Alllloooooo! What is Aloo Anyway?

Sounds like a call you might make in a deep canyon...

After watching me play with creating soap for a good long while, I think my mom's creative bug was sparked. (Love how we do that to each other.) ; ) She was looking at my poor, little naked soaps and figured they needed to have a wash buddy packaged with them. And I do think she was right. A nice wash cloth, mitt or back-washing-strap (insert descriptive verbs here) would go very nicely in a gift pack. An all in one package for Christmas giving.


Now my Mom has crocheted for as long as I can remember and before, we'll just say over 30 years....and seems to be able to whip up just about anything: blankets, coats, shirts, holiday decor, even Barbie doll clothes...you name it. So after viewing said naked soaps, she went around the web in search of a suitable yarn for the wash cloths, mitts and straps. The fiber she came upon was Aloo.

Aloo by definition is a nettle plant. This plant is a close relative to the North American nettle, but grows to much greater heights. It grows primarily in the mountains of Himalya and is available in limited quantities because of its seasonality. The fiber is carefully processed and made into yarn by the local people. Traditionally the people of Nepal use Aloo for string bags, fishing nets and storage totes. Initially the fiber is very stiff like hemp string, but after additional handling and washing, it becomes quite soft. Aloo can also be died different colors, a definite way of expanding its possible uses. This fiber is truly Eco-friendly and a great way of supporting a great place like Nepal.


Here are some ideas for Aloo fiber:

Aloo yarn can be found online on ebay and many other yarn retailers. One location I found was: Himalaya Yarn, their yarn is about $9.00/ skein. I'm sure there's many other's, this one just caught my eye.

Happy creating! ; )