The artisans use boxed dye – they are always dying the wool to weave the heavy blankets.They use firewood to make the fire to heat the water and do the whole dying process. It is usually a full day activity! They never really planned the colors, just used whatever was around. They dissolve the dye in water and throw in the wool for however long they want, depending on how dark they desire it to be. Then, the wool is hung up on the line to dry. After that, it needs to be washed so the dye doesn’t fade/rub off on the one who will wear the garment. In the picture, Angie was helping with a stick as the wool hung to dry; she was on school break and didn’t have anything else going on at the time. You can see an adult stirring the dye in the pot over the fire. That is the dying process of sheep wool. Again, the alpaca fiber process is very similar and we do purchase our alpaca fiber in from local Alpaca Farmers.