Unique Perspectives
September, 2017


To Dye Or Not To Dye

Even though synthetic dyes are safe, non-toxic, and have virtually no negative impact on the environment, there are people who want to be as environmentally benign as possible. For those folks we have an assortment of un-dyed natural wool products whose various color-ways are created by blending the colors that naturally occur in wool. Hence, no powder blue. But they are available in a wide range of viable neutral background shades.
All our un-dyed products are listed below. Click on the desired image to review the color palette.


Ambassador

Boardwalk

Crestline

Eldorado

Undyed Wool Collection

Four Seasons

Grenoble

Key Largo

Laredo

Kingston

Promenade

Revue


We are often asked why natural dyes are no longer used to create color. Here's the deal: Over one hundred years ago synthetic dyes came into being due to population growth and the need to use irrigable land for uses other than to grow indigo, saffron, madder and woad (whatever the heck that is) for use as dyes. These synthetic dyes used to dye wool are all well established acid dyes and if your customers have furniture, curtains, upholstered automobiles, and clothes (we're boldly assuming they have these things) they regularly come into contact with this stuff without consequence. Additionally, natural dyes generally have poor light-fastness properties and require heavy metal mordants (to help natural dyes affix to the fiber) so they aren't necessarily an environmental improvement. By comparison acid dyes have no toxicity concerns and are not hazardous to the environment since nearly 100% of the dyes adhere to the fiber so there are only minimal traces of dyes in the outflow.
SPECIALS - Great In stock values
Monticello - 4197
Envoy - 2101
Montrose - 4116
We have a large inventory of first-quality special buys offered at significant savings to you. Here are a few examples. To see them all click here.
Speaking of Un-dyed Wool
Eldorado, one of our un-dyed wool products, recently starred in an episode of Hometime (a cable remodeling show). This episode was about remodeling a master bedroom and bath. We've linked here with a video of the event. We've taken the liberty of deleting all the boring stuff. You know, cabinets, paint, fixtures, knobs, stuff like that. And we've gone straight to the exciting part: carpet installation. Check it out. We've supplied the FREE movie but you're on the hook for your own popcorn. 


Wool Facts
Wool, and many variations thereof, is obtained from any number of animals other than sheep and it still can be labeled wool. Some of them are animals you wouldn't consider worthy of using the Wool name, like rabbits and goats. GOATS?...Get real!! But one of the weirdest animals producing wool is the Musk Ox. Neither producing musk nor an actual ox, it's a poorly named and hairy thing.

Those native to the arctic regions want the musk ox to be renamed Oomingmak; an Eskimo word meaning "bearded one". Oddly enough, that name hasn't caught on.

The wool Musk Oxen produce is called Qiviut (pronounced kiv-ee-ute) and is the animal's downy-soft underwool. It's shed naturally each year during the spring months and each animal yields from four to six pounds per year. It is softer than Cashmere, eight times warmer than sheep's wool, and extremely light weight. It isn't scratchy and will not shrink in water of any temperature. Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man. It is also very expensive and is primarily used in knit hats and scarves since it is too soft for use in carpets or rugs. So we won't be bringing out a carpet called Softer-Than-Qiviut anytime soon.