Adventures with Hill Tribers: Yarn Problem Solved
by Jessica
Remember my (overly) dramatic post about looking for new supplies? We found some yarn. It might not seem like a big deal, but for years we’ve been researching Thai yarn. It’s softer and it feels like the yarn the refugee women made by hand to weave into cloth for their villages. The supplier that we’ve found is doing amazing work in Thailand with Karen hill tribers in Chiang Mai. As we get to know them better, I’ll post more about them, but it really gives me goose bumps to know that our bags will be blessing hill tribe women from start to finish, the women who make the yarn in Thailand and ship it to us and the women who weave it into new bags and scarves here in Austin.
My friend Ann called and was so helpful getting better information about the supplier. It pays to have a friend decide to be a missionary in Thailand. Here’s their color chart: which colors would you pick?
The ever-talented, ever-cool Kelsi Williamson made us a color board and we’re picking some great combinations for the spring and summer. Our goal this year is to standardize our products so that we can offer the same thing fifty times rather than just one thing by one woman. We’re really excited to go in this direction and be able to bring the quality of Hill Triber products up to a new standard.
Our next big purchase will be brass chain to make some new necklaces.
This is the chain from an etsy shop we’ve been looking at. We’ll finish making the necklaces soon.
We’re trying to find designs that fit the artisans’ skills and interests in a way that keeps the supply cost low and the time it takes to make them minimal. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I’m really excited about some new necklaces, bracelets and headbands we’re working on. We’ll have previews soon, I promise!
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