Our Yarn Partner

Road Trip Mystery is thrilled to welcome Manos del Uruguay as our 2023 yarn partner! 

This unique company was founded in 1968 to give Uruguay's rural women jobs that would provide income and opportunities to personally develop and gain independence, Manos del Uruguay is organized in 12 cooperatives located in small villages of Uruguay's countryside, allowing the artisans remain close to their communities and families. 

Things we love about Manos del Uruguay?

• They exist as a nonprofit organization to support the work of hundreds of artisan dyers, knitters and weavers, and guarantee their livelihoods and that of their families. 
• Their production methods are artisanal. They dye in small batches, knit by hand and weave using tradition looms. They believe that by honouring their traditional Uruguayan craft, they can reach the world. 
• They have been certified as Fair Trade since 2009.
• Their small scale supply chain uses little water and means no excess of stock in landfills. Any surplus yarn gets repurposed into something new. 
• Their hand-dyed yarn is absolutely scrumptious, and the Alegria fingering weight yarn comes in generous 445 yard skeins!

We have put together ten gorgeous color combos. Some are bold, and others are more subtle. All are perfectly suited for the Great Lakes Road Trip MKAL. Visit your local yarn shop to pick up your favorite; see our list of local shops who are participating in this project! 

For the Misses size, you will need two skeins of the main color, and then one skein each of two contrasting colors. For the Plus size, you will need an additional skein of the main color. 

It is important that there is contrast between all three colors. Contrast A can be variegated, if you want, but the Main Color and Contrast B should both be solid or tonal.

Pay attention to yardage. This shawl was designed using Alegria fingering weight from Manos del Uruguay, which comes in generous skeins of 445 yards. 

We welcome Potomac Bead Company in Alexandria, MN as our official Bead Partner. Owners Deb Kerr and Kyle Anderson retired from teaching school in central Pennsylvania and moved to Minnesota where they opened their brick and mortar Potomac Bead Company store in 2015.

Potomac Beads in Minnesota is much more than a bead shop - they carry yarns, looms, wine making supplies... all sorts of DIY materials. Deb loves knitting with beads (she learned that from Cynthia!) and is happy to help you choose beads for your knitted project. 

If your Local Yarn Shop doesn't carry beads, Potomac Bead Company is a great option. They have put together a variety of bead suggestions for each of our official color combos from Manos del Uruguay, and if you've chosen an alternate color combo, they are happy to help you find the perfect beads.

Beads are completely optional for this project, but we do love our bling, so there are bead options for just about every leg. We recommend size 5 or 6 beads. You can use one color of beads throughout or different colors for different sections or yarns. Quantities and colors are dependent on your design and yarn choices, but the general counts below can be used as a guideline.

Misses size: About 700 beads in all

Plus size: About 900 beads in all

In each case, about 65-70% of the beads will be used on the main color yarn, with the remaining beads appearing with the contrast color yarns.