Kelly Rand
“The philosophy behind the Mirasol Project is very simple, the Mirasol Project supports local communities in Peru through the sales of the Mirasol Yarn Collection.”
As said from their website, the Mirasol Project has a simple philosophy with a lofty goal. Named after a girl that tends alpacas high in the Andes in Peru, the Mirasol Project was created to help and sustain the highland community.
With a percentage of every sale of Mirasol yarn, the project is investing back into the community and helping to build a boarding house that will focus on the health and well being of children. The house will provide the community’s children a place to attend school and eat nutritional meals.
The yarns found in the Mirasol Yarn Collection are a wonderful blend of alpaca, merino and cotton. The collection also holds a wonderful organic cotton called Samp’a.
The story of the growing of organic cotton is an interesting one. Firstly, the fields are sown with nitrogen rich plants such as clover or pea instead of using artificial fertilisers. Once the cotton is growing, weeds are eradicated by natural methods such as hoeing rather than using chemicals. Pests are dealt with in pheromone traps or through the daily care of the farmers, again avoiding the use of chemicals. The ripe cotton is picked by hand and goes to a nearby spinning mill which deals exclusively with raw organic cotton.
No matter if you fall for Samp’a or any of the other Mirasol Yarns, you can be assured that your purchase is going to the growth of a cultured and vibrant community.
[Image from Knitting Fever]
