon neutral, but carbon negative.
Uruguay’s unique climate and ecosystem support a variety of high-quality sheep, such as Polwarth, Corriedale, and Merino
Most of the wool production in Uruguay comes from family businesses that take pride in passing down their legacy to future generations.

Jay and Nikki dye yarn at their home in Fallbrook. There they use acid dyes which are non-toxic. Even their superwash wools are dyed with no toxic chemical runoff.

Laneras yarns have a signature ply where the “overtones” provide richness and depth. Well-known designers such as Melanie Berg, Stephen West, Irina Anikeeva, and Romi Hill have featured their yarns in some of their latest patterns.

In the future, Jay hopes to someday develop a certification program for wool producers in Uruguay with the support of the government organization SUL. They were both looking forward to their upcoming weekend at Stitches West in Sacramento.

In this program we all learned a lot about mindful and responsible choices in yarn selections.

Submitted by Mary Barranger, March 3, 2022